Applying Developmental Theory to Personal Self-Reflection and Medical Narrative

Introduction

For the first chapter of this subject we have learned the different aspects of human development, such as physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. We have also tackled that heredity, environment, and maturation influence human development. I have also learned that personal development is a process by which a person reflects upon themselves, understand who they are, learn things to their fullest potential as human beings. I have learned how complex human nature is because we, humans possess different capabilities compared to the other living organisms. Overall, I have seen how interesting this subject is and hope that I will be able to know more and understand more about myself in the upcoming chapters. I also want to have the chance to develop myself, or to learn how to be a better version of myself. Although it may take time, but in the end, things happen when you put your mind and heart to it.

Developmental Analysis

The process of human growth and development lasts the whole lifetime of a person, from birth until the individual dies. Growth is defined as the physical processes that lead to the change in the measurable dimensions of an individual’s body. Similarly, it is important for every person to understand the growth and development process in humans in order to adjust adequately to new phases in life. This paper is a detailed discussion of the human growth and development with a focus on self and the events that have occurred throughout my lifetime. In this paper, the concepts, theories, and the terminologies of human life will be discussed based on my personal life experiences as the template. The first section of the paper presents the general overview of human life and development. Every stage of growth and development is unique and can be studied to understand the theories as well as learn the theoretical basis of human growth and development.

The first stage of human life is the fetal stage after the fertilization has occurred. The scene happens within the mother’s body, and the developing fetus does not understand the processes as they occur. This phase in the human life has not been well studied by the growth theories. The baby has several risks as it develops in the mother’s womb, some that may be caused by human factors and others due to environmental factors. At the age of seven, she was hit by a car and was told she would never have kids. She was also in the army, has had surgeries, traveled to different places, etc. So, I cannot give accurate information about the factors caused, because my mother has experienced a lot throughout her life. However, my mom tells me that she did have multiple health issues requiring drug. I was a premature baby weighing only 2lbs and 17oz. The first days as an infant were also eventless according to my parents” recollection. According to the Freud psychosexual development theories, the first step in the baby’s life after birth is the oral stage where the baby’s curiosity is displayed by putting items in the mouth. As a baby, I am informed that I had an appetite for everything my mouth could reach, including my parents’ arms and faces. I am advised that if I were held, I would reach for the person who was holding me and start sucking on their fingers. Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory, on the other hand, describes the stage right after birth as the infancy stage which lasts up to one and a half years. The stage, according to the theory is characterized by distrust, and long-term trust can be forged at this point. Similarly, long distrust can be formed between the baby and its immediate society members. Since I was socially close to my parents when I was young, my development must have followed an affirmative resolution model. This was my cognitive learning phase.

Moreover, the early stages of a child’s life are described in the Piaget’s Cognitive Development Stage and Tasks as a development stage where the child learns all the fundamental knowledge. His theory focuses not only on understanding how children acquire knowledge but also on understanding the nature of intelligence. The stages of his theory are the sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage and formal operational. Piaget had believed that children play a very active role in their learning process. They go through new experiences, they take mental notes on how things went, whether they liked the outcome or not, and they simply learn about the world in their own ways and at their own pace.

As kids interact with the world around them, they are contently adding more and more knowledge to their brain, they build upon their existing knowledge, and adapt their previously held ideas to accommodate new information. Looking at the first stage of development which is the sensorimotor stage which is looked through the ages of birth to the age of two years old. The sensorimotor stage is where the infant knows the world through their own movements. The infant knows the world through their own movements and perceptions. They learn through basic actions such as looking, listening and sucking on their pacifier or even their bottles and such. Epilepsy and Human Development

