Human Services

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.

Write a 3- to 4-page detailed description of the young adult’s  physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. What would  developmental theorists say about the cognitive and the psychosocial  development of the young adult? In addition, include the following  information:

• 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.

Note: Do not share a prognosis or service  recommendations with the young adult. This information is for class  purposes only. Also keep in mind that the more familiar you are with the  relevant developmental theory for this age range, the more you will  know what is significant during your observation.