Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example

Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example

Child development assessment entails the determination of the functioning of a child based on various aspects like cognitive, behavioral, motor, sensory, and communication abilities. Bildiren (2018) explains that it helps identify potential developmental problems and appropriate interventions. The paper explores the developmental needs of children aged 5-12, focusing on the typical developmental stages of 6-year-old children based on Piaget’s Theory of development. (Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example)

Physical Characteristics of School-Aged Children between 5-12

Children between 5-12 years exhibit various physical characteristics as they transition from preschool to puberty (Bildiren, 2018). For instance, a 6-year-old can handle tools skillfully, such as riding bikes. Besides, they grow slowly but steadily, based on height and body weight. Additionally, they experience challenges controlling smaller muscles than larger ones (Lobelo et al., 2020). They can also snap their fingers and whistle successfully. Therefore, when assessing such a child, the pediatrician can modify the assessment technique by reading the standardized test questions to the child and writing down answers on their behalf. They can also utilize observation-based assessment methods to construct an assessment of the individual child sensitively. It enables the pediatrician to collect child-specific characteristics which may not be captured in standard testing techniques.(Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example)

Typical Developmental Stages of Children Aged 6

 Alex is a 6-year-old child who is physically active and social. He prefers playing with other children, though he is choosy in selecting playmates and gets frustrated when they don’t want to play with him. Alex is also talkative, can count from 1-10, and can accurately identify what day it is. Notably, children the same age as Alex should be physically active, show skillful motor coordination like jumping a rope and perform most activities like repeatedly riding a bike until they master it (Martínez, Camacho & Madrona, 2018). Also, they should exhibit curiosity, understand themselves and be sensitive to other people’s emotions. Moreover, they should have tricky emotions, like getting moody easily when upset. They should also be able to form friendships and interact well with others, especially around their families.(Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example)

Developmental Assessment of the Child using Piaget’s Developmental Theory

Piaget’s Theory of development posits that children’s behavior changes based on the development of their thinking from one stage to the next. The theorist explains that children construct knowledge continuously as they encounter new ideas, leading to long-term changes. According to Carpendale, Lewis, and Müller (2019), Piaget suggested four stages of development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Alex falls under the preoperational stage (2-7 years), where children are expected to utilize mental abstractions, recognize viewpoints and perspectives, and should perform dramatic play reflecting real-life experiences. In this case, when assessing the child, the pediatrician should request the input of the child’s parent based on aspects like the child’s social interaction and physical activity. Besides, the pediatrician can create imaginative scenarios matching the assessment criteria to determine the child’s metacognition, such as narrating a story and asking the child to recount it (Carpendale, Lewis & Müller, 2019). Additionally, the child can be given at least a series of three commands to follow to determine their cognitive ability.(Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example)

Notably, the pediatrician can explain the assessments using simple and plain language, providing diagrammatic illustrations, and asking the child questions. In addition, they can attract the child’s attention and cooperation by asking open-ended questions and allowing the child to assume control of the process (Lobelo et al., 2020). This can instill confidence in them, making it easy to display their true character and skills. Praising them for cooperating and offering suggestions for the questions is also essential. Finally, potential assessment results can include the excellent memory to accurately recount a narrated story, social skills like the ability to interact and make friends, and good motor coordination.(Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example)

The potential findings show that the child’s cognitive, physical, and behavioral development reflect those of peers of the same age. For example, Alex exhibits proficient motor skills, curiosity, can form friendships, and is active. The pediatrician can apply Piaget’s Theory to assess the child’s development by creating imaginative stories and asking the child to recount them. It is also necessary to use simple-to-understand language when explaining the assessment. Henceforth, children should be subjected to regular developmental assessments to identify their problems and devise strategies to help them improve.(Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example)

References

Bildiren, A. (2018). Developmental characteristics of gifted children aged 0–6 years: parental observations. Early Child Development and Care, 188(8), 997–1011(Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example). https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2017.1389919

Carpendale, J. I., Lewis, C., & Müller, U. (2019). Piaget’s Theory. The Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Development, 1-11.(Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example) https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119171492.wecad100

Lobelo, F., Muth, N. D., Hanson, S., Nemeth, B. A., LaBella, C. R., Brooks, M. A., … & Walsh, S. M. (2020). Physical activity assessment and counseling in pediatric clinical settings. Pediatrics, 145(3).(Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example) https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-3992

Martínez, S. J., Camacho, X. G., & Madrona, P. G. (2018). Development of the checklist of psychomotor activities for 5-to 6-year-old children. Perceptual and motor skills, 125(6), 1070-1092(Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child Comprehensive Solved Nursing Essay Example). https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512518804359