Assignment task:
Discuss the specific developmental phase/stage from the physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and emotional perspectives on chosen stage of Late childhood (up to12 years) for Mia, using examples from her life course, explaining the implications of the changes/challenges for her and interpret what the professional practice implications are, of working with Mia from the case study below.
Mia is 15 years of age, living on a large inner-city estate which has a reputation for anti-social behavior from young people, with use of alcohol and other drugs. Over the last few months her school attendance has been sporadic. Nathan (37), her father, is currently serving a ten-year jail sentence for burglary and drug offences. Mo (66), Nathan's mother supports the family as much as she can but has poor physical health. His father (Nathan senior), died in a car accident when he was four years old; his mother remarried when he was 6. Cole, Nathan's stepfather has a history of violence towards his mother and now lives in a different part of the country with a new family. Megan (34), Mia's mother, was introduced to alcohol and drug very early in life, is now a regular user of alcohol and other drugs, supporting her habit by dealing in soft drugs and petty theft.
She suffers from anxiety and severe depression, accompanied by binge drinking, leading to frequent hospital outpatient treatments. As a child, she and her siblings spent time in care because of neglect by their mother. Her mother, Mariam, died seven years ago of causes linked to alcohol dependency and suspected drug overdose. At the age of 16 Megan gave birth to Mia. Following this Megan and Nathan began to live together, living in a series of bed and breakfasts and a hostel for homeless people. Nathan would steal and dealing in drugs, and Megan would work occasionally as a prostitute for them to survive and have money for their increased drug use. Megan suffered from serious postnatal depression after giving birth, which escalated into clinical depression when Nathan was imprisoned for two years for a drug-related offence, at that time, Mia was only three months old. Megan's depression has been accompanied by binge drinking, leading to various periods of outpatient treatment and hospitalization. Mia was placed in the care of a series of relatives. Her parents finally obtained a council house when Mia was three years old. By the age of 6, Mia had two brothers and two sisters. Although her parents are still together, they have a volatile relationship. The family continue to have an erratic lifestyle, largely due to her parents' drug and alcohol use. Since Nathan was sent to prison, Megan has been earning money to fund her drug and alcohol use through prostitution in her own home; one of the men recently tried to kiss Mia; this frightened her, especially, because this had happened once before, when she was 11 years old. Mia has been attending school on a regular basis and is considered an 'able' student. Lately, however, her attendance has been giving cause for concern. Mia is a member of a local 'gang', a group of young people who are involved in shoplifting, using alcohol, and experimenting with 'soft' drug use. They hang out at a local park, verbally abusing and bullying the children who come to play there. Six weeks ago, two months away to her sixteenth birthday, Mia found out she has fallen pregnant. She thinks the pregnancy could be Jason's, if not, it would be Belen's, her Mediterranean boyfriend. Jason and Belen are part of the 'gang'.