Author Question: When planning a new children's mental health clinic, the nurse understands the importance of ... (Read 136 times)

s.tung · **on:** Jul 22, 2018

When planning a new children's mental health clinic, the nurse understands the importance of including a play area. Play and toys are used to assess children with suspected mental disorders because:

1. Children express themselves through play.
2. Children do not usually relate to adults.
3. Play enables the nurse to assess cognitive ability.
4. Only toys that are developmentally appropriate and specific to the child's biological age are used.

Question 2

The nurse is instructing new parents on ways to avoid sudden infant death syndrome with their newborn son. Which of the following should be included in these instructions?

1. Remind the parents that the syndrome is more common in females than males, and they have a male child.
2. It is more common in babies from ages 6 months to 18 months.
3. There is nothing that can be done, so requirements for toys and bedding are of no consequence.
4. Do not smoke near the child and reduce all exposure to secondhand smoke.

nathang24 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

1. Children express themselves through play.

Rationale:
A mental status exam on a child consists of both a semi-structured interview and an unstructured play session with the child. Observing a child at play can also provide invaluable information about motor behavior, thought content, affect, and impulse control. There is a general belief that toys with ambiguous meaning and diverse uses foster symbolic play more effectively because they allow the child to project his or her own identity and function onto the toys. The children may or may not relate to adults, but that is not the reason for including the play area. Cognitive ability is only one of the areas of assessment, and not the overall reason for including the play area. Toys may or may not be specific to the child's biological age

Answer to Question 2

4. Do not smoke near the child and reduce all exposure to secondhand smoke.

Rationale:
The nurse should instruct the parents to not smoke and reduce all exposure to secondhand smoke to reduce the child's risk of the syndrome. Risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome include being male, being 2 to 4 months of age, having loose bedding and toys that could occlude the airway, and being exposed to smoke or having a mother who smoked during pregnancy.