My Virtual Child Michelle Lowe

My Virtual Child
Michelle Lowe
My Virtual Child
Congratulations! You are the proud parent of a
virtual child! You will be raising this virtual
child from birth to 18 years of age. Your virtual
child has a unique set of characteristics at
birth, some of which were influenced by your
answers to the assessments you completed.
My Virtual Child
As your virtual child progresses through each
age level, you will read about events occurring
in his or her virtual life and you will be asked to
make decisions about your virtual child.
Answer the questions the way you think you
would act as a real parent. You should assume
that a week or more passes between each
event or question at a particular age level.
My Virtual Child
The events that happen in your child's life, and
the decisions you make as a parent will
gradually change your child's inborn
characteristics, and will shape other
characteristics of the child that emerge after
birth.
My Virtual Child
The virtual child's behavior may vary across ages and
settings, although there are basic personality and
intellectual traits that remain generally consistent. You
will receive the following reports on your child
periodically throughout the program.
 pediatrician's report
 developmental assessment
 psychologist's report
 school report cards
When Michael was 0 months
old…..
Michael sleeps virtually all of the time, only waking
when hungry, cold, or wet. He usually drifts back to
sleep toward the end of feeding.
o You talk quietly to Michael during the feeding,
making sure Michael sees your face a great deal
of the time.
o You try to wake Michael up for some parent-baby
interaction time. You dance gently around with
him in your arms, and talk or sing out loud.
o You figure that Michael needs the sleeping time
for brain development so you don’t disturb him.
When Michael was 3 months
old….
You notice that Michael can learn a thing or two so
you start working on his baby IQ!
o You show Michael interesting objects such as
rattles, mobiles, and stuffed toys and watch how
interested he is in looking at them or reaching
for them.
o You talk a lot to Michael even though you know
he probably doesn’t understand you. You hope
this will promote language skill later on.
o You walk around outside a lot carrying Michael
or pushing him in the stroller so he can hear and
see things such as birds, trees, cars, and dogs.
9 month report
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As Michael turns 9 months, the pediatrician has the following to say after a
routine physical exam, a few items administered from the Bayley Scales of Infant
Intelligence, and some observations of Michael in the playroom:
Michael has an obvious attachment to you and prefers you over other people, but
seems to have fun playing with your partner. He was cautious at first with the
nurse and doctor, a normal reaction to strangers at this age.
Michael has been ill several times this season from colds or digestive upset. The
doctor advises keeping him away from sick people, and checking out a new food
for a few days to test for allergies.
Michael is cautious around new people and situations, but warms up fairly quickly
to friendly people and to new and interesting activities and then begins to vocalize
a lot and make eye contact.
Michael had fairly mild to positive reactions to most of the situations and people
in the pediatrician's office and the playroom. He cried when given the vaccination,
but calmed down rather quickly. The only problem came with a brief separation
from you, but that would be expected.
Michael's gross and fine motor skills are a little behind for his age and he did not
do much exploring of the playroom. The doctor advised you to engage in more
one-on-one gross and fine motor play with Michael.