Julie and Tim have been unable to have children. They are very excited when they find out they have been approved to adopt a child from an orphanage in a South American country. They gather their resources and fly to pick up their new son, Manuel. There is no medical history available. Manuel is about 10 months old when they adopt him.They bring Manuel back to the United States. He is a very quiet baby. He lies quietly and rarely cries. Manuel is barely sitting forward propped. He has a head lag in pull-to-sit. Manuel refuses to eat anything, taking only the bottle. He occasionally makes babbling sounds, but he has very little affect. He does not get upset, no matter who is holding him. Manuel will reach and grasp toys but drops them after a brief period of exploration.Julie and Tim are very worried. Although they already love little Manuel, they were assured that the baby they were adopting was “normal” and did not have any kind of neurologic problem. The pediatrician has an MRI done, and there is no brain damage. Julie and Tim ask about a referral to early intervention. When the early intervention team visits Julie and Tim, they conclude that there are definite delays; however, without knowing Manuel’s medical history (whether he was term or preterm), it is difficult to determine the severity of the delays. The early intervention team encourages Julie and Tim to provide a rich, supportive environment for Manuel. They explain brain plasticity and suggest that there is a good chance that Manuel will respond to their activity suggestions. By 18 months of age, Manuel seems like a different child. He is clearly attached to Julie and Tim and speaks four to six words. He is walking well and eating solids. Although they continue to work especially on Manuel’s language development, they are thrilled with their little boy and feel they have seen firsthand the effect of environment on development.Some questions to consider:1. Review the developmental sequence discussed in the chapter. To the knowledge of the parents, Manuel is 10 months old when he is adopted. What should a 10-month-old be doing across all domains of development?2. Explain why Manuel seems like a different child at 18 months of age. What impact does environment have on his emerging behavior? Relate this to the term neuroplasticity.3. Why does early intervention play an important role in this case? Describe activities the early intervention team probably recommended for Manuel, based on his initial level of function.
Julie and Tim have been unable to have children. They are very excited when they find out they have been approved to adopt a child from an orphanage in a South American country. They gather their resources and fly to pick up their new son, Manuel. There is no medical history available. Manuel is about 10 months old when they adopt him.
They bring Manuel back to the United States. He is a very quiet baby. He lies quietly and rarely cries. Manuel is barely sitting forward propped. He has a head lag in pull-to-sit. Manuel refuses to eat anything, taking only the bottle. He occasionally makes babbling sounds, but he has very little affect. He does not get upset, no matter who is holding him. Manuel will reach and grasp toys but drops them after a brief period of exploration.
Julie and Tim are very worried. Although they already love little Manuel, they were assured that the baby they were adopting was “normal” and did not have any kind of neurologic problem. The pediatrician has an MRI done, and there is no brain damage. Julie and Tim ask about a referral to early intervention. When the early intervention team visits Julie and Tim, they conclude that there are definite delays; however, without knowing Manuel’s medical history (whether he was term or preterm), it is difficult to determine the severity of the delays. The early intervention team encourages Julie and Tim to provide a rich, supportive environment for Manuel. They explain brain plasticity and suggest that there is a good chance that Manuel will respond to their activity suggestions. By 18 months of age, Manuel seems like a different child. He is clearly attached to Julie and Tim and speaks four to six words. He is walking well and eating solids. Although they continue to work especially on Manuel’s language development, they are thrilled with their little boy and feel they have seen firsthand the effect of environment on development.
Some questions to consider:
1. Review the developmental sequence discussed in the chapter. To the knowledge of the parents, Manuel is 10 months old when he is adopted. What should a 10-month-old be doing across all domains of development?
2. Explain why Manuel seems like a different child at 18 months of age. What impact does environment have on his emerging behavior? Relate this to the term neuroplasticity.
3. Why does early intervention play an important role in this case? Describe activities the early intervention team probably recommended for Manuel, based on his initial level of function.
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