A thorough assessment of a child’s behavior is a very important and involved task. Too many times individuals look at the child’s behavior and label the child as angry, aggressive, troublesome, etc. In this assignment, you will begin to apply many of the different dynamics that could be in play in a child’s life. You will analyze the following case study to create an assessment of a child’s behavior by identifying the child’s role in the family, school, and peer groups.

CASE STUDY 2

BRANDON IS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN EIGHT YEAR OLD CHILD IN THIRD GRADE, WHO IS IN DANGER OF HAVING TO REPEAT THE GRADE.  HE CONTINUES TO STRUGGLE WITH BEING ABLE TO CONCENTRATE IN CLASS, AND SAYS HE IS ‘BORED’ WHEN STUDENTS HAVE TO JUST SIT AND READ, SOMETIMES HE TALKS AND WALKS AROUND THE CALSS AND OTHER TIMES HE DRAWS PICTURES AND PAYS NO ATTENTION AT ALL.  HE FREQUENTLY GETS SENT TO THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE FOR THIS BEHAVIOR, BUT DOES NOT SEEM TO MIND BECAUSE THE PRINCIPAL LETS HIM LAY AND GIVES HIM SNACKS (AS HE ALWAYS COMPLAINS ABOUT BEING HUNGRY).  OFTEN THE PRINCIPLE COMPLIMENTS HIM ON HIS ARTWORK.

WHEN HIS PARENTS WERE TOLD ABOUT HIS BEHAVIOR, THEY WERE EXASPERATED. THE PARENTS SAID HE BEHAVES EVEN MORE POORLY AT HOME, STEALING AND BREAKING HIS SIBLINGS’ THINGS AND SNEAKING FOOD INTO HIS ROOM.  HE EVEN HAS NIGHTLY BED WETTING ACCIDENTS ON A FAIRLY REGULAR BASIS (THE DOCTOR HAS RULED OUT PHYSICAL PROBLEMS AS A REASON FOR THESE).

HIS MOTHER WORKS AS A PART-TIME JOB AT A LOCAL GAS STATION WHEN THE KIDS ARE IN SCHOOL.  HIS FATHER USED TO COME HOME AROUND DINNERTIME AND WAS OFTEN TIRED; BUT HE RECENTLY WAS LAID OFF AND IS DEPRESSED AND SPENDS A LOT OF TIME IN BED.

In this evaluation, you will ascertain the possible determinates of his or her behavior given what you have learned about the influences on a child such as family, peers, school, and community. You will review what type of role he or she may be playing in the family as well as in the school based on these dynamics. Keep in mind that this is an assessment of an individual in a community and not an introspective psychological type of assessment. Support your answers with information cited from at least two peer-reviewed academic sources and your textbook.

• Present the case by explaining the child’s behavior in light of your understanding of the ecology of the child. Give special attention to the following:
  • Family and social environment
  • Economic circumstances
  • Health care access
  • Physical environment and safety
  • Behavior
  • Education
  • Health

  Apply your knowledge of these indicators to explain possible determinates of various aspects of the stated behaviors in the case study.

• Given your understanding of the ecology of the child, of the family, and of socialization, identify the top three areas that seem to be the most influential in this child’s behavior. Support your answer with professional information from the text and two peer-reviewed research articles.
• Review the role this child plays in his or her family and how that correlates with the expressed behavior.
• Analyze the different theories of macrosystem and microsystem influences including parenting orientation and parenting style and how that impacts children. Then apply the theory that might best fit your selected case study.
• Review the role this child plays in his or her school and peer group and how that correlates with the expressed behavior. Analyze the impact of the school and the peer group as a socializing agent, and identify the key areas of impact of both in this case study.

Write a 6–8-page paper (in addition to the title page and references page) in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources, including use of in-text citations and full references. Academic sources could include your textbook, required readings for this module, or academic journal articles found in the Argosy University online library. Make sure you write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.