Childhood Case Study

Rachel and Frank have been married for fourteen years. Rachel is the Financial Controller in the Dublin office of a large Multi-National Corporation. Frank is a chef in Dunnes Stores’ “Timepiece” restaurant in the ILAC Centre, Dublin. Rachel’s salary, promotional prospects, etc. are far in excess of Frank’s, allowing them to live in an affluent suburb of south County Dublin.

Early on in the marriage, Rachel was adamant that she did not want to start a family as she felt this would hamper her career prospects; Frank went along with her decision: However, after ten years, Rachel finally relented, provided that it was agreed that she would go straight back to work once her Maternity Leave was over, if not earlier! Within a year, Daniel was born. Daniel was a pleasant, placid baby giving few problems even when teething, etc.

Daniel is three and a half years old now and has been in a group care situation since his mother returned to work after her Maternity Leave. The family have moved house twice since Daniel’s birth (as their circumstances improved) which has therefore involved three different group- care situations for Daniel. Daniel has everything that money can buy in terms of toys, clothing, etc. However, he is not happy.

Daniel is a loner, playing quietly on his own in the corner. When he joins in group activities, he is aggressive towards the other kids and has none of the usual skills of turn-taking, etc. Daniel does not display any particular attachment to any specific caregiver. His speech is weak-; the care staff mentioned two months ago to his parents that they are concerned about his language delay. No appointment for an assessment has been made. However, the staff would rate Daniel as being of higher than average ability generally.

Being aware of his specific strengths and weaknesses allows the care staff to cater for his individual needs; they give Daniel lots of time exploring, experimenting and learning while trying to encourage language-based activities.

Daniel is generally collected by his father in the evening; his mother usually arrives home late. Rachel and Frank socialise quite frequently both during the week and weekends- they are expected to attend many work-related functions. During times like these, Daniel is looked after by the regular baby-sitter.

On the other nights, his parents like to spend some time with Daniel before he goes to bed, with Frank preparing him for bed and reading the bedtime story. Rachel and Frank have several members of the extended family who would love to be more involved in Daniel’s life but they have never been asked to help.

Questions Related to this Childhood Case Study Assignment: 

Q 1. The student is to identify two needs that are being met for Daniel and explain how they are being met.
Q 2. The student is to identify two needs that are being met for Daniel and explain how they are not being met.
Q 3. Outline some interpersonal skills that may be required to meet the needs identified.
Q 4. Describe a course of action that could be adopted which would be appropriate to help improve Daniel’s situation
Q 5. Identify a strategy for meeting these needs in terms of the following:
a). the individual b). the community c). the government d). the family