Handout 3: The Whole Child-Summary of Development
A. Introduction Instructions: Select a child to observe for five to ten minutes on three to five occasions in different settings (indoors and outdoors) and at different times of the day. This would be a good opportunity to get to know a child with disabilities. Record the following information about the child:

Child: _________________________ Observer: ________________________ Date: ________________
 
 For each area of development, give three examples of skills you have seen this child use. After conducting your observations, you can add additional examples.

Social:

Emotional:

Cognitive:

Physical:

B. Observation Summary Instructions: Make as many copies of this form as you need to record the following basic information about each observation of the child selected to be the focus of this activity.

Setting: ___________________________ Time: ________________________ Date: _______________
 
 

Activity or routine taking place:

Other children present:

Adults present:

  C. What I Learned about This Child Instructions: Use your observation notes to summarize this child's development and to add examples of the child's skills to the Introduction (Part A on Handout 2).

Which indoor and outdoor activities does this child enjoy? Describe what the child did.

Example: During my first observation, Marissa, a child with Down syndrome, was painting at the easel. She used three colors-red, blue, and green-and a wide brush with a short handle. She was able to control the brush as she made red circles with green dots in the middle. She signed her name-MRSA.
 
List the kinds of materials and equipment this child likes to use-indoors and outdoors.
 
Describe how this child typically plays (for example, alone, with one or two others, in a small group).

Describe how this child uses self-help skills in routines (for example, holds bottle, brushes teeth, puts on coat, stores belongings in cubby).

How does this child handle frustration?

What does this child talk about (for example, family, friends, television, books)?

Describe the kinds of books and music this child enjoys.
 
How and when does this child ask for adult help?

  Give several examples of this child's thinking skills (for example, solving problems, showing curiosity, asking questions, classifying, storytelling).

How does this child approach new situations, people, and materials?

Describe how this child moves his or her body (for example, creeps, crawls, walks, runs, jumps, climbs, hops).

What equipment does this child use? Can the child crawl up a ramp? Ride a tricycle? Pull a wagon? Climb the ladder to the slide?

Describe how this child uses small motor skills (for example, grasps a rattle, uses eating utensils, holds crayons and paintbrushes, builds with blocks, turns the pages in a book).

  D. How I Might Change My Practices Instructions: On the basis of what you learned about this child, list some ways you might change your practices to encourage the child's growth and development.

Environment, Materials, Equipment:

Example: I observed Haki having difficulty pedaling one of our small tricycles. His legs are long enough to reach the pedals, but it seems they aren't strong enough to push the pedals. We need at least two riding toys without pedals for Haki and others in the two-year-old group who aren't ready for tricycles.
 

Routines and Transitions:
 
Activities:

Interactions:

E. Continuing to Learn about This Child Instructions: Observation is only one source of information about a child. List some things you would like to know about the child, why you think it would be useful to have this information, and how you can find out.
 

What I Would Like to Know about This Child	Why the Information Would  Be Useful	How Can I Find Out?
(Examples)  Does Marcus help with cooking at home?	(Examples)  He enjoyed stirring, pouring, and kneading when we baked bread at last month's group socialization, and could repeat the steps at home, too.	(Examples)  Ask his mother in our next home visit.
Does Marcus tend to initiate activities, or join in after they are started by another child?	I didn't observe Marcus initiating activities, but the observation period was too brief to draw conclusions.	Coordinate with other staff so I can observe during the next group socialization. Ask his mother during the next home visit. Discuss my observations with other staff and ask for their perspectives.
Does Marcus play with children outside his family?	Marcus has strong social skills such as sharing and taking turns, He could be a model for children who have less-developed social skills. We could pair them during some activities.	Ask his mother in our next home visit.