Describe the developmental issue you are examining for the purpose of this program evaluation, including if the issue is considered typical development or atypical development in nature.

Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric (Draft of Developmental Issue)

For Milestone One, you will submit a draft of your developmental issue (Section I of your final project), including all critical elements listed below. You will utilize research to identify a developmental issue relevant to this course. You are expected to utilize the library to locate two to three articles to provide additional information on the developmental issue that you choose. Developmental issues can be examined from the perspective of the promotion of healthy development, or you may select a particular developmental issue in the form of an impairment or diagnosis. In this milestone, you will describe the selected developmental issue at length, including the distinguishing features, diagnostic criteria (if applicable), and/or key identifiers. You should also include demographic information for the impacted population to include who is at risk, what age range, socioeconomic, gender, culture, or other key information that would distinguish those at risk. This milestone will also include a description of the sociocultural impact of the developmental issue as well as a description and statistics on how the issue impacts communities, organizations, and the field of developmental psychology.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed in your milestone submission:

I. Select a Developmental Issue: Identify and research a developmental issue for children or adolescents. Developmental issues can be examined from the perspective of the promotion of healthy development, or you may select a particular developmental issue in the form of an impairment or diagnosis.

A. Describe the developmental issue you are examining for the purpose of this program evaluation, including if the issue is considered typical development or atypical development in nature.

i. What distinguishes this issue in terms of criteria, if applicable? For example, are you promoting healthy cognitive development, addressing developmental delays, or addresses an actual diagnostic mental health disorder? What are the criteria or key identifiers for the selected issue?

ii.  What is the primary area or areas of impact across physical, cognitive,   affective, and social domains?

B. Describe the population who is affected by the selected developmental issue, at risk for the selected developmental issue, or who would best be served by a program that promotes healthy development. In other words, is there a primary age range for successfully promoting health for the selected developmental issue? Does this issue affect a particular socioeconomic group? Is the issue gender-specific? Are there cultural considerations or groups that are primarily impacted by the issue?

C. Determine the sociocultural impact that the selected developmental issue has on the field of psychology in general, as well as on communities and organizations in which developmental psychology is practiced

.

i. How common is the developmental issue?

ii. What organizations, societies, or groups exist that promote awareness of the developmental issue

Guidelines for Submission: Students should provide a three-to four-page essay as a Microsoft Word document that thoroughly addresses the critical elements outlined above in APA format. No abstract is necessary, and the three to four pages should be the body; title and reference pages will not be credited as part of the page count.