John Grey is a citizen of Peru by birth. He was born in Lima, Peru's capital city near the Chilean valley, in a middle-class Hispanic family in the year 1991. John's parents, Mary and Emmanuel, met in college while taking teaching courses. The two got married immediately after college to begin their families alongside their careers. As educators working in the city, the two parents could afford a decent middle-class lifestyle for John and his two sisters, Joyce and Alice. John's father, Emmanuel, is 62 years old and has already retired from active employment. He enjoyed playing golf and farming. Having moved to the outskirts of the city, Emmanuel currently does poultry farming for income and fun.
John's mother, Mary, a former teacher, is now 57 years and is currently working part-time as an adult educator and counsellor. She enjoys passing on knowledge to young girls and is very passionate about community outreach activities that affect girls within the Hispanic culture. John's two sisters are married, with the eldest being a nurse in a community health care centre and the last-born working as a social worker with an NGO within her community. John, the second born in the family, is a child living with autism.
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Being born in Lima for John and his siblings meant that they were exposed to civilization early. The three were, however, born of native Hispanic parents from the Quechua sub-group. The family was strict on upholding their cultural values and instilling the same in their children. Standard cultural practice for the Hispanics includes their language. Even with education and learning foreign languages in school, John and his siblings learned the Quechuan language at an early age as their mother tongue. Also, they learned the Andean culture that involves incorporating Christianity, common among the Quechuan people.
These people's main religion is a mixture of Catholic and Pre-Columbian faith, which brought in the belief in supernatural powers that control the universe and happenings such as sickness and weather ( Bolin, 2016) . The faith in superpowers and their role in controlling the environment plays a crucial role in agricultural beliefs. Religious beliefs around food provision for the Quechua people stipulate that food is provided by a supernatural power who controls the weather and, through such powers, determines when it rains and when it doesn't. The people hence believe that their agricultural practices are sacred and out of their control. The Quechua make sacrifices to the supernatural powers they believe in with the hopes of influencing or appeasing the gods to provide them with good weather for provision ( Seligmann, Linda & Kathleen, 2018) . When taking alcohol, people offer the drink to Mother earth as an offering to appease the supernatural powers.
The Andean give the gods they believe in human attributes to directly identify with them. An example of such attributes is the fights between the gods, which result in natural calamities. When gods love each other, there is peace, provision, and security. Through these beliefs, the Andean people can relate with each other and with their gods. At the same time, even with the faith in supernatural powers, the Andean people have integrated their traditional beliefs to Christianity due to civilization and cultural interactions. Most people now believe in Christianity, a religion founded under the premise of a God in heaven who controls all activities in the earth, sea, and skies.
Just as in other societies, the Quechua culture is guided by a set of morals, rules, and regulations that govern how people interact with each other. The family is an essential element of Quechua society. It is believed to be the founding block of society ( Bolin, 2016) . Family relations are sacred and stipulated cultural rules and practices guide issues such as marriage. Families in this society are formed through a union. Culture defines that certain rites have to be performed before a marriage takes place in society. The rules also limit who can get married and what clan or tribe they can marry from.
Courtship is the first step of family formation in the Andean culture. Unmarried people often meet during numerous cultural community festivals and interact with each other. Once a young couple decides to get married, the men's family visits the bride's family for negotiations and decisions on how the marriage will progress. Once the two families agree, the engagement is made official, and a date is set for the wedding during which the bride and groom exchange their vows. After the wedding, a public procession is done as the bride leaves her parent's home to go to her husbands' house. The marriage is said to be sealed. Children are also a crucial aspect of the family as per the culture. As such, fertility rituals are performed as a confirmation that a married couple can have children.
Cultural rites of passage are a significant element of the Andean culture. These rights begin from birth to a person's death and are closely intertwined with catholic religious practices. Birth rites in the culture are exciting. Pregnant women would traditionally give birth at home with midwives' help and other women close to the person giving birth ( Bolin, 2016) . The requirement is that the pregnant woman has to give birth in an upright position, unlike modern-day practices in modern medicine where women give birth in a lying position ( Kang, 2014) . The nature of giving birth is a cultural practice that exists to date, and modern health care practitioners have had to make changes to their ways of helping Andean women to give birth to include the use of the Quechuan language while helping in delivery and allowing and supporting upright position births as is the requirement in the culture. Such changes give more women faith in modern medicine, reducing maternal and infant deaths as women give birth at home.
