(I choose Sophia)

Each child is unique and complex. Although children develop at different rates, there are common stages of development that serve as guidelines for what most children can do by a certain age. Observation is typically used as a tool to gain a better understanding of the stages of development. By observing the behavior of children, you can determine their current stages of development and formulate strategies based on those observations to best support your work.

Starting this week and throughout the rest of this course, you will be completing a video observation of a child. This week, you will choose if you would like to observe Oliver, Calvin, or Sophia throughout the course. By observing the same child, you will be able to follow the developmental continuum from birth to 8 years old. In your discussion forums, you will use a developmental checklist when conducting your observation. However, do not submit the checklist to this discussion area. It will be submitted with the assignment as part of the Child Portfolio Binder template. For now, use it to gather information from your observation.

Prepare

To prepare for this discussion,

• Read Chapter 4: Prenatal and Neonatal Development. 
• Read Chapter 5: Infant Development (Birth–12 months).
• Read Why Observe Children?Links to an external site.
• Read Exploring Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)Links to an external site..
• Download Developmental Checklist – 8 to 12 Months Download Developmental Checklist – 8 to 12 Months.
• Watch the video for the child you are choosing to follow throughout the course:
  • Oliver: ECE205 | Oliver Discussion 2Links to an external site.
  • Calvin: ECE205 | Calvin Discussion 2Links to an external site.
  • Sophia: ECE205 | Sophia Discussion 2Links to an external site.

Accessibility Statement: If you have a disability that impacts your ability to successfully participate in this or any other course activity, please provide your instructor with your Authorized Accommodation form from the Office of Student Access and Wellness so they can discuss and arrange an alternative plan with you.

Write

In your initial post,

• State the name of the child you observed as the first line of your post.
• Discuss why it is important to conduct observations.
• Describe, using objective language and descriptive phrasing, at least three developmental milestones you saw in your observation of the child. 
• Consider two developmental areas that were not observed and explain how you could focus your next observation to see those skills. 
• Summarize the concept of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). 
• Discuss at least one example of DAP in your observation.