Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child

Developmental assessment is meant to evaluate a child’s physical and psychosocial developmental milestones based on the child’s age and the milestones required from children of that particular age. Developmental assessments also help identify developmental disorders early and thus help plan management interventions (Coscini et al., 2022).

Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child

Pediatric patients of different ages have different health needs depending on their ages. The assessment done on pediatric patients also differ; thus, the nurses must have the assessment techniques that suit the age of the child being assessed.

This essay examines the needs of a school-aged child between the age of 5 and 12. A comparison of the physical assessments among school-aged children, assessment techniques, the typical developmental stages of an 8-year-old, and the application of Piaget’s developmental theory to assess the child will be discussed.

Physical assessment for school children of different ages may differ. Comparing the assessment of a 5-year-old to that of a 12-year-old child will require different assessment techniques. The 5-year-old may not have information on their health history, thus requiring the presence of a parent or caregiver, while the 12-year-old may give all the responses required. The patient’s needs differ in age. Thus, the assessment technique should be modeled in consideration of these needs.

For instance, a physical assessment of the 12-year-old may require privacy, while a physical assessment of the 5-year-old may be done when the parent is present. Physical assessment of the 5-year-old may include fine motor skills assessment and shedding of deciduous teeth, while assessing a 12-year-old may include evaluating whether puberty onset is occurring. However, the assessments for both ages may also have some similarities. For example, both assessments require a physical examination.

The developmental stages and milestones of children depend on age. The typical developmental stages that an 8-year-old should have achieved include language, cognitive, sensory, motor, physical, and social/emotional development (Malik and Marwaha, 2018).

A child at this age will develop complex language skills such as pronunciation. They will be more physically active doing physical activities such as jumping and skipping, have begun to make social friends, and are learning to cooperate and feel comfortable in a group. If the child’s language, emotions, thinking, movement, and behavior meet these developmental milestones, the child is said to be developing as expected.

Various developmental theories exist to explain the developmental stages human beings go through and guide developmental assessments at various levels. Jean Piaget developed a cognitive development theory that explains children’s cognitive development from birth to 12 years (Sangyhi, 2020).

Based on the theory, cognitive development occurs in four stages: the sensorimotor stage occurs from 0-2 years, the preoperational stage occurs from 2-7 years, the concrete operational stage occurs from 7-11 years, and the formal operational stage occurs at 12 years.

School-aged children fall at the preoperational stage and transit to the concrete and formal operational stages. In this case, for the 8-year-old, who is at the concrete operational stage, the assessment should focus on the ability of the child to use logic, reasoning, and solve concrete problems. The developmental milestones of this stage are the ability to use reasoning and logic and solve complex problems.

The strategies I would use to ensure maximum cooperation from the child during the assessment include being friendly, ensuring the assessment environment is child friendly, and allowing the child to be accompanied by a parent or caregiver to prevent them from fearing me.

According to Rose et al. (2018), making the assessment environment child-friendly enhances the child’s cooperation. I would also ensure I offer explanations to the child and the parent where necessary, consider the child’s level of understanding in acquiring the assessment results and ensure there is nothing left out. The potential findings of the assessment include the ability to use logic, and the child can solve concrete problems.

A child’s developmental stage is an essential factor to consider when developing the appropriate techniques for developmental assessments. Assessing a child’s development against the standard developmental milestones enables the care provider to identify any deviations and plan interventions to correct them. Maximum cooperation from the child should be encouraged.

NRS 434 Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child References

NRS-434VN-O505 Week 2 Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Instructions

The needs of the pediatric patient differ depending on age, as do the stages of development and the expected assessment findings for each stage. In a 500-750-word paper, examine the needs of a school-aged child between the ages of 5 and 12 years old and discuss the following:

  1. Compare the physical assessments among school-aged children. Describe how you would modify assessment techniques to match the age and developmental stage of the child.
  2. Choose a child between the ages of 5 and 12 years old. Identify the age of the child and describe the typical developmental stages of children that age.
  3. Applying developmental theory based on Erickson, Piaget, or Kohlberg, explain how you would developmentally assess the child. Include how you would offer explanations during the assessment, strategies you would use to gain cooperation, and potential findings from the assessment.

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