Child-rearing in the culture was the responsibility of all individual family members and the community at large. In traditional areas where extended families coexisted, children were brought up communally. However, this was not the case for John and his siblings as they were brought up in a rural setting by their parents with little participation from the extended family members. The child-rearing culture in the Andean culture is that children brought up in the community were responsible for taking care of their parents and other community members during their old age. The responsibility explains why children were highly valued traditionally in the Andean culture.
Puberty rituals in the culture apply to both boys and girls. For instance, the rite of passage that marks a girl's transition into womanhood is referred to as "ponapnora" and is carried out on girls who have reached puberty and have had their first menstruation. The young girls were sheltered in a walled leaf hut for between one to 6 lunar cycles. During the sheltering, the body's purification was done through diets such as water intake, unsalted manioc roots, and herbal teas. The purification period was also a time through which young girls were taught adult woman skills such as brewing plant medicine, weaving cotton into thread, or singing if they came from the song keeping lineage. After the full moon, the community would come together in a traditional feast to celebrate the successful rite of passage into womanhood for these young girls at dawn. Once a girl had gone through the tradition, they were ready to get married, start their own family, and take good care of the family. For young boys, initiation into adulthood entailed a circumcision ceremony where young men were taught their new responsibilities as men. They were taught how to protect and provide for their families. After the ceremony, the young men, fully initiated into adulthood, could now get a wife, marry, and take care of their families.
On getting married, young couples such as Emmanuel and Alice would go-ahead to have children. In this case, Alice got pregnant immediately after college with their first-born daughter and gave birth at home. Her second pregnancy came in a year after, and she experienced challenges carrying the pregnancy, working, and taking care of a toddler. With midwives' help in society then and modern medical attention, which she sought as an elite, she could get help and carried the pregnancy to term. Alice chose to give birth to her second child in the hospital. During her prenatal clinic visits, the doctor advised that the child she was expecting was likely to have challenges growing up. Abortion was not an option for patients then and was also not culturally acceptable. Alice went into labor in the early weeks of May 1991 and experienced labor for 6 hours before giving birth naturally to John. John was born prematurely at eight months, weighing 3.2 kgs, a little overweight for children her age.
Taking care of John in his early years was not a challenge. He was, however, as the doctor had suggested taking long to reach certain milestones in life. At four years, John could still not communicate well. It was challenging for him to learn as other children did or even interact and play with them. The condition derailed John in his studies as he kept repeating grades. In the Andean culture, then, having children who were not normal was not acceptable. However, John's parents were Christians who believed that having a child such as John, was a blessing from God.
The child with autism strained the family financially as they sought him modern medical attention. Furthermore, Andean traditional treatment methods did not have any treatment for John’s autism. Besides modern medical attention, the family also had to ensure that John acquired basic education in a special school, which was also expensive. During the early 90s, community systems to help parents and children with such conditions were rare. John's lifespan was also predicted to be shorter than that of his peers. He has, however, grown into a full adult though he entirely depends on help to do basic things such as brushing teeth and communication. John still lives with his parents.
The Andean culture has a system that subdivides roles based on gender and age. All society members have assigned roles from an early age ( Jones, Lattof & Coast, 2017) . The Andean society is a patriarchal one implying that men head the families and are responsible for providing and protecting the families. Men in this society carry out various economic activities, with the main one being agriculture. The role of women in society is subordinate to the roles of men. Women are expected to be homemakers, give birth to children to maintain the lineage, and take care of children and their homes. Their primary role in society is hence housekeeping. From an early age, John and her siblings, though living in the city, had their roles well outlined. They helped with simple household chores such as cooking and cleaning. This division of labour based on gender and age lines is further strengthened by Christianity's belief that women should be helpers to their husbands. In contrast, the husbands take the lead role in providing and protecting the family. Children, according to Christian, believes are expected to obey, respect, and help their parents.
Development Stages
Infancy
• Physical development during the first year of life.
During infancy, John, a child living with autism, did not seem to have any challenges breastfeeding and identifying his family members. Physical growth was as supposed for him. At six months, John started eating solid foods to increase his nutrient content. He was able to sit upright by the time he was six months.
• Cognitive development (include Piaget’s theory)
Under Piaget's development theory, children at this stage have development taking place, with the main milestone being sensorimotor development ( Houdé, 2019) . The milestone entails the ability to feel and hear and to respond to such feelings.
• Social development
Socially, the child can identify his or her mother and other close family members as they develop. They are also able to communicate their likes and dislikes at this stage.
