Cognitive Decline in Children After Divorce: A Case Study

Abstract

Course name Instructor’s name Assignment due date Domain Overview and Intervention Brainstorming For the case study, I chose to focus on the cognitive domain of development that focuses on how children learn, acquire skills, and solve problems. It is a measure of intellectual growth that affects cognition and the academic performance of students at school. I chose the domain since it is significantly affected by family factors such as the case of divorce that I chose for the case study. The wellbeing of a child in their home affects their thinking, learning, and capacity to pay attention in the classroom. According to Garriga & Pennoni (2022), family disruption has significant negative effects on child development, school readiness, and their psychological wellbeing. I chose to focus on how the child’s family factors influenced their cognitive development as indicated by the formal and informal assessments made by her teacher in school. To address this domain, I interviewed the parent on her capacity to support the child in school work and her participation in learning in general. The domain seeks to evaluate the impact of family interrelationships after divorce on the cognitive development of a child affected by the separation. Mary is currently ten years old and is in the fourth grade of elementary school. Her parents divorced five years ago and she has lived with her mother while visiting her father’s home over the weekends and during the holidays. Her cognitive development has been significantly affected by family factors making her one of the lowest performing students in the classroom. The student’s grades have dropped significantly in reading, math, and science in the past two grades and her teacher is worried that she might not be competent enough to perform in the fifth grade. Assessment of previous performance records demonstrate a significant decline in the student’s grades in the past year (Garriga & Pennoni, 2022). Her teacher reported that she had shown little improvement in reading and was unable to complete most of the assigned tasks in the classroom. I gathered records and interviewed the teacher on major insights in the child’s cognitive development based on previous and current assessments. She noted that while Mary was active in the classroom, she had failed to complete most of the tasks assigned to be done at home. Over the past year, the student’s decline in performance in the classroom has placed her at a disadvantage when new concepts are introduced in the classroom. Observations in the classroom showed the student’s robust involvement in regular individual and group activities. However, she was reluctant to volunteer to answer questions during group activities and was distracted on two occasions during the two lessons of the assessment. The student completed some of the tasks assigned in the classroom with some questions being answered incorrectly. Individual instruction...