For this assessment, you will apply children’s developmental understanding of death to propose appropriate and informed support. Address each of the scenarios below in a presentation mode of your choice (paper, video, Canva presentation, PowerPoint) identifying and explaining developmental reactions to death and dying based on clinical experiences. Use information from the instructional materials to respond to the following questions and scenarios, you may find the instructional materials from week 2 to be especially helpful.
Submit your first draft by Wednesday. Your instructor will provide feedback that you can apply to your final draft due by Sunday.
Address the following for each scenario in your presentation:
What is the developmental understanding of death based on the scenario?
What concept(s) of death may the child be trying to understand?
What are common responses/reactions for this age based on the scenario?
What are considerations (language/approaches) based on the scenario?
What are some interventions or ways to help based on the scenario?
What stage of faith development is the child in?
Infants & Toddler
A 2-year-old has begun having temper tantrums each morning 2 weeks after the death of her baby sister who passed away shortly after birth. Her mother admits that she cries each morning and has a hard time getting the day started with the family’s typical routines. When questioning the 7-year-old about why she is acting that way, the child replies that she “wants Mommy not to be sad anymore.” Her mother has also observed the 7-year-old put a baby doll under her shirt and then take it out.
Preschooler
A 4-year-old was thought not to know anything about the anticipated death of her soon-to-be-born baby brother until she was observed playing “dead baby” with her dolls. She told her doll “It was because I said I didn’t want a baby brother.” It was only then that the family realized how perceptive the 4-year-old was to the surrounding grief.
School-Ager
A 10-year-old boy describing his feelings following the unexpected death of his father. “Sure, I thought he would die before me. He was older than I am. But I certainly didn’t expect him to die when I was only 10 years old!” He also has a recurrent nightmare that his mother has died and left him alone.
Adolescent
A 15-year-old girl lost her best friend to terminal cancer. She is observed by her parents to stay in her room more often than before and is hesitant to talk to them about her thoughts/feelings about her friend’s passing. She gets in trouble for staying out past curfew and is noted to have alcohol on her breath.
