Assignment: Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
While every child develops a little differently, most infants, toddlers, and preschoolers meet the same basic growth and development milestones. When milestones are not met, it is often a sign of an underlying health issue. Consider Maddie's story. In early infancy, she successfully met each of the expected growth and development milestones and was even able to roll over by her 6th month. However, at 9 months, she suddenly stopped developing normally. She quit babbling and did not learn how to crawl until she was 15 months old. Maddie did not start walking until age 3, and at age 4, she was still being spoon-fed with baby food. In Maddie's case, growth and development milestones were not met because of autism (Autism Society, 2011). As an advanced practice nurse, you must be able to identify signs of abnormal growth and development in patients like Maddie. Whether you facilitate treatment for these patients or refer them for specialized care, it is essential to offer support and guidance to these patients and their families.
Wellness visits are an important part of pediatric primary care. During these visits, patient growth and development are assessed. As an advanced practice nurse who performs these assessments, you must be able to distinguish between normal and abnormal growth and development to recognize red flags. While some patients may not meet milestones due to differences in rates of development, abnormal development might also be a red flag of an underlying problem. In this Discussion, you examine the following case studies and consider potential developmental red flags.
Case Study:
You see a 30-month-old named Brian for a well-child visit. His mother reports the following development:
• Physical: Walks independently, runs, able to climb stairs alternating feet, makes a tower of nine cubes, and is able to button his pants.
• Social: Follows one-step commands, uses one-word sentences, and has a vocabulary of approximately six words. He is resistant to nighttime and feeding routines, he has marked temper tantrums, and Mom states he does not calm when she tries to comfort him.
Post an explanation of the following:
1. Developmental red flags that presented on the stages of normal physical, social, and cognitive development for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Based on the red flags identified within the physical, social, and cognitive what additional questions should you ask? What additional examinations will you conduct?
2. Explain how you differentiated between normal and abnormal growth and development for this patient.
3. Identify which standardized screening tools, clinical guidelines, and management strategies you might use to assess and manage this patient and why.
4. Health, promotion and anticipatory guidance:
1. Based on the child's age, discuss which immunizations this child should have received by now?
2. When are the next set of immunizations? Which ones should be given?
3. When should this child return to clinic?
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.