Nicole is a 17 year old who identifies as female, Caucasian and bisexual. The presenting problem is that the client is seeking treatment to address issues related to anger, fear of abandonment, and impulsive and destructive behaviors (i.e. physical aggression, cutting, purging, sexual reactivity, and suicidal ideation). She has been hospitalized numerous times and currently resides in a treatment center for adolescents. She comes from a family of high socioeconomic status. She has struggled with truancy in school. Nicole experienced verbal and physical abuse, and the Department of Family Services has been involved multiple times. This paper will identify normative developmental milestones from infancy to adolescence and analyze Nicole’s life according to these milestones. Therapeutic interventions will also be discussed, in relation to the milestones that Nicole did not appear to meet. Names of people and places have been changed to be in accordance with HIPAA law.
Infancy/Toddlerhood
During normal infancy and toddlerhood, important developmental milestones occur involving changes in “motor or physical behavior, play activities, adaptive behavior that involves taking care of self, social responses, and language development” (Zastrow, Kirst-Ashman, …show more content…
These behaviors continued at home as well and rather than redirect and use positive reinforcement, Dad would physically punish Nicole, often leaving marks on her body. He would also verbally abuse her, telling her she is stupid and that she will never do anything right. During this timeframe, Nicole’s baby brother was born and this seemed to contribute to an increase in stress and hostile behavior in Nicole. Toward the end of this developmental timeframe, it became apparent that Nicole exhibited inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity daily, the “three primary clusters of behavior that characterize ADHD” (Zastrow, Kirst-Ashman, 2016, p. 172), however, she was not assessed for ADHD during her early
Infancy/Toddlerhood
During normal infancy and toddlerhood, important developmental milestones occur involving changes in “motor or physical behavior, play activities, adaptive behavior that involves taking care of self, social responses, and language development” (Zastrow, Kirst-Ashman, …show more content…
These behaviors continued at home as well and rather than redirect and use positive reinforcement, Dad would physically punish Nicole, often leaving marks on her body. He would also verbally abuse her, telling her she is stupid and that she will never do anything right. During this timeframe, Nicole’s baby brother was born and this seemed to contribute to an increase in stress and hostile behavior in Nicole. Toward the end of this developmental timeframe, it became apparent that Nicole exhibited inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity daily, the “three primary clusters of behavior that characterize ADHD” (Zastrow, Kirst-Ashman, 2016, p. 172), however, she was not assessed for ADHD during her early