Essay Example on Nursing Assessments for School-Age Children (5-12 yrs)

Introduction

The developments of children in various age groups vary according to the needs and milestones of every group. The infants, toddlers and school-age children display cognitive and physical developments that can be explained using Piaget, Erickson, or Kohlberg's theories of development. School-age children range from 5-12 years is active, intelligent, and relatively control their emotions compared to the other age groups. The nurses should perform the yearly assessment on the children between 5 and 12 years to determine whether their physical development matches with the age (Hagan, Shaw, and Duncan, 2017). Although most health practitioners concentrate on infant performance, conducting a development assessment of the school-age children is helpful because it identifies delays, mental disorders and also directs parents, nurses, and teachers on areas to improve when taking care of them. The purpose essay is to discuss the developmental assessment of the school-aged child.

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Physical Assessment

According to Tyler, Foweather, Mackintosh, and Stratton (2018), pediatric nurses should conduct physical assessments to determine whether the child meets the movement skills and other competencies following the age. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2019) explained that the assessment is extensive, hence; the nurse should understand both the inner and outside growth in body parts. The nurse has to be flexible to modify the strategy by the age of the child. For instance, having a conversation with a child aged 10 and above before the session. The introduction is important because it makes it easy to gain cooperation and encourage the engagement of the child. The nurse should also develop a relationship with the parent to build the child's trust, and also learn her physical behaviors at home. The interview should include the child where the nurse asks questions to assess the social, cognition, language, and intellect of the child. However, it is also important to maintain privacy when speaking sensitive matters with an older child because most shy away from revealing them in the presence of a caregiver. However, the principle of confidentiality does not apply to children and the nurse may reveal information to protect the child. Hagan et al., (2017) a child aged between 5 and 8 may be pre-occupied with play and often distracted by simple things. However, a school-aged child between 9 and 12 focuses on peer interests in school and other activities such as football.

Developmental Stage

At the age of five, the child begins to experience challenging situations in schools. The separation between the child and the caregiver may lead to negative emotions, but some cope with them within a few months. The child actively engages with friends and develops language skills, became relatively independent, follows rules, and understands the cause and effects of scenarios. The physiological and mental skills of children also develop as they can describe experiences, and talk about feelings and thoughts. Moreover, a five years child can count from one to ten, which shows her cognitive ability to learn new things (CDC, 2019).

Developmental Theory

Piaget's theory of cognitive and mental development is the most appropriate to assess the performance of school-aged children. The children fit in the two middle stages; preoperational (5-7), and concrete operational (7-11). At the preoperational stage, the child learns bad and good behaviors and tries to appeal the authority figures by following simple rules at home as well as school. They also start thinking symbolically and learn through pictures that represent objects. They imitate and try to see different situations from others' perspectives. However, they tend to think about experiences in concrete terms as they grow older and develop with language. They develop a relationship with friends as they try to build relations away from home. The child displays intelligence through the use of pictures. The children's reading ability improves, but memory is dependent on the picture. Their language and memory are still developing. The child does not concentrate fully and is easily distracted. The teacher had to keep following him to enable him to concentrate. In this stage, the child thinks in a non-reversible and non-logical manner. The nurse should communicate slowly when talking to the child, and often use pictures or videos to explain complex experiences. For instance, if the children are diabetic, show them videos explaining the importance of medicines and injections. At the Concrete Operational Stage children have developed logical thinking and understand the cause and effects of situations. The nurse can discuss the development of the child without using pictures. Hagan et al., (2017) explained that the children start to develop decision-making criteria, which may influence the child's lifestyle choices. At this stage, the teachers and caregivers should discuss sensitive matters that affect children. The children should be equipped with knowledge of sex and substance abuse to help them make the right decision under these situations.

Conclusion

The pediatric assessment of children aged 5-12 should be comprehensive and designed to meet the needs of the development stage the kids' belong to. In the school-aged stage, the children are an eager learner, mentally active, and comprehend the cause and effect of certain outcomes. The children may also demonstrate the desire to belong to the peer group and develop self-awareness to build self-esteem. The care plan and the objectives should be known to the children to enhance their co-operation in the development assessment.

The nurses use a family-centered care system that recognizes the role and impact of family on the child's health. Family child well-being nurses achieve optimal health to the whole family through family-centered care. Therefore, health care professionals must follow the family-centered care that urges them to disclose all information about the illness, alternative treatments, complications, and other ethical issues.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Middle childhood (6-8 years old) | CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle.html

Hagan, J. F., Shaw, J. S., & Duncan, P. M. (2007). Bright futures: Guidelines for health supervision of infants, children, and adolescents. American Academy of Pediatrics.

Tyler, R., Foweather, L., Mackintosh, K. A., & Stratton, G. (2018). A dynamic assessment of children's physical competence: The dragon challenge. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 50(12), 2474.