Conduct a forty-five- to sixty-minute live observation of a young adult. In addition to conducting an observation, you may also choose to interview the young adult. Keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Only use first names or pseudonyms in your paper.
- Do not observe someone who is related to you.
- Do not attempt to engage in a counseling role; this assignment strictly involves only observing or interviewing.
- Date, time, location, and length of observation
- Age, sex, and race or ethnicity
- Defining physical characteristics
- Estimated socioeconomic status (SES)
- Description of interaction with caregivers
- Daily routine
- Description of other relevant behaviors exhibited during observation
- Any other information
Note that SES has a profound impact on development. You can estimate the SES level based on neighborhood, clothing, or automobiles.
Be sure to provide detailed examples and use multiple developmental theories to support your observations. Consider multicontextual influences on development. Also, provide a developmental prognosis and make service recommendations, if needed. Justify your recommendations with information from the textbook, recommended readings, and/or peer-reviewed journal articles.
If you determine no services are needed, provide a justification. For example, if the young adult you observe is not meeting the developmental milestones associated with young adulthood, provide suggestions for services that would promote healthy development.
