Unit 1: Human Development, Diversity, and Behavior in the Environment (27%)
Middle Adult (ages 40-64): Examples of age-specific care for Middle Adults
*Address worries about future-encourage talking about feelings, plans, and so on *Recognize the person's physical, mental, and social abilities/contributions *Help with plans for a healthy active retirement
Other Children (age 7 to 12): Examples of age-specific care for older children
*Allow child to make some care decisions (in which arm do you want vaccination?) *Build self-esteem - ask child to help you do a task, recognize his or her achievements, and so on *Guide child in making healthy, safe, lifestyle choices *Help parent(s) talk with child about peer pressure, sexuality, alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs
Old Age Adults face multiple biopsychosocial, spiritual, and cultural challenges as they age:
*Changes in health and physical abilities *difficulty in accessing comprehensive, affordable, and high-quality health and behavioral health care *decreased economic security *increased vulnerability to abuse and exploitation *loss of meaningful social roles and opportunities to remain engaged in society
Older Adult (ages 80 and older): Key Health Care Issues
*Communication - Encourage the person to express feelings, thoughts, avoid despair; use humor, stay positive *Health - monitor health closely, promote self-care; ensure proper nutrition, activity level, rest; reduce stress, update immunizations *Safety - prevent injury ensure safe living environment
Young Adult (ages 21-39): Key Health Care Issues
*Communication - be supportive and honest; respect personal values *Health - encourage regular checkups; promote healthy lifestyle (proper nutrition, exercise, weight, etc.); inform about health risks (heart disease, cancer, etc.); update immunizations *Safety - provide information on hazards at home and work
Young Children (age 4 to 6): Key Health Care Issues
*Communication - give praise, rewards, clear rules *Health - keep immunizations/checkups on schedule; promote healthy habits (good nutrition, personal hygiene, etc) *Safety - promote safety habits (use bike helmets, safety belts, etc.)
Older Adult (ages 65-79): Key Health Care Issues
*Communication - give respect; prevent isolation; encourage acceptance of aging *Health - monitor health closely; promote physical, mental, social activity; guard against depression, apathy, update immunizations *Safety - promote home safety; especially preventing falls
Other Children (age 7 to 12): Key Health Care Issues
*Communication - help child to feel competent, useful *Health - keep immunizations/checkups on schedule; give information on alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, sexuality *Safety - promote safety habits (playground safety, resolving conflicts peacefully, etc)
Middle Adult (ages 40-64): Key Health Care Issues
*Communication - keep a hopeful attitude; focus on strengths, not limitations *Health - encourage regular checkups and preventive exams; address age-related changes; monitor health risks; update immunizations *Safety - address age-related changes (effects on sense, reflexes, etc.)
Adolescent (ages 13-18): Key Health Care Issues
*Communication - provide acceptance, privacy; build teamwork, respect *Health - encourage regular checkups; promotes sexual responsibility; advise against substance abuse; update immunizations *Safety - discourage risk-taking (promote safe driving, violence prevention, etc.)
Infant and Toddlers (age birth to 3): Key Health Care Issues
*Communication - provide security, physical closeness; promote healthy parent - child bonds *Health - keep immunizations/checkups on schedule; provide proper nutrition, sleep, skin care, oral health, routine screenings *Safety - Ensure a safe environment for exploring, playing, sleeping
Infant and Toddlers (age birth to 3): Examples of age-specific care for infants and toddlers
*Involve child and parent(s) in care during feeding, diapering, and bathing *Provide safe toys and opportunities for play *Encourage child to communicate - smile, talk softly to him or her *Help parent(s) learn about proper child care
Young Children (age 4 to 6): Examples of age-specific care for young children
*Involve parent(s) and child in care - let child make some food choices *Use toys and games to teach child and reduce fear *Encourage child to ask questions, play with others, and talk about feelings *Help parent(s) teach child safety rules
Young Children (age 4 to 6): Healthy Growth and Development
*Physical - Grows at a slower rate; improving motor skills; dresses self, toilet trained *Mental - Begins to use symbols; improving memory; vivid imagination, fears; likes stories *Social - Emotional - Identifies with parent(s); become more independent; sensitive to others' feelings
Older Adult (ages 65-79): Healthy Growth and Development
*Physical - ages gradually; natural decline in some physical abilities, senses *Mental - continues to be an active learner, thinker; memory skills may start to decline *Social-Emotional - takes on new roles (grandparent, widow or widower, etc.); balances independence, dependence; reviews life
Middle Adult (ages 40-64): Healthy Growth and Development
*Physical - begins to age; experiences menopause (women); may develop chronic health problems *Mental - uses life experiences to learn, create, solve problems *Social-Emotional - hopes to contribute to future generations; stays productive, avoids feeling "stuck" in life; balances dreams with reality; plans retirement; may care for children and parents
Older Adult (ages 80 and older): Healthy Growth and Development
*Physical - continues to decline in physical abilities; at increasing risk for chronic illness, major health problems *Mental - continues to learn; memory skills and/or speed of learning may decline; confusion often signals illness or medication problem *Social-Emotional - accepts end of life and personal losses; lives as independently as possible
Infant and Toddlers (age birth to 3): Healthy Growth and Development
*Physical - grows at a rapid rate, especially brain size *Mental - learns through senses, exploring, playing, communicates by crying, babbling, then "baby talk," simple sentences *Social emotional - seeks to build trust in others, dependent, beginning to develop a sense of self.
