Assessment Task: Critical Reflection

Goal: To demonstrate an understanding of human developmental theories and approaches.

Product: Essay

Format: You will be given a case study

Discuss developmental theories and approaches that you would apply to your understanding and practice with this case.

Reflect on your perceptions of your own family experiences/ development and how these might relate to this case study and to your social work practice.

Write an essay of 1,500 words using APA referencing.

Criteria - This task will be marked according to level of achievement in the following:

• Identification and analysis of developmental theories
• Ability to reflect on your personal beliefs, values and worldviews
• Presentation, including clarity of written communication, organisation of the material, and accuracy of APA referencing style.

Developmental Theory to be used is Piagets stages of theory.

Case study -

Megan, 9 and Cally, 12 are sisters. They live with their parents John, 41, and Melinda, 37. The girls come to session appearing clean and well dressed and the parents are also well presented and present as educated. Megan has been diagnosed with ADHD. She is very thin and very talkative and Cally is overweight, slow, seems morose and quiet. At parent teacher night, Megan's teacher said Megan cannot focus at school and could do better if she was given medication and Cally's teacher is concerned, feels Cally is depressed and underachieving. In the past 6 months Megan has been wetting the bed and Cally becoming more withdrawn.

For the past 8 months Melinda has worked 4 nights a week at the Leagues club and John works as a casual in an engineering business. Last year he was retrenched and they brought him back as a casual. Money is a concern. At home John has his man cave in the back yard that nobody can go into except him and his friends. Melinda tells me privately that he goes there to smoke dope. This concerns her but she doesn't feel she can say anything to him about it. John's friend Mick visits a lot and she doesn't like Mick. The girls tell me dad's shed has a skull and crossbones and other things painted on the shed. They say "its weird". John says he just wants me to stop Megan wetting the bed. He finds it "totally disgusting". He pulls a face and looks at her with disgust and mimics gagging.

The parents don't seem too worried about Cally. She has been sucking her thumb in the last 6 months. Cally enjoys drawing and journaling and wants to spend some time alone with her mum where she says she might like to learn some cooking or do some fishing.

Megan is aware that dad hates it that she wets the bed because it smells. She discloses that Dad has smacked her, yelled at ther and taken things away from her in order to get her to stop wetting the bed. Mum has also yelled on occasions and has asked her to help strip the bed and put the sheets in the washing machine, as well as remake the bed.

Melinda says how important her job is both financially and for her own self-esteem and she enjoys it. She considers leaving John but doesn't thing she will. Her parents split up. She doesn't want to do that to her children.