Assessing Factors Affecting Cognitive Development in Children

Gianni Ortega Department of Education, Rasmussen University Assessing Environmental and Biological Factors that Influence Cognitive Development EEC3225 Section 01 Child Development Ages 3-5 Professor Barbara Sheats 01/23/2022

Reading this overall assessment regarding Portia's living situation, not only am I able to find something that I can relate to but I am also reading something that portrays a scenario that a lot of young children in America actually experience on the daily, me formerly being one of those children. My general assessment from this overall description of Portia and her living standards, tells me That she and her family are of a lower socio-economic background, and because of this has an unfortunately lower living standard compared to other families , something I'm able to relate to, being someone who was raised in a multi unit railroad apartment building in a similar neighborhood in a medium sized very urban high density city just across the river from New York City (just under 300,000 residents). In regards to the biological and environmental factors that contribute to her cognitive development Portia, when compared to research and specific theories, is already born at a disadvantage given her father had left at a young age and her mom is not as involved as she may want to be due to her always working. Thankfully although her mother is always busy and her aunt is still in school, she does have her grandmother and teachers in her corner as well as her mom whenever she is able to see her due to her always working being what seems to be the sole "breadmaker" of the household. “Seven in 10 children living with a single mother are low income, compared to less than a third (32 percent) of children living in other types of family structures (American Psychological Association, 2010).” It's common knowledge people of lower-income, especially in single-parent households, are already at a disadvantage and typically have to work twice as hard compared to others who aren't. Portia is fortunate enough to have her grandmother who seems to be very involved and has the time to not only spend with her but invest in her overall development. Another issue is the fact. She lives in a high-density urban area being downtown Chicago.

Reading this assessment regarding her living situation, due to the fact that you have so many people living in one area she is often exposed to other factors that other children may not be exposed to, such as secondhand smoke as stated in the assessment provided. “Lower SES has been linked to domestic crowding, a condition that has negative consequences for adults and children, including higher psychological stress and poor health outcomes (American Psychological Association, 2010).” These can all have some serious negative impacts on Portia’s development if not addressed early and properly. She can also develop some long-term health issues if the exposure remains constant, specifically cardiovascular issues as well as the potential of obesity later in life due to the lack of outdoor and physical exposure because of her outdoor environment and neighborhood not being that safe. What her preschool teachers can do at her Head Start program is come up with a plan specifically with Grandma. Due to circumstances outside of her mom's control she might not always be available to discuss the teachers so she can’t be dependant on to communicate progress or feedback, making grandma the primary point of contact in regards to communicating with the family. It seems grandma wishes she'd be able to take her outside more often than she is able but because of the area she is not able to. She can express these concerns to Portia’s teachers. They can come up with some physical activities or even try to allocate some extra outdoor time for not only her but the entire class to benefit from as well. She's most likely not the only child at the school in this living circumstance, given it being an urban area especially in a major American city like Chicago, this is a quite common scenario. Given that they must have a close relationship because it states Portia really likes her teacher and wants to be one herself her teacher can use this knowledge to kind of take Portia under her wing, she can do things like have her designated as a classroom help her or have Portia tell her the things she would want to be able to do more of that she might not be able to do at

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home. It's obvious that school acts as her safe space and that's something that can be beneficial to her overall development. If the work is put in now, both Portia’s family and teachers can push her development in a positive direction despite the obstacles.

Resources American Psychological Association. (2010). Children, youth, families and socioeconomic status . American Psychological Association. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/children-families

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