Middle Child Interview

Section I: Biosocial Development

Gender: Female

Age: 10 years old

What are some of your favorite meals? Snacks?

“Pizza, chile con carne…Mom’s chile con carne. My favorite snacks are fruit snacks and

puffs, but my mom doesn’t let me eat a lot of puffs (cheese puff potato chips).”

1. What activity do you like best?

“I like to draw and paint, I like to be on my phone, I like watching youtubers like “ The

Ace Family” and “The Labrant Family”.”

2. How much time per day/week do you spend watching TV, playing video games, on the

computer and on a cell phone? (Child must respond re: each form of electronic media)

“Um, I don’t really watch a lot of TV. I watch videos on my phone or the Ipad. I probably

spend, um, one hour watching videos. I don’t play videogames. My brother spends all

day playing video games, and my dad plays videogames. I think I probably spend one

hour on the computer. I use the computer for my homework too. We have phone time at

my house. So once my homework and my chores or done, my mom will let me have my

phone to watch videos or talk to my friends. I use it until I sleep, so I would say two

hours. I am not sure though. I definitely don’t use my phone as much as my friends do

though. They are always on their phones at school. I have mine but I don’t use it. I leave

it in my locker.”

3. If you could do any sport in the world, what would you do? Why?
 “I would do gymnastics; I am already in gymnastics and it is my favorite sport. I like that

you get strong and your body learns how to do different things that look really cool when

you do them, and I like the leotards we get to wear.”

Section II: Cognitive Development

1. What is your favorite subject at school? Why?

“English, Science, P.E and a little bit of math. I say a little bit of math because our

teacher Ms. Rivera, she will take us outside sometimes to do activities. She is the only

teacher that takes us outside…and in P.E, we go outside for P.E sometimes too.”

2. How often do you read books for fun? What kinds of books do you like?

“I love reading! Me and my mom started reading Harry Potter together we are on the

second book, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. And I like Diary of a Wimpy

Kid and Treasure Hunters.”

3. How do you make sure you remember something that is really important?

“In school we have planners. So if there is something we have to remember I put it in

there and I fold the pages up so I know what day we are on. Oh, and at home we have a

white board in the kitchen and my mom will put everything we have to do on there. That

way I see what day I go to gymnastics and if what we are probably going to have for

dinner.”

4. If something is hard, what do you do?

“Uh, I try my best…Yeah, I always try my best. Sometimes, I ask for help from my mom

or my friends. Like yesterday I was trying to glue poms poms onto a board for my book

report and the glue was making the pom poms get everywhere and messy so my dad

helped me. I was so mad I was almost crying”. (child laughs)

5. Ask the following questions:

 What makes the wind blow? “The wind is air, so when the air gets cold it becomes the

wind. Then it blows around so that the coldness can be spread out.”

 What is the gray stuff that rises from boiling water? “I know that. When the water gets so

hot its start to release steam because it is so hot. It looks like smoke but its not smoke.”

 How did you get ready this morning? .. Ask child to describe in the reverse order. “I

woke up and I took a shower. I brushed my teeth in the shower, then I pick my clothes

and do my hair. And I ate pancakes. Reverse Order: I ate pancakes….I showered…and I

woke up.”

 Describe the different roles your mother has? “My mom teachers third grade but not at

my school. She takes care of me and my brother. She makes our lunches and cooks of us.

She buys us what we need and pays for our phones. She is pretty much the boss of my

dad and my brother and me. Haha”

 What is the difference between fantasy and reality? Fantasy is something that is not real.

In Harry Potter their school is fantasy because its not real. Well, actually they have a

Hogwarts at Universal Studios, but it’s for rides. Reality is what is actually happening. It

is all the things that are real.

6. Perform a conservation test focusing on liquid or matter. Write a detailed description of

the test and the child’s responses.

 There are two equal sized glass cups and a glass cooking tray in front of the child. I ask

the child if both glasses have an equal amount of water in them. The child looks at each

glass and responds “yes”. I then pour the water from one of the glasses into the glass

cooking tray and ask the child if both the glass cup and the cooking tray have the same

amount of water in them. The child responds “no, now this one has more water (points to

glass tray) because of how the water is spread out, so this one has more water than the

cup.

Section III: Psychosocial Development

1. Do you have someone you like to play with more than others? Why do you like them?

“Yes, Ava is my best friend. We are always together, and we share a locker. She is very

sweet and used to live close to us but then she moved away, so I am happy I get to be

with her at school. Because before we would go to each other’s houses, but now not as

much, because she moved farther away.”

2. Who is the most popular child in your class at school? Why are they popular?

“Hayden isn’t popular, but he makes everyone laugh a lot. But he is always getting in

trouble in home class. A lot of people think he is super funny, but I don’t like it

sometimes because he makes the teacher must stop talking and then start all over.”

3. Is there a child at school that no one plays with? Why?

“No not really, because the teacher always makes sure everyone is playing with

everyone. That’s why sometimes she won’t let me, and Ava be partners because she

wants us to be in groups with different people. So, then that way no one feels left out.”

4. How do you decide whether something is right or wrong?

 “I think about if I do it, will it make me sad? Or will I get in trouble? I know that if it will

not make me feel bad then it is not something bad to do, and that if I feel good or proud

of myself, or my mom is proud then I know I did good.”

5. Who is better, boys or girls? Why?

“I think girls because boys are always being messy, or they are saying jokes that aren’t

that funny, and boys are more mean than girls are. Girls are more sweet and they more

patient than boys. In my class, it is never girls getting in trouble, its always the boys.”

6. What makes you angry? How do you handle it?

“When Miguel (child is referring to younger brother age:5) gets into my space when I am

trying to do something. And he moo’s and me, literally moo’s like he’s a cow. And every

time I want the iPad then he says he wants the iPad.”

Section IV: Conclusion

1. Biosocial: Child is normal height and weight for age. Her mother informs me she just went

through an expected growth spurt. Child is showing signs of puberty such as oily skin. Child

seems to be in a home that values healthy living, both with diet and with mental health. Child

exercises in school and is also a part of a gymnastics class that she attends weekly. Selective

attention is present. Child has never shown signs of having learning or physical disability.

2. Cognitive: Child shows a developing knowledge base on logical thinking and information

processing. Child understands cause and effect. Control Processes are present and developing.

Child can hypothesis and infer information based on what concrete ideas were given. Child has

an obvious developing “theory of mind” and is emotionally intelligent. Child is beginning to

want independence and privacy. Egocentrism does not yet seem to be developing. Level of

language development meet expectations for a child her age.

3. Psychosocial: Child seems to have strong sense of self, and a very and positive relationship

with her mother. Child seems to be pleased with peer interaction. Child is able feels comfortable

voicing her preferences about the world around her, showing psychosocial maturation. Child

lives in a two-parent home. The family would be considered upper middle class. Child shows

signs of healthy coping skills, communication and emotion regulations. Possible reaped benefits

of what seems to be a very happy home. Child understands the concept of peer pressure and

children who are popular vs unpopular, but she seems to not yet value much of that just yet.

Child has a strong moral sense and is continuing to develop her moral values.