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The Case of Kevin Miller Katherine Petrie MFT14 Development within The Family Lifecycle January, 2024

THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 1 Introduction & Thesis This paper focuses on the case study of Kevin Miller, a bi-racial fifth grade student whose disruptive behavior is causing problems for him at school. In the following sections, I will identify the key issues in Kevin’s case, and assess his development with the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. I will also explore how to promote prosocial behaviors for Kevin, looking at his attachment style and the parenting style of his caregivers. Finally, I will discuss some cultural considerations and examine my own biases as they pertain to this case. Key Issues Kevin is described as an intelligent and attractive child whose behavior in school has been progressively more disruptive throughout the year. The need for intervention came about when the accumulation of his behaviors caused the school principal to revoke his privilege to attend a class trip. Years prior, Kevin was considered for the gifted program at his school, but his grades have dropped to a C+ average because he doesn't spend time studying and generally does not engage in his schoolwork. Kevin has a reputation for being disruptive, disrespectful, and distracting.. His engaging confidence has made him somewhat popular with his peers, and he seems to enjoy being in a position of power among the group. There were concerns over his attention span in earlier years and he has been caught cheating on tests. When confronted about his inappropriate commentary toward teachers, he does not accept responsibility and believes he has done nothing wrong. Kevin’s parents are supportive of him, despite being upset with some of his behavioral problems. They enlisted the help of a counselor in fourth grade, whom Kevin has seen sporadically. The Millers claim to understand the principal’s stance, but ultimately succeed in overriding the decision to exclude Kevin from the class trip. Based on the vignette, Kevin’s parents seem to enable and justify his negative behaviors, and provide very little structure for

THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 2 him. Kevin does not seem to have true academic challenges, and for the purpose of this paper, I will make the assumption that a learning disorder has been ruled out. Piaget’s Theory Piaget’s theory of cognitive development relies on the idea that children advance through four distinct stages: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational (McLeod, 2023). Kevin is likely in the Concrete Operational stage which is generally thought to encompass ages 7 to 11. In this stage children begin to understand logical thought as it applies to concrete ideas. Egocentrism begins to decrease, allowing children to better understand the thoughts and feelings of those around them, but they still struggle to understand abstract concepts. In Kevin’s case, he likely has an understanding of the way his behaviors impact others, but he still has little self control and his understanding of logical consequences may be inhibited by his parents’ lack of discipline. Piaget’s theory asserts that children are active participants in their own development processes; they engage and interact with their environment in order to build their understanding of the world. As Kevin has explored his environment, he has not had to face many consequences for his negative behaviors, which reinforces the idea that he can safely continue these behaviors. His parents do not appear to be enforcing consequences or teaching Kevin about the implications of his actions, which may explain why he is still exhibiting a lot of egocentrism at this age. In the 1967 Plowden Report, Piaget’s ideas were applied to education and one of the key takeaways was that “Children should be given individual attention and it should be realized that they need to be treated differently” (McLeod, 2023), which may indicate a need for a more tailored approach to Kevin’s education to keep him engaged. It is hard to predict whether this approach in the classroom would further enable his refusal to follow rules, or if it would positively impact his education by regaining his interest in schoolwork. Unfortunately most

THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 3 school systems do not have the resources available to tailor education to children with different capabilities and learning styles, so Kevin’s teachers may simply not be able to provide this. Vygotsky’s Theory Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of development differs from Piaget’s theory in that it stresses the importance of external social and cultural factors in a child’s development. Vygotsky’s theory posits that children’s cognitive development is primarily influenced by information provided by “more knowledgeable others” (MKOs) such as parents, teachers, or even peers, and it emphasizes “the role of social interaction in the development of mental abilities e.g., speech and reasoning in children” (McLeod, 2024). Another important principle of Vygotsky’s theory is the Zone of Proximal Development, which describes the gap between what a child can learn on their own, and what a child can learn with the support of MKOs. In Kevin’s case, using Vygotsky’s concept of collaborative learning could be very useful in achieving more desirable behaviors and academic success. Kevin’s parents put some of the blame for his behaviors on the school, rather than looking at how they might also be influencing him. If a counselor were able to work with them to take more responsibility, they might become more effective MKOs for Kevin, and would be able to aid him in learning in the Zone of Proximal Development with tasks that are beyond his reach independently. As far as we know, Kevin is not having any true academic challenges, but is struggling to stay engaged with his learning and to have positive interactions with others. These are the tasks that would require input and education from MKOs to help him develop things like problem-solving skills, and prosocial behaviors. “Vygotsky also views peer interaction as an effective way of developing skills and strategies” (McLeod, 2024), one way to encourage this would be to employ collaborative learning strategies like group work with peers who may also act as MKOs for Kevin. His teacher would need to be very strategic with this approach, ensuring that this collaborative learning would not interfere with the learning of the peers paired up with Kevin.

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