Child and young person development 3

Monitoring children and young people’s development using different methods

Monitoring pupils is an important tool in the teacher’s hand to collect information about children’s development, their relationships and skills in order to specify any areas where help may be needed. Observation can be carried out in groups or individually.

If we are monitoring a group of children at the same time it is better to work with a smaller group or only a couple of pupils at a time so that it is easier to jot down all the relevant details. If we are comparing children’s developmental stages, we can fill in a chart, or if the observation is about their relationships we can draw a sociogram using the pupils’ initials.

There are different approaches to monitoring depending on our goal of collection information. Time sampling means observing the chosen child for planned periods throughout the day at planned times. In case of event sampling we make a note any a time a particular form of behaviour occurs in order to find the reason causing it. Structured observation is setting up an organised situation where we can observe how successfully a pupil is developing a specific skill. Naturalistic observation simply means the monitoring of a pupil throughout the course of the day while in a participative observation the teaching assistant and the child are engaged in an activity together. Longitudinal monitoring means a series of observations over a period of time in order to create a picture of a child’s progress. The aim of target child observation is to decide whether a pupil is obtaining worthwhile experiences while working in a group. (Teaching Assistant, 2012, p. 144-147)

In all cases when monitoring children we have to specify beforehand why we are collecting information, where and how we are carrying out the observation and what method we are using. The results of the observations have to be summarised in a report, also stating any necessary action to be taken.

Reasons why children and young people’s development may not follow the expected pattern

There are a number of factors that can affect children’s development. If they have to spend time away from school due to their own illness or somebody else’s in the family, they are likely to fall behind in their studies and develop a delay in social interactions with their peers. If they do not have anybody to talk to about problems in the family or the illness of a relative, it can result in a problem with managing their feelings. Fatigue can be caused by a lack of sleep if there is no routine in the home about bedtime and the child is allowed to stay up, e.g. playing computer games. Also, if the morning routine of having breakfast is missing from the child’s day, they will have less energy to perform well in school. Memory is another skill whose development can be influenced by interactions in the family, e.g. if a child is prompted by frequent questions to remember what he or she was doing that day. Concentration may be affected by medical conditions or emotional problems and has a great impact on one’s cognitive development. Finally, physical restrictions stemming from disabilities or illnesses can affect physical and social development because these pupils are not able to engage in the normal playground activities with their peers, getting less exercise and being excluded from interactions. Teaching staff can improve this situation be inventing different rules in e.g. a football game, so that the child in wheelchair can also participate.

Effects of disability on development

In spite of a school’s best efforts to integrate children living with some kind of disabilities into mainstream education, their development will be affected by factors that cannot be controlled by the teaching staff. If a child has to attend regular hospital appointments in connection with their disability, this time spent away from school (the missed lessons and the lack of interaction with their peers) will have a negative influence on their physical, cognitive and social development. When these pupils return to school after hospital visits, they might be tired from the treatments they had. It makes it harder for them to concentrate on learning and catch up with the others in the classroom or even to participate in activities. If their condition causes pain or discomfort to these children, they might not be able to relax properly and start the school day already exhausted. Most of these symptoms are physical but some disabilities can cause mental developmental delay. If a child has a condition like that we have to take it into consideration that their memory and cognitive skills might be affected. According to current policy, every child has to be included in mainstream education unless they have a severe disability. Therefore teaching staff have to do their best to make it possible for these children to participate in every activity with their peers. Even if a child in wheelchair cannot run but they can move around in their chair and can take part in games. If a game cannot be modified to include everybody, the game should not be included in the daily activities. This way whatever their disabilities are, these children will not feel to be socially excluded and can make the best of their abilities like all their peers.

Interventions promoting positive outcomes for children and young people where development is not following the expected pattern

Through regular monitoring the Class Teacher and the Teaching Assistant can make the first step in recognising if a child has any kind of developmental delay and needs to be referred to a specialist’s care.

In each school the SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) is the person who is responsible for overviewing children with statements of SEN. He/she can advise colleagues on what to do when e.g. a child is disruptive in the classroom or seems to require specialised help.

Social Workers are involved in everyday school life where there is a cause for concern of LAC (Looked-After Child). These children either live in foster or in residential care, and it is the Social Worker’s job to make sure that their cognitive, emotional and physical development do not suffer from this situation.

If there are concerns of a child’s emotional development, it is best to refer them to an Educational Psychologist. These professionals can carry out psychological assessments on children to find the cause of their emotional or behavioural problems and help them working out their issues. (Teaching Assistant, 2010, p. 297)

A Physiotherapist can support a child when there is a problem with their mobility or gross motor skills (e.g. unable to walk straight line). Even if it is a long term condition, e.g. dyspraxia, blindness, cerebral palsy etc. or only a temporary physical difficulty, e.g. after an accident, a physiotherapist is able to advise the Teacher on what kind of activities might be helpful for the child. (Teaching Assistant, 2012, p. 298)

A Nurse or Health Visitor is trained to attend to the physical or health needs of the children. They are the ones who are allowed to administer drugs when a child needs regular doses even during the school day.

A successful cooperation among all these professionals is essential in order to ensure children’s well-being in school. The most important task of the Teacher or Teaching Assistant is to recognise if a child in their class needs any external help and to support the work of these specialists.

Reference list

Teaching Assistant. Providing Support to Teaching and Learning in Schools. February 2012, edn. 2010/05. UK Open Learning Ltd.