Infancy/Toddlerhood
During normal infancy and toddlerhood, important developmental milestones occur involving changes in “motor or physical behavior, play activities, adaptive behavior that involves taking care of self, social responses, and language development” (Zastrow, Kirst-Ashman, …show more content…
These behaviors continued at home as well and rather than redirect and use positive reinforcement, Dad would physically punish Nicole, often leaving marks on her body. He would also verbally abuse her, telling her she is stupid and that she will never do anything right. During this timeframe, Nicole’s baby brother was born and this seemed to contribute to an increase in stress and hostile behavior in Nicole. Toward the end of this developmental timeframe, it became apparent that Nicole exhibited inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity daily, the “three primary clusters of behavior that characterize ADHD” (Zastrow, Kirst-Ashman, 2016, p. 172), however, she was not assessed for ADHD during her early