Ahmad has developed into a capable and competent 18 month old child who is flourishing. The day care he has been attending provides significant interaction with other adult as well as other children.
Khalid and Sasha have been teaching Ahmad sign language, and he has gotten quite proficient with it. It was important for Khalid since it is another way for him to communicate, and he wanted to make sure that Ahmad had a chance to know his father as much as possible. Khalid felt conflicted in that he didn't have a chance to conduct many of the rituals at birth that he knew had been done when he was born - Khalid wanted to preserve as many of his family's customs and traditions as he could.
Ahmad also had some knowledge of Arabic, but it was hard to keep speaking Arabic in the home - particularly when Sasha was only somewhat familiar with the language. He was as cute as he could be when he spoke in either language. Khalid often thought of going back to Iraq to visit, but Sasha had deep reservations about a trip given the instability and the risks.
* Describe typical developmental milestones for an 18 month old child. Be
sure to include physical, cognitive, social and emotional domains. Describe Ahmad as a securely-attached, typically-developing 18 month old child who is able to sign and has an emerging sense of both English and Arabic.
* Present evidence for and against the practice of teaching children sign language at an early age. Some have indicated that such a practice might delay language development while other have indicated that teaching sign is helpful. Weigh in. What influence might the presence of 3 languages have on Ahmad's development?
Physical and Motor Skills Markers
ReplyDelete• Has a closed soft spot on the front of the head
• Is growing at a slower rate and has less of an appetite compared to months before
• Is able to control the muscles used to urinate and have bowel movements but may not be ready to use the toilet
• Runs with a lack of coordination and falls often
• Is able to get onto small chairs without help
• Walks up stairs while holding on with one hand
• Can build a tower of two to four blocks
• Can use a spoon and cup with help to feed himself
• Imitates scribbling
• Can turn two or three pages of a book at a time
Sensory and Cognitive Markers
• Shows affection
• Listens to a story or looks at pictures
• Can say 10 or more words when asked
• Identifies one or more parts of the body
• Understands and is able to point to and identify common objects
• Often imitates
• Is able to take off some clothing items, such as gloves, hats, and socks
• Begins to feel a sense of ownership, identifying people and objects by saying "my"
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002011.htm
Language and Social Skills
• say 8-10 words you can understand
• look at a person who is talking to him
• ask specifically for her mother or father
• use "hi," "bye," and "please," with reminders
• protest when frustrated
• ask for something by pointing or by using one word
• direct another's attention to an object or action
• become anxious when separated from parents
• seek attention
• bring toys to share with parent act out a familiar activity in play
• play alone on the floor with toys
• compete with other children for toys
• recognize himself in the mirror or in pictures
• seem selfish at times
http://www.nncc.org/Child.Dev/mile2.html
Works Cited
Powell, J., & Smith, C. A. (1997, March). Developmental Milestones: A Guide for Parents, The second year. Retrieved February 2, 2012, from National Network for Child Care: http://www.nncc.org/Child.Dev/mile2.html
U.S. National Library of Medicine; National Institute of Health. (2010, November 2). Developmental Milestones Record:18 months. Retrieved February 2, 2012, from Toddler Development: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002011.htm
2) Studies have shown that teaching a baby to sign may actually boost language learning. From all of the things I have looked at, it has not been shown to delay language development. One of the negatives of teaching a baby to sign is that it requires a commitment and consistency. A pro that comes out of this is that parents spend more time and focus on communication with their child, so it may improve their relationship in the future.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.parents.com/baby/development/sign-language/will-baby-sign-language-keep-her-from-talking/
The presence of three languages in the household may cause some confusion for Ahmad. It won’t pose a problem in the household if all three languages are understood by someone around, but it will probably become more problematic when Ahmad begins to play with others at the daycare where two of the languages may not be understood by everyone. Ahmad will have less motivation to learn the languages that fewer people understand. Studies have shown that learning language is easier for younger children when their language is still developing, so it may be beneficial for him to learn all three sooner rather than later if it is important to the parents.
http://linguistlist.org/ask-ling/biling.cfm