Epilepsy Diagnosis

Life can be an ongoing war with many fierce battles; I have not won every battle however I am determined not to lose this war. My first major battle started when I was diagnosed with epilepsy at ten years old. “Epilepsy is a neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions, associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain.” Epilepsy has affected several aspects of my life such as my education, social skills and memory. Subsequently, I was a very energetic child before I started developing epilepsy. Around fourth grade (8 years old), my grades started to decline, my attention span shortened, and I began having unaware blackout seizures during class. My teacher though I had a hearing and recommended my parents to get my hearing checked. They, had me checked out and my hearing was fine, but something abnormal was going on with my brain. I was sent to a neurologist in Macon to have test done. I can’t remember every detail, but I do remember when I was first diagnosed with it. My mom cried of course, Consequently, my cognitive and social development has been affected greatly by epilepsy; however, I have always been determined to overcome my struggles through persistence and hard work. Due to the seizures caused by my epilepsy my ability to retain the information that is being taught in classes has been tough. Each time I have a seizure scar tissue builds therefore making it more difficult for me to retain and remember information. My short-term memory has also been extremely affected due to these seizures. Working with my doctors, teachers, and family I have developed skills and exercises that help me to overcome these problems. Being diagnosed with epilepsy has led me to develop a deep interest in Psychology. Facing these difficulties in my education head on has made me a stronger and more determined student.

The Impact of Seizures

Age of onset seizures, early diagnosis, and the success of seizure treatment can also affect a child’s learning potential. The brain has an astounding capacity to create new connections and relearn information or behaviors that were lost due to seizures or other insults to the brain (Morgan & Thiele, 2007). However, this relearning process takes time, and the brain’s capacity to create new connections diminishes with age (Morgan & Thiele, 2007). Therefore, early diagnosis and intervention may be critical not only to the success of seizure treatments but also to a child’s ability to meet his or her learning potential. I was having unaware seizures for years and due to lack of knowledge was diagnosed later down the line. By then, my cognitive development and short-term memory had already been drastically affected. Critical thinking and problem solving had become my worst enemy.

Speech and Language

Learning and social interactions depend on communication. When speech and language are impaired, learning and socialization are greatly compromised. Although epilepsy increases a child’s risk of developing speech and language problems, the problems that occur vary according to the location of seizure activity in the brain (Morgan & Thiele, 2007). Depending on exactly where seizures occur, they may cause a child to have difficulty recognizing speech sounds or understanding what is being said, or have difficulty expressing his or her own ideas or speaking clearly (Morgan & Thiele, 2007). I could have exactly what I want to say planned out in my mind, but it will come out completely different when its time to speak. It takes time for me to get my thoughts out and I must speak slowly, or no one will understand anything that I have said. Which is why I am reluctant to participate in open discussion during class because my speech tends to be slurred. Not only that, but I have also never been able to correctly pronounce my “R’s”.

Attention

Attention is the ability to remain alert and focused on a particular task. critical to the learning process, attention requires the brain to analyze the environment, organize, and focus the mind on the task at hand. Staying attentive and maintaining concentration is challenging as I still suffer from blackout mid conversation and I will easily get distracted. In addition, some anticonvulsant medications are known to cause attention problems. Changing the dosage or type of medication can often reduce or eliminate these problems (Morgan & Thiele, 2007).

References

• Armstrong, K.H., et al., (2014). Evidence-Based Interventions for Children with Challenging Behavior. Business Media, Springer Science.
• Commons, M. L., & Pekker, A. (2008). Presenting the formal theory of hierarchical complexity.
• World Futures: Journal of General Evolution 65(1-3), 375-382.
• Holmes G. L. (2016). Effect of seizures on the developing rain band cognition. Seminars in pediatric neurology, 23(2), 120-126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spen.2016.05.001
• Morgan, A., & Thiele, E. (2007). Childhood Epilepsy: Learning. Massachusetts General Hospital. https://www.massgeneral.org/children/epilepsy/education/learning
• Russ, S. W. (2006). Pretend play, affect, and creativity. New directions in aesthetics, creativity and the arts, Foundations and frontiers in aesthetics: 239-250.

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