50 Unit 2 | Psycho-Social-Cultural Assessment of the Child and the Family
● “Stick” or “poke” refers to a needle insertion for the nurse, but the young child views a stick as a small piece of wood found in the yard. ● Bleeding may be perceived as a child’s “insides leaking out.” Young children are often comforted by an adhesive bandage used to cover an open area. ● When having an x-ray, the child may smile when getting his or her “picture” taken. ● Children assume that inanimate objects feel and act as hu- mans do. For example, they might think that something inanimate could bite them. ● The child may call an instrument “bad” if it has caused pain or discomfort to them. ● They are fearful of unfamiliar objects and environments. ● When possible, allow the child to tour a facility or treatment room before the actual treatment. ● Preschoolers begin to develop skills in fantasy and pretend play. ● This is a period of social, language, and behavioral development. ● Children of toddlers are developing a sense of autonomy (Fig. 3–18; see also Chapter 7). Nursing Interventions for Communicating With Toddlers and Preschoolers ● Use simple terminology. Young children are unable to under- stand certain concepts. Those concepts should be discussed in concrete terms that the child can understand. ● Do not use euphemistic or idiomatic phrases such as “a small stick in the arm,” which may be misunderstood. ● Assume the same position as the child. If the child is sitting in a small chair, sit in a chair at his or her eye level. ● Keep unused equipment out of the room until it is needed. ● Use the treatment room for painful procedures so that the assigned child’s room is a haven. ● Label the child’s emotions to validate feelings of fear and anxiety.
FIGURE 316 Infants need to feel and touch the environment around them.
● Children of this age are very concrete and literal. They are often unable to conceptualize that one word may have more than one meaning: ● “IV” means “intravenous” to the nurse, but may be translated as “ivy,” a known plant, by the young child (Fig. 3–17).
FIGURE 317 Toddlers are very concrete and literal and are unable to conceptualize that one word may have more than one meaning. Ready for your IV?
FIGURE 318 Developing a sense of autonomy.
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