Read the NY Times article “lnvisible Child” located
under course content.
Write at least 1 full page (double spaced)
summarizing your reactions to Dasani’s story. Do
not re-tell the story. The summary is not
explaining the article. It is you using the story to
discuss your thoughts, feelings and reactions to
what you read. Talk about how you felt at various
points of reading the article. Discuss how you felt
and what you thought about her living situation,
relationship with her siblings and parents,
behavior at school, etc. Include responses to the
following questions:
Practicing self-awareness, reflect on how
this article affected you
What judgments, assumptions, or opinions
did you have while reading Dasani’s story?
(These can be positive or negative)
How did you feel about Dasani? What did
you think about her role in her family’s living
situation?
How did you feel about her parents? Did you
sympathize or empathize with them (or
both)? Explain how it is sympathy or
empathy.
Learned behavior is behavior that develops
as a result of experience. Children often
learn how to react and deal with people and
situations based on how their caregivers
behave. Did you notice any signs of learned
behavior? Do you see any connection
between Dasani’s behavior (at school and at
home) and her parent’s behavior?
If you were a human services professional,
how would you help Dasani and her family?
