Final Week

Sierra died at age 73. She was surrounded by her family and was able to enjoy her last few years.

Week 9

Sierra is now 42 years of age and is raising two children. Sierra was able to find a counselor in her town who helped her to deal with her past, and Sierra felt strong enough to begin to date. She quickly met Tomas, and the two were married. Tomas had a budding career as an architect, and the two were able to live relatively comfortably. They talked about Sierra quitting her job, but she hasn't yet been able to do so. They hope that she will be able to leave in the next few years.

Sierra has found herself mostly satisfied with her life on most days. She hasn't had the bouts of depression that she had when she was younger, and she credits her doctor and her counselor with helping her to develop insight and to experience healing.

* What are the typical developmental milestones for middle adulthood? What is the time period for middle adulthood?

* According to current research and theory, is depression something that can be "cured?" Why or why not? To what extent are Sierra's children likely to suffer from depression?

Week 8

Sierra is now 32 years of age. She looks back at her life and credits her attendance at the Job Corps as a turning point in her life. She hadn't realized at the time how much she was experiencing pressure from her biological mother to return to Mexico. She and her mother have stayed in touch, but Sierra has been able to "become her own person."

Job Corps provided Sierra with an opportunity to learn how to be a retail sales manager, and she now supervises a shop in the local mall. She lives modestly and doesn't have much money left over at the end of the month. Still, she is happy enough, particularly given her bouts of depression earlier in her life. She started seeing a local psychiatrist a few years ago, and the doctor prescribed an anti-depressant medication for her. It helped her significantly, and she has just started to think about the possibility of having a family. Every time she brings it to mind, however, a deep fear arises from somewhere within her. She still can't imagine being with a man, and she knows that she still has deep wounds to heal.

* According to Erickson, what psychosocial stage did Sierra resolve effectively in order to establish her own sense of personhood? To what extent is such a resolution culturally appropriate in the United States? Is such a developmental milestone consistent with Mexican culture?

* What would you recommend for Sierra given her difficulties around intimate relationship? Is it likely that the psychiatrist would also provide psychotherapy? Why or why not?

* What is the time period for early adulthood? What are the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional changes that typically take place during this period?  

Week 7

Sierra is now 20 years of age. Her adoptive family has been wonderful to her, but she continues to struggle with fits of depression and bouts of loneliness. Two years ago, she reconnected with her biological mother after not seeing her for a few years. They both wept. In broken English, her mother explained to her how it happened that she lost Sierra.  Her mother tells her that she should go to school and "make something of herself" - after all, that's what her mother tried to do when she found her way to the U.S. She doesn't want Sierra to do what she did; although she is a relatively young woman, the years and the work on many plots of land have taken their toll. She has talked with Sierra about the two of them going back to Mexico. The U.S. is really all Sierra has ever known, and she is not thrilled about the possibility, but she has always been fond of this woman she now knows as her mother.

Sierra continues to live with her adoptive parents. She struggles to figure out what to do next, and her IEP diploma from high school hasn't helped her to find a steady job. She thinks that there isn't much possibility for her, that, after high school, she really didn't have a future. Sierra's adoptive mother wants her to go to a Job Corps program, thinking that it would help her to develop some direction in life. Sierra doesn't know. For now, sitting at home and getting out of bed in the morning is about all she can do.

* What is an IEP diploma?

* What is Job Corps? Who attends? What are the benefits?  Would Sierra be eligible to go?

* What might be helpful for Sierra at this point in terms of finding direction in her life? Do you think that depression figures into her lack of direction at this point?

DECISION POINT:

Does Sierra go to Mexico with her mother? If not, does she go to Job Corps? Why or why not?

Week 6

At 14 years of age, Sierra is now in the eighth grade. She finds herself in a new environment with people she doesn’t know. The medication she takes seems to help even if she doesn't really know why she is on it. What she does know is that she can't seem to stay what she considers "happy." She often thinks about all of the horrible things that have happened to her, and she often has specific flashbacks that no 14 year old should have to experience.

Sierra has appreciated her new mother. who is a wonderful lady. She tries as much as she can to make Sierra comfortable in her new home, though it is not easy since she has to take care of her 2 other children. Being a recently single mother, she has a lot on her hands.

Middle school is tough too. Her grades are not very good at this point, and it is quite obvious that she is struggling. Her teachers think she could do better. She is the "weird girl" in school with no friends and finds it especially hard to interact with the boys in her class. At lunch, she sits alone at a corner as she eats her packed lunch.

She often thinks of that wonderful woman who used to visit her -- who was she? where is she now?  She thinks of the man who abused her and wonders why she had to go through that.

It is clear that her new family could be the light at the end of the tunnel for her. She looks forward to going home in the evening. Her new sisters and mom make her feel like she’s part of the family.

* If Sierra were receiving Special Education services, what label would she most likely fall under?

