Discussion – Piaget Assignment
Briefly respond to the following questions:
- How does the biopsychosocial framework help us understand whether a child is developing on track with his/her age or delayed? As a professional counselor, why is this important?
- Children can experience delayed intellectual development when they have low birth weights. How might the delay look according to Piaget? Utilize Chapter 4 of your course text for guidance and reference accordingly.
- How does the biopsychosocial framework help us understand whether a child is developing on track with his/her age or delayed? As a professional counselor, why is this important?
The biopsychosocial framework considers the psychological, biological, and social factors evident during a child’s development stages. According to (Calkins, 2011), biological, psychological, and social forces defines a person. The development of a child within the biopsychosocial approach, combined with their life stages helps us assess if their development is on track or delayed. These forces interrelate with each other to make up child development. The combination of the development forces entails the lifespan of a child. It also appreciates every unique aspect of each phase of life for child development.
As a professional counselor, one needs to have an awareness of what stage of life his or her client is in. In counseling, delayed development can be considered as the main cause or root source of most issues that a client is undergoing (Calkins, 2011). Surprisingly, most clients do not realize that their development is delayed until they go for counseling services. Thus, the biopsychosocial framework acts as the starting point in a counselor’s evaluation of a child’s problems.
- Children can experience delayed intellectual development when they have low birth weights. How might the delay look according to Piaget? Utilize Chapter 4 of your course text for guidance and reference accordingly.
Babies born with low weight develop at a slower rate compared to those born of normal birth weight. In reference to the Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, there is a specific sequence of periods by which children develop, and that children develop specific set of skills within each development period (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). Under the first stage of Piaget, Sensorimotor, kids learn sensory stimulation, coordination of reactions, circular reactions, and certain demands as they learn to interact with their immediate environment. In the second stage, Preoperational, children use their imagination, develop symbolic thinking, and become stronger in communications. In 3rd stage, Concrete Operational, children learn and develop an understanding of applying logic to experiences. In the 4th and last stage, Formal Operations, adolescents and young adults think abstractly, hypothetically, and always speculate possible outcomes. This shows that Piaget’s focus is on the idea that children need to learn by doing (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). Thus, low birth weight children often have breathing and nervous system problems, and have trouble feeding and gaining weight hence delay in sensory reaction and coordination.
References
Calkins, S. D. (2011). Biopsychosocial models and the study of family processes and child adjustment. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 73(4), 817.
Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive, 3(2), 1-5.