Adolescent (ages 13-18): Healthy Growth and Development
*Physical - grows in spurts; matures physically; able to reproduce *Mental - becomes an abstract thinker (goes beyond simple solutions, can consider many options, etc.); chooses own values *Social-Emotional - develops own identity; builds close relationships; tries to balance peer group with family interests; concerned about appearances, challenges authority
Other Children (age 7 to 12): Health Growth and Development
*Physical - grows slowly until a "spurt" at puberty *Mental - understands cause and effect, can read, write, do math; active, eager learner *Social-Emotional - develops greater sense of self; focuses on school activities, negotiates for greater independence
Young Adult (ages 21-39): Healthy Growth and Development
*Physical - reaches physical and sexual maturity, nutritional needs are for maintenance, not growth *Mental - acquires new skills, information; uses these to solve problems *Social-Emotional - Seeks closeness with others; sets career goals; chooses lifestyle, community; starts own family
Young Adult (ages 21-39): Examples of age-specific care for Young Adults
*Support the person in making healthy care decisions *Encourage healthy and safe habits at work and at home *Recognize commitments to family, career, community (time, money, etc.)
Adolescent (ages 13-18): Examples of age-specific care for Adolescents
*Treat more as an adult than child - avoid authoritarian approaches *Show respect - be considerate of how treatment may affect relationships *Guide teen in making positive lifestyle choices (i.e., correct misinformation from teen's peers) *Encourage open communication between parent(s), teen, and peers
Older Adult (ages 80 and older): Examples of age-specific care
*encourage independence - provide physical, mental, social activities *support end-of-life decisions - provide information, resources, etc. *assist the person in self-care - promote medication safety; provide safety grips, ramps, etc.
Older Adult (ages 65-79): Examples of age-specific care
*encourage the person to talk about feelings of loss, grief, and achievements *provide information, materials, and so on, to make medication use and home safe *provide support for coping with any impairments (avoid making assumptions about loss of abilities) *encourage social activity with peers, as a volunteer, and so on
Social Worker's understanding of Old Age
...that old age is a time of continued growth and that older adults contribute significantly to their families, communities, and society.
Adult Sexuality
Adult sexual behaviors are extremely varied and, in most cases, remain part of an adult's life until death. At around age 50, women experience menopause, which affects their sexuality in that their ovaries no longer release eggs and their bodies no longer produce estrogen. They may experience several physical changes. Vaginal walls become thinner and vaginal intercourse may be painful because there is less vaginal lubrication and the entrance to the vagina becomes smaller. Many women use estrogen replacement therapy to relieve physical and emotional side effects of menopause. Use of vaginal lubricants can also make vaginal intercourse easier. Most women are able to have pleasurable sexual intercourse and to experience orgasm for their entire lives. Adult men also experience some changes in their sexuality, but not at such a predictable time as with menopause in women. Men's testicles slow testosterone production after age 25 or so. Erections may occur more slowly once testosterone production slows. Men also become less able to have another erection after an orgasm and may take up to 24 hours to achieve and sustain another erection. The amount of semen released during ejaculation also decreases, but men are capable of fathering a baby even when they are in their 80s and 90s. Some older men develop an enlarged or cancerous prostate gland. If the doctors deem it necessary to remove the prostate gland, a man's ability to have an erection or an orgasm is normally unaffected. Although adult men and women go through some sexual changes as they age, they do not lose their desire or their ability for sexual expression. Even among the very old, the need for touch and intimacy remains, although the desire and ability to have sexual intercourse may lessen.