• Emotional development
Emotional development is not fully developed. Children communicate through crying, laughing, or being grumpy. Through this, they are, however, able to let their parents know when they need attention. They also may show signs of like and dislike towards certain people and things.
• Influences of culture on the development
The primary influence for children this age is that they are brought up in a family set up, which is important in their development. John, a special needs child, attained love and care from family as he grew up.
Toddlerhood
• Physical development from age 1 - 2
Physically, John had started showing signs of having autism by the time he turned two years. He could not walk properly without help, like other children his age would do.
• Cognitive development (include Piaget’s theory)
John's cognitive development at this age was slow. Piaget's theory suggests that some milestones at this age include the ability to learn the world through objects and interactions with the environment ( Houdé, 2019) . Language and thinking begin to develop at this age. John was slow in learning and identifying things as his thinking and ability to learn was slowed.
• Social development
Socially, children can now physically engage with other children. As a result of slowed motor development, John’s physical activity was limited. He could not play with children his age.
• Emotional development
His emotional development at this stage, however, was aggressive. He was easily frustrated by his inability to get things done or to keep up with his peers. He was self-centered and often angry.
• Influences of culture on the development
Culture stipulates that children have roles from an early age, which John could not keep up with due to his condition. He could watch his elder sister help around with small tasks such as being sent to open doors, to pass a message, etc. And this often frustrated him.
Early Childhood
• Physical development from age 3- 8
Physically, John was developing but at a plodding PACE. At the age of 8, John was overweight due to little physical activity but had also hit milestones he should have hit by age 5. He looked like a 5-year-old when he was eight years.
• Cognitive development (include Piaget’s theory)
Piaget's theory stipulates that children at this age can look at things critically and ask questions. Children begin to understand concepts in life and learn fast from their immediate physical and social environment. However, John’s case was different as he could still not communicate verbally and rarely understood the instructions given. Also, he could not use the toilet comfortably, milestones his younger sister, who was born two years after him, had attained.
• Social development
Socially, John had begun walking and was able to start playing with his sister. However, he had severe challenges catching up with his peers, mainly due to his inability to communicate effectively.
• Emotional development
John was constantly aggressive, emotionally wise, and was always fighting with his sisters. His aggression can be attributed to his inability to express his feelings and thoroughly. He felt different and needed special emotional care from family members.
• Influences of culture on the development
By this age, a child who was John's age had concrete roles in the family. Children aged eight years were able to fully help with house chores, both difficult and risky for John.
Middle Childhood
• Physical development from age 9- 11
Children at this age grown in height and weight and weigh about 20-26 kgs. John was slightly overweight as compared to his peers because he engaged in little physical activity. He was now able to move slowly and engage in light physical play activities.
• Cognitive development (include Piaget’s theory)
Children at this age usually attend a school or have started to undergo traditional education. John is behind two grades in school and attends a particular school twice a week. John can now recite letters and numbers at this stage, a learning stage that is attained at age 3 for some children.
• Social development
Socially John has learned to interact with his teachers and peers. He can identify strangers and interact with them. The other children with autism in school learn at an almost equal speed, meaning that John is less frustrated.
• Emotional development
Emotional growth is seen at this stage as John learns to verbally communicate with his teachers, peers, and family. He can express himself in a manner that other people around him understand.
• Influences of culture on the development
Education for children at this age is crucial even in the traditional setting. Children are introduced to more demanding roles, which is not the case with John. He has only attained necessary skills such as dressing up, brushing his teeth, and taking care of his items, skills that he is yet to masterfully.
Adolescence
• Physical development from age 12 – 19
Children this age are maturing into young adults, and their bodies begin to change physically. Girls start their menstruation and can get married and start families. John is not fully physically developed for this age.
• Cognitive development
Mentally and cognitively, adolescents can make decisions, think critically, and take steps to be aware of the consequences. Adolescents are considered adults who can take on adult responsibilities, such as having families.
• Social development
Social development for young adults entails engaging in meaningful age-specific activities such as weaving for girls' and boys' agriculture. Adolescents interact with each other socially in traditional ceremonies. John was behind in this milestone as he was learning how to socialize with his peers.
• Emotional development
Emotional development is fully attained at this stage. However, in John's case, he still struggles with anger and frustration and needs support, both mental and emotional. Therapy is crucial in allowing him to learn about his condition and accept.
