Rudd 3e Sneak Preview

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 316 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 317 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 318 Developing a sense of autonomy.

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