Ms. Clark is a fourth grade teacher who has been teaching for over ten years. She cares about all the different students she teaches each year. Ms. Clark noticed that each student is different because of the number of siblings each child has. Clark's students range from an only child to five siblings. Each student is also in a different birth order; the eldest, the middle child and the youngest child. She noticed that most children without siblings need more attention than children with siblings. Additionally, children with more siblings find it easier to get along and make more friends than only children. While Ms. Clark was making these observations, various psychologists conducted further research into the effects on each child's personality and personal achievements due to birth order. Every child has their own personality that changes as they grow. There are various things that can change a child's personality, including the order of birth in a family. Whether the child in a family is the only child, the middle child, or the youngest child in the family, each child's personality and achievements are affected by this order. (Desoete 139) The personality of an only child may be different from that of other children from larger families because the child is alone without any other children his age around him. Only children usually spend a lot of time with adults and grow up faster than children with siblings. The firstborn usually grows quickly as well once new siblings are born. The older brother tends to look after the younger child to help the parents. According to psychology professional Annemie Desoete, "firstborns do not...... middle of paper ...... become a stronger and better person. While only children will grow up learning from their parents and perhaps learning everything harder than other children. No matter where, when or how a child grows up, there will always be a variety of different events in a child's life that will affect their personality and personal achievements. Works Cited Booth, Alison L. and Hiau J. Kee. “Birth order matters.” Springer-Verlag, April 11, 2008. Web. March 25, 2014.Desoete, Annemie. “Do birth order, family size, and gender affect arithmetic achievement.” Education and psychology. Electronic journal of research in educational psychology, 2008. Web. March 27, 2014. Heiland, Frank. "Does birth order affect a child's cognitive development?" Applied economics. Department of Economics and Center for Demography and Population Health, 2009. Web. March 25. 2014.