• Influences of culture on the development
Adolescents in the Andean culture are mature adults who get initiated into manhood or womanhood through traditional initiation ceremonies ( Zorn, 2016) . Once this is done, the formed adults are ready to begin their families. John could not join his peers in the initiation ceremony and lives with his parents as he learns necessary life skills.
Early Adulthood
• Physical development/decline from age 20 – 40
Adults at this age have attained full physical story, and no changes happen to their bodies. Physical strength is maximum at this age, and they engage in vigorous economic activities. John is not fully developed physically and is not able to engage in such activities.
• Cognitive development
Critical thinking and decision-making skills are full, although adults at this age still learn from their environment and their experiences.
• Social development
Social engagements for adults this age include ceremonies and communal activities that require the input of such adults. Families are present for most of them, and they are hence needed to support and interact with their families socially.
• Emotional development
Emotionally adults at this age have learned to address their emotional challenges through expressing themselves. Conflicts often arise between people as a result of different opinions. Due to developing critical thinking skills, adults at this age can resolve their problems and disputes individually and communally.
• Influences of culture on the development
Roles for this age group are stipulated culturally. Women take care of their families as men provide and protect them. Leadership, for men, begins at this age.
Middle Adulthood
• Physical development/decline from age 41- 65
At this age, human physical development has ceased, and the body begins to decline physically. Physical activity becomes challenging for most people as they enter late adulthood. At the stage where John's parents are. Most of the adults this age begin to retire from active work.
• Cognitive development/decline
Cognitive development also begins to decline as judgment is impaired. For the early years, the human mind is still active, and most people take on larger roles such as leadership at this age. Combined with experiences in life, adults this age made sound decisions after critically analyzing situations.
• Social development
Socially adults at this age are fully developed. Interactions are rarely challenging, and people engage in different social and communal activities easily.
• Emotional development
Emotional development is affected by hormones, especially for women as they approach menopause. However, most adults can control their emotions and communicate when hurt, happy, or frustrated. John is most likely going to experience emotional challenges as he ages due to his earlier development patterns and the autism condition.
• Influences of culture on the development
Men play the role of leadership at all levels of society. On the other hand, women still take care of their families and engage in economic activities such as weaving. For those exposed to the modern world, employment acts as their economic activity.
Late Adulthood
• Physical development/decline from age 65 and older
At this age, adults begin to age and retrogress. Most of them need help doing various physical activities such as movement. If alive, John is most likely going to experience challenges ageing as a result of his autism condition. In some cases, ageing adults may begin to have other lifestyle diseases such as diabetes.
• Cognitive development/decline
Cognitive wise, aged adults begin to retrogress. Their thinking capabilities, decision making and perception of the world are affected. They think like young children.
• Social development
Adults this age have challenges socializing with each other and their families due to their physical and mental capabilities.
• Emotional development
Aged adults experience hormonal changes, which lead to emotional changes. Most of them are frustrated as a result of reduced physical activity and diseases. They often require support and care from family and medical practitioners.
• Influences of culture on the development
Culturally, aged people are respected and taken care of by their children. The old are looked at as wise people in society and often advise younger people. The fact that John was never married means that his old age will likely be challenging because he has no children to take care of him. He is, however, probably going to benefit from family and coordinated care, such as from his nieces and nephews.
• Death and funeral
Once a person dies traditionally, they are wrapped into a bundle and buried after all death rituals. In modern Christianity, which has been well integrated into the Andean culture, a mass is done for the dead, and they are later buried.
References
Bolin, Inge. (, 2016). Growing Up in a Culture of Respect: Child Rearing in Highland Peru .
Austin: University of Texas Press, Internet resource.
Houdé, Olivier. (, 2019). 3-system Theory of the Cognitive Brain: A Post-Piagetian Approach to
Cognitive Development . Internet resource.
Jones, E., Lattof, S. R., & Coast, E. (2017). Interventions to provide culturally-appropriate
maternity care services: factors affecting implementation. BMC pregnancy and childbirth , 17 (1), 267. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-017-1449-7
Kang H. K. (2014). Influence of culture and community perceptions on birth and perinatal care
of immigrant women: doulas' perspective. The Journal of perinatal education , 23 (1), 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1891/1058-1243.23.1.25
Seligmann, Linda J, and Kathleen S. Fine-Dare. (2018) The Andean World . Internet resource.
Zorn, Elayne. (, 2016). Weaving a Future: Tourism, Cloth & Culture on an Andean Island . Iowa
City: University of Iowa Press. Internet resource.