Basic Principles of All Models
Basic Principles of All Models move from the "egocentric," which are associated particularly with childhood, to "conformist," and eventually to "integration" or "universal."
Sexuality in Infants and Toddlers
Children are sexual even before even before birth. Males can have erections while still in the users, and some boys are born with an erection. Infants touch and rub their genitals because it provides pleasure. Little boys and girls can experience orgasm from masturbation, although boys will not ejaculate until puberty. By about age 2, children know their own gender. They are aware of differences in the genitals of males and females and in how males and females urinate.
Changes in Older Adulthood
In Older Adulthood, age-related changes in stamina, strength, or sensory perception may be noticed and will vary based on personal health choices, medical history, and genetics.
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) Theory
Jean Piaget's theory holds that children learn through interaction with the environment and others. His stages address the acquisition of knowledge and how humans come to gradually acquire it.
Jean Piaget
Known for his theory of cognitive development in children
Cognitive Development: Nature
Nature is what we think of as pre-wiring and is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors.
Cognitive Development: Nurture
Nurture is generally taken as the influence of external factors after conception, e.g., the product of exposure, life experiences and learning on an individual.
Sexuality in Adolescent Youth (age 13 to 19)
Once youth have reached puberty and beyond, they experience increased interest in romantic and sexual relationships and in genital sex behaviors. As youth mature, they experience strong emotional attachments to romantic partners and find it natural to express their feelings within sexual relationships. There is no way to predict how a particular teenager will act sexually. Overall, most adolescents explore relationships with one another, fall in and out of love, and participate in sexual intercourse before the age of 20.
Sexuality in Children (age 3-7)
Preschool children are interested in everything about their world, including sexuality. They may practice urinating in different positions. They are highly affectionate and enjoy hugging other children and adults. They begin to be more social and may imitate adult social and sexual behaviors, such as holding hands and kissing. Many young children play "doctor" during this stage, looking at other children's genitals and showing theirs. This is normal curiosity. By age 5 or 6, most children become more modest and private about dressing and bathing. Children of this age are aware of marriage and understand living together, based on their family experience. They may role play about being married or having a partner while they "play house." Most young children talk about marrying and/or living with a person they love when they get older. Most sex play at this age happens because of curiosity.
Sexuality in Preadolescence youth (age 8 to 12)
Puberty, the time when the body matures, begins between the ages of 9 and 12 for most children. Girls begin to grow breast buds and pubic hair as early as 9 or 10. Boys' development of the penis and testicles usually begins between 10 and 11. Children become more self-conscious about their bodies at this age and often feel uncomfortable undressing in front of others, even a same-sex parent. Masturbation increases during these years. Preadolescent boys and girls do not usually have much sexual experience, but they often have many questions. They usually have heard about sexual intercourse, homosexuality, rape, and incest, and they want to know more about all these things. The idea of actually having sexual intercourse, however, is unpleasant to most preadolescent boys and girls. Same-gender sexual behavior can occur at this age. Boys and girls tend to play with friends of the same gender and are likely to explore sexuality with them. Same-gender sexual behavior is unrelated to a child's sexual orientation. Some group dating occurs at this age. Preadolescents may attend parties that have guests of both genders, and they may dance and play kissing games. By age 12 or 13, some young adolescences may pair off and begin dating and/or "making out." Young women are usually older when they begin voluntary sexual intercourse. However, many very young teens do practice sexual behaviors other than vaginal intercourse, such as petting to orgasm and oral intercourse.
Aging
The accumulation of diverse deleterious changes occurring in cells and tissues with advancing age that responsible for an increased risk of disease and death.
Life Expectancy
The average total number of years that a human expects to live.
Older Adults 80 and older Behavior and Development
The development of adults 80 and older focuses on health issues, encouraging independence, and planning for care needs.
Young Adult Behavior and Development Description
The development of adults ages 21-39, focuses on family, career, and community involvement
Middle Adult Behavior and Development Description
The development of adults ages 40-64, focuses on recognizing abilities and contributions while planning for older adulthood
Older Adult Behavior and Development
The development of adults ages 65-79, focuses on social activities, physical health maintenance, and promoting independence.
