The School-Aged Child (Essay Sample)

The School-Aged Child
The pediatric patient's needs, which include stages of development, vary from the needs of an infant, adolescent, or adult. Stages of development comprise toddlerhood (13 months-3years), a preschooler (3-5 years), and school-age (5-12 years) (Dersch-Mills, 2018). School-aged children sometimes feel mature; however, it is necessary to consider if they want their parents around in the healthcare setting. A 6-year-old child would like to have their parent around, but an 11-year-old may feel that being with the parent limits their privacy. At age 9, a growth spurt happens where kids develop emotionally, physically, and mentally (Cinelli, 2022). Many differences exist between each stage; therefore, the nurse should inquire about the child's preference. Appreciating the importance of the school-aged child's physical, emotional, and social development plays a crucial role in the child's future growth.
Physical Assessment among school-Aged children
The nurse should interact more with the child than the parent to modify a more solid child's physical Assessment. At age 5-12, a child can communicate verbally and is also able to understand more about their personal life (Medline Plus, 2022). There is a need to establish a trusting relationship between the nurse and the school-aged child. This can be done by asking the kids questions that they can answer while also inquiring about various activities, school, and close friends. Furthermore, the nurse can request or encourage the parent to support their child's effort by permitting the kid to participate in the examination. Additionally, the nurse should interview the parent or caregiver to confirm if the information provided by the child is correct.
Developmental Stages of a 9-Year- Old
In this case, the pediatric patient is J.M., a 9-year old child. The mother brought the patient for a routine medical check-up at the Suva clinic. He is a child whose birth was normal and had no complications, and his birth weight was 3.15 kg with an Apgar score of 8. J.M. is developing normally and attaining all the developmental milestones expected of him. At nine years old, the child is typically maturing emotionally and is more cognitively advanced (Cinelli, 2022). These typical developmental stages of a child at this age include cognitive development. The child can describe thoughts and feelings, demonstrates faster maturity in terms of mental skills, and appreciates the thoughts and concerns. The second is motor development; the child has good motor coordination and can perform simple gymnastics. Third, social and emotional development where the kid desires more acceptance by friends and other people portrays more independence and appreciates what friendship is.