An 18-month-old patient is brought into the clinic for evaluation ...

[codyclark]

An 18-month-old patient is brought into the clinic for evaluation because the parent is concerned. The 18-month-old child hits siblings and says only No when communicating verbally.
 
  Which recommendation by the nurse will be best for this situation?
  a. Assure the mother that the child is developmentally within specified norms.
  b. Encourage the mother to seek psychological counseling for the child.
  c. Consult the social worker because the child is hitting other children.
  d. Remove all toys from the child's room until this behavior ceases.

Question 2

A nurse is assessing a 17-year-old adolescent's cognitive development. Which behavior indicates the adolescent has reached formal operations?
 
  a. Uses play to understand surroundings
  b. Discusses the topic of justice in society
  c. Hits other students to deal with environmental change
  d. Questions where the ice is hiding when ice has melted in a drink

[potomatos]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
Assure the mother that the child is displaying normal behavior. At 18 months, the child is in the sensorimotor period of development. Piaget describes hitting, looking, grasping, and kicking as normal schemas to deal with the environment. The social worker does not need to be consulted in this case nor is psychological counseling warranted, because the child is exhibiting normal behaviors. Play is an important part of all children's development. Removing toys and the opportunity to play with them may actually hinder the child's development.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
Discussing the topic of justice demonstrates that the adolescent is concerned about issues that affect others besides self. In the formal operations period, as adolescents mature, their thinking moves to abstract and theoretical subjects. They have the capacity to reason with respect to possibilities. Hitting would be a common schema during the sensorimotor stage of development. Using play to learn about the environment is indicative of the preoperational stage. During the concrete operations stage (ages 6 to 12 years), children are able to coordinate two concrete perspectives in social and scientific thinking, such as understanding the difference between hiding and melting.

[codyclark]

Thank you!

[potomatos]

Always glad to help...