concrete operational stage characteristics
a. Beginnings of abstract thought b. Plays games with rules c. Cause and effect relationship understood d. Logical implications are understood e. Thinking is independent of experience f. Thinking is reversible g. Rules of logic are developed
formal operational stage characteristics
a. Higher level of abstraction b. Planning for future c. Thinks hypothetically d. Assumes adult roles and responsibilities
preoperational stage characteristics
a. Progress from concrete to abstract thinking b. Can comprehend past, present, future c. Night terrors d. Acquires words and symbols e. Magical thinking f. Thinking is not generalized g. Thinking is concrete, irreversible, egocentric h. Cannot see another point of view i. Thinking is centered on one detail or event Imaginary friends often emerge during this stage and may last into elementary school. Although children do interact with them, most know that their friends are not real and only pretend they are real. Thus, having an imaginary friend in childhood does not indicate the presence of a disorder. It is a normal part of development and social workers should normalize behavior with parents who are distressed about this activity during this developmental stage.
sensorimotor stage characteristics
a. Retains image of objects b. Develops primitive logic in manipulating objects c. Begins intentional actions d. Play is imitative e. Signals meaning - infant invests meaning in event (i.e., babysitter arriving means mother is leaving) f. Symbol meaning (language) begins in last part of stage
Mezzo Level
deals with small-to-medium-sized groups, such as neighborhoods, schools or other local organizations. Examples of mezzo social work include community organizing, management of a social work organization or focus on institutional or cultural change rather than individual clients. Social workers engaged in mezzo practice are often also engaged in micro and/or macro social work. This ensures the needs and challenges of individual clients are understood and addressed in tandem with larger social issues.
Cognitive Developement
focuses on development in terms of information processing conceptual resources, perceptual skill, language learning, and other aspects of brain development. It is the emergence of the ability to think and understand.
Social Development
implies a change in social institutions. The increasing complexity of behaviour patterns used in relationships with other people.
preoperational stage
in Piaget's theory, the stage (from about 2 to 6 or 7 years of age) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic
sensorimotor stage
in Piaget's theory, the stage (from birth to nearly 2 years of age) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities
concrete operational stage
in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 6 or 7 to 11 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events
formal operational stage
in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12 to maturity) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts
Concrete Thinking
is literal thinking that is focused on the physical world. It is the opposite of abstract thinking. People engaged in concrete thinking are focused on facts in the here and now, physical objects, and literal definitions. The term "concrete thinking" is, ironically, a metaphor (and a metaphor is a type of abstract thinking); concrete is a hard, physical substance and concrete thinking is focused on literal-and often physical-facts. A person who thinks only in concrete terms might think that the term "concrete thinking" means thinking literally about concrete.
Abstract Thinking
is the ability to think about objects, principles, and ideas that are not physically present. It is related to symbolic thinking, which uses the substitution of a symbol for an object or idea. A variety of everyday behaviors constitute abstract thinking. These include: *Using metaphors and analogies; *Understanding relationships between verbal and non-verbal ideas; *Spatial reasoning and mentally manipulating and rotating objects; *Complex reasoning, such as using critical thinking, the scientific method, and other approaches to reasoning through problems.
Macro Level
is the effort to help clients by intervening in large systems. Examples include lobbying to change a health care law, organizing a state-wide activist group or advocating for large-scale social policy change. Macro practice is one of the key distinctions between social work and other helping professions, such as psychiatric therapy. Macro social work generally addresses issues experienced in mezzo or micro social work practice, as well as social work research. Macro practice empowers clients by involving them in systemic change.
Micro Level
is the most common kind of social work, and is how most people imagine social workers providing services. In micro social work, the social worker engages with individuals or families to solve problems. Common examples include helping individuals to find appropriate housing, health care and social services. Family therapy and individual counseling would also fall under the auspices of micro practice, as would the of an individual or family, and the treatment of people suffering from a mental health condition or substance abuse problem. Micro-pracice may even include military social work, where the social worker helps military service members cope with the challenges accompanying military life and access the benefits entitled to them by their service. Many social workers engage in micro and mezzo practice simultaneously. Even the most ambitious macro-level interventions have their roots in the conversations between a single social worker and a single client.
Child Development
refers to the physical, mental, and socioemotional changes that occur between birth and the end of adolescence, as a child progresses from dependency to increasing autonomy. Individuals do not process at the same rate, and each stage is affected by the preceding types of development. Because these developmental changes may be strongly influenced by genetic factors and events during prenatal life, genetics and prenatal development are usually included as part of the study of child development.
Adolescent Behavior and Development Description
the development of children ages 13-18 is a critical time as children develop the ability to understand abstract ideas, such as higher math concepts, and develop moral philosophies, including rights and privileges, and move toward a more mature sense of themselves and their purpose.
