From drastic body changes, such as a growing brain and body, to ever increasing expectations at school, middle and late childhood is a very difficult time for many. In order to understand the effect of these developmental changes, I interviewed twelve-year-old Riley. Riley is an up-coming seventh grader at a local middle school and is very active in sports, such as soccer, tennis, and golf. She has an Auditory Processing Disorder, which causes her brain to be partially developed and not fully attached to her ear. As a result of this disorder, Riley cannot process information as quickly or as well as her peers. I met Riley through her older sister and a good friend of mine several years ago, and the interview was conducted at a local ice cream …show more content…
First and foremost, Riley described herself as tall for her age, with brown hair and blue eyes; she also stated that she likes to eat, she is athletic and in good shape, and shy. She reported soccer, golf, and swimming as the things she was best at. Additionally, I learned that Riley feels that she has a good relationship with her sister and parents. Riley described her relationship with her family as loving, good, and fun; however, Riley mentioned that recently she began fighting with her parents more. Additionally, some rules her parents set for her include being respectful, no lying, a bedtime of 10:00, and finishing homework before playing, while consequences if the rules are broken include removal of privileges, lectures, and spankings. Also, she explained that she would play a lot with her sister when she was younger, but her sister does not play with her as much since she has started high school. She described her favorite toys and activities when they were younger as Littlest Pet Shop, baby dolls, board games, and pretend play. When asked about friendships and bullying, Riley explained that she currently has fewer friends now than when she was younger and that she has experienced bullying. However, when asked to describe the bullying, Riley refused to give many details and stated that she would rather not talk about it. Riley has recently moved schools and is looking forward to her upcoming grade; although she is excited for school, Riley does not enjoy school and feels that she is not successful in