* Write some goals that would be appropriate for Sierra's IEP given the label you have provided in the previous question. 


* How do you imagine Sierra's past might impact her relationships in the present? 


* What are the developmental milestones for a typically-developing 14 year old? How atypical is Sierra's development at this point?

Week 5

Sierra is now 9 years of age. With the assistance of a local child psychiatrist, she was placed on medication two years ago. 

* Why might Sierra have been put on psychotropic medication?  

* Write a narrative “interview” in which you communicate with Sierra in an effort to get to know her.

* Write a narrative “interview” in which you talk with Sierra’s case worker about her.

* Who is Sierra? What kind of child is she? What might someone expect upon meeting her for the first time? Base Sierra’s imagined personality on what you know about she and her upbringing so far.

Week 4

Sierra Hernandez – Week Four

Now 6 ½ years of age, Sierra was enrolled in the local public school. Technically, she was still in foster care, but the family was trying to adopt. She had done exceptionally well in Kindergarten, and now she was in the 1^st grade. Sierra’s biological mother continued to be in and out owing to her migrant status, and she had to keep making sure she wasn’t caught since she didn’t have papers. She was making it OK, though. Sierra was confused about who this woman was in her life, and she had a vague understanding of the relationship.

Sierra was at the top of her class in the local school – she always got the top level of the school’s behavioral system, and she was headed for another great year socially and academically. Around November, however, things started to change. Sierra became alternatively despondent and angry, seeming to change from moment to moment. Her participation in classwork was non-existent, and everyone at the school knew that something major was going on. It wasn’t until Sierra started to mention sexual topics that no 1^st grader should know that the school counselor contacted Child Protective Services.

An investigation ensued, and it was found that the foster father had been sexually abusing Sierra for several months. Information varied as to whether or not the foster mother knew about the abuse. Sierra was again removed from the home and placed with another foster family. The former father was placed under arrest and put in jail until the hearing.

Sierra’s biological mother, upon hearing the news, was horrified. She blamed “la sistema” for taking her child from her in the first place. She was intent on finding a way of getting her child back.

* Based on Sierra’s level of cognitive development for a 6 ½ year-old, describe how she is likely to regard her biological mother. Assume that her foster/adoptive parents have shared with her her foster/adoption history. (This would be prior to the abuse).

* What is the prevalence of children being abused in foster care in Virginia currently? In the past ten years? What typically happens if the abuse comes to light?

* What is the local agency that deals with child sexual abuse?

* What services should be in place for Sierra at this point? What level of qualification should the persons have who provide these services? 

Week 3

Sierra Hernandez – Week Three

Sierra was removed from her mother when she was 6 months old. She was placed with a local family who took her in with love and care. Sierra’s mother was granted visitation by the court and has been a part of Sierra’s life, even though the visitations had to be supervised by the Department of Social Services. Sierra’s mother was still a migrant worker, but she was trying to find a way to find more stable work so that she could have Sierra back. Now, at age 3 ½, Sierra has known only English as a first language, and she regarded her biological mother as a kind stranger.

* What are the major developmental milestones for a 3 ½ year old? What should Sierra be doing physically, cognitively, and emotionally at this point?

* How are foster families identified? What kind of screening is done to assure that families are suitable to care for children? What is the percentage of children who are in foster care who are eventually reunited with their biological families?

* What kind of services are typically provided for families whose children are removed?

* What else is important for you to know about Sierra’s family at this point? (Hint: Think about all that you don’t currently know about the family that could be helpful for you with regard to demographic information.)un

Week 2

Sierra Hernandez – Week Two

6-month old Sierra experienced the world through the lens of her mother’s struggles. One small town for a few months, then on to another one to follow the work. Her mother would always find someone to look after Sierra, someone she would meet in a new town. Often, she found herself at homeless shelters, and others often were able to help her as she went to work. During one of her stays at a shelter, she spoke with another woman from Mexico who agreed to look after Sierra for the day. The woman proved untrustworthy, however, when she left Sierra sleeping for two hours to go to “hang out” with friends across town. She came back high on drugs, and while she was gone, Sierra had woken up and was crying. It was about this time that Sierra returned, just as the Department of Social Services (DSS) Child Protective Services arrived.   

* What is migrant labor? What are the lives of people who do such labor typically like? (Hint: Check out JMU’s Migrant Education Program through IIHHS)

* What are the major developmental milestones for a 6-month old? Given her migrant status, is Sierra’s mother likely to visit a pediatrician? What are the risks associated with a lack of early primary medical care? Is Sierra likely to receive immunizations? What are the risks if she does not?

* What are the risks for Sierra in being given over to the care of relative strangers for periods of time?

DECISION POINT

 

* Write a dialogue of the conversation as it might have taken place between the Child Protective Services worker (from DSS), the mother, and the woman from Mexico who left the child. If you are CPS, do you remove the child from her mother and place the child in foster care? Why or why not?