Case Study This case study involves a child committing a terrible crime against another child. There is developmental reason s to support the law which states children under age 7 are not held responsible for crimes. As we go through life, we will find that a balance brain is most effective. This balance has not been found during early childhood. Children see m to lose their interest quickly. “Between ages 2 and 6, the brain grows from 75 percent to 90 percent of adult weight, with increases particularly in the areas that allow advanced language and social understanding (Berger, 2011, p.212).” Parents should continue to watch their children closely during these developmental stages. They should listen to what their child is telling them and continue to assist them in their daily activities. The activities that a child does during this development are slower than a teenager because the information is processed slower. Expressions and the regulation of emotions are found in the limbic system of the brain. Emotions are registered in the amygdala part of the brain. These emotions can be positive or negative. Fear is especially found in this part of the brain. The amygdala is the size and has the shape of an almond. It can be found deep in the brain. A child’s imagination is found in the amygdala (Berger, 2011). This child may was afraid of the other child due to the playground scuffle that they had on the previous day. During this stage in a child’s life, they are paying close attention to their parent’s emotions. If at any time, a child feels as if their parents are afraid of something than that child would be afraid as well. Children should feel as if they are protected at all times. This 6 year old boy’s imagination could have taken over him when this shooting occurred. He could’ve imagined that he was playing his video games and he was trying to protect himself from a monster in this case study. The hippocampus is another structure in the limbic system. “A central processor of memory, especially memory for locations, the hippocampus responds to the anxieties of the amygdala by summoning memory (Berger, 2011, p. 217).” When the two children were scuffling the day before, he may have had a bad memory of this incident. “The third part of the limbic system is the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus responds to the amygdala and the hippocampus to produce hormones that activate the brain and the body (Berger, 2011, p.217).” “The hormones that are produced in this part of the brain can result in developing major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity (Berger, 2011, p.218).” This can be summed up by saying, the hypothalamus is the outcome of what the amygdala and the hippocampus produces. Due to what the child in this case study has experience he may or may not experience major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. This little boy was able to use his language and cognition skills. He was able to tell the police the shooting was an accident and that he was only trying to scare her. Children can and will talk aloud when they are trying to explain certain situations. This 6 year old could’ve have been using theory-theory to explain what he saw or heard someone say in the past about his father and grandfather. He may have gone visit them both during this time in prison as well and thought that if he did something bad then he could spend more time with his father and grandfather. Children develop theories before they employ their impressive ability to imitate (Berger, 2011, p. 245). In conclusion, the brain of a child is growing. This does not mean that their brain is able to function at the level of an adult. Children are not responsible for doing things that older children or adults are capable of doing. During this development stage a child’s brain has a lot of growing to do. The process in which they think is much slower and it’s hard for them to draw a line between what is real and their imaginations. Although he created an adult crime, he is not responsible for it.

REFERENCES

Berger, K.S. (2011). The developing person through the lifespan (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.