Growth & Development Project Guidelines

Purpose:          The student will demonstrate, through this written assignment, a workable knowledge of the concepts relative to stages of normal growth and development across the life span.

Objectives:      1.  The student will assess the growth and development status of an individual in a scenario provided by the instructor.

1. Erikson’s Psychosocial Developmental Task
2. Communication (i.e. language)
3. Mobility
4. Nutritional/metabolic needs
5. Interaction with others (i.e. play/cooperative)
6. The student, based on assessment, will determine three (3) creative measures to make the hospitalization meaningful and therapeutic to this individual, the family, and the nurse.

Evaluation:      The following will be evaluated:

1. Assessment
   1. Inclusion of all five areas of assessment as indicated above.
   1. Three creative  measures to make the hospitalization meaningful and therapeutic

• Presentation
  • Organization  – How well you put your thoughts together.  Whether there is logical progression of the paper.
  • Clarity – Is the content of your paper easy to understand?
  • Grammar – Are all words spelled correctly?  Is there a new paragraph for each new thought?
  • Neatness

Guidelines:      1.  Paper must be submitted typewritten.  Handwritten papers will have points deducted.  Lines must be doubled-spaced.

2.  There is no guideline relative to the length of your paper.  Please be                                        reasonable.

• This assignment represents _____________ % of the final Normal Life Span Grade.

Normal Life Span – Scenario #2

            A four-year old, female, child is admitted to your pediatric unit.  Her diagnosis is:  Weight loss, cause unknown.  She is accompanied by her twenty-two-year old, single, mother.  The mother is the primary source of information for the child’s admission interview and summary.

            For about the past ten days the child has had difficulty eating.  She shows no interest in food or in feeding herself.   She will drink fluids when offered, “most of the time”.

            “She used to be so happy and a real joy to have as a child.  Lately, she is real quiet and seems withdrawn.  She stumbles over words, even ones that she knows real well.  She gets real emotional and cries over the least little thing.  The surprises me because I thought she had outgrown all that stuff.”

            The child has started to have difficulty sleeping.  She awakens “often during the night with nightmares”.  This began about three nights ago.

            For fun the child likes to play dress-up, color with crayons, and finger-paint.  She learned to ride a tricycle about six months ago.  She used to like to play with other children; but, does not seem to have “very many friends anymore”.  “She does pretend that she has an invisible mouse.  She talks to him a lot and seems to think he is real.”

            Since the youngest child, a boy, was born seven months ago, the mother had to work a lot.  Because the girl child is the oldest, “she tries to be helpful, but just gets in the way.  I would just rather do it myself.”  The mother would like to “spend more time” with the girl child; but, between work and caring for the baby, “I’m exhausted”.  The child becomes very emotional when left with the sitter.

            Physical assessment reveals a tiny, thin, female child who is in constant physical contact with her mother.  The child measures 32 inches in height and 36 pounds in weight.  The skin is slightly flushed and very warm; but, dry to the touch.  A rectal temperature shows an elevation of 102.6 F.  Her blood pressure is normal.  The pulse is 112 apically and the respirations are 22 bpm.  The child appears restless but in no acute discomfort or distress. 

            The child pulls away from the nurse’s touch.  She does not offer any conversation, despite prompting from the mother, or answer simple questions.  The child’s shirt is noticed to be inside out.  The mother explains that “she tries to dress herself, but doesn’t do a very good job.”

            There is an emotional outburst as the mother leaves to “get back to her job.”

            Several hours after admission, the child is noticed to be sharing a coloring book with the other child in her room.  They work quietly side by side.

• Due Date for this paper is __________________________ at the beginning of class.  Any papers submitted after that time will have 10 points deducted.