Family and Child Development

NUR 417 – Professional Nursing Care:

Children and Families
Family Development
The Family Unit
 Basic social unit
 Definition
 Each is unique
Family Roles and Functions
 What relationship is critical to the survival and
healthy development of a child?
 What roles do the parents/caregivers assume?
 What changes have occurred with parenting roles
in the last 2 decades or so?
Ch-ch-changes…
 A couple decides to get pregnant or adopt a
child. What changes within the family unit
occur with the arrival of the first child?
 The second?
 Subsequent?
Parenting Styles
Characteristics of Healthy Families
Family Assessment
 What questions will you ask?
Family Centered Care
Emma
 Emma Moore, 4 years old, is admitted to
the pediatric unit with a suspected head
injury from a fall. She was playing at a
playground with her babysitter and fell
from the top of the slide.
 How could family-centered care help the
Moore family?
Growth and Development
 Definitions of G&D
 Growth
 Development
 Influences
Principles of G&D
 Occurs in an orderly sequence
 Individualized – each child is unique
 Development is interrelated
 Development becomes increasingly
differentiated, integrated, and complex
Patterns of Growth and
Development
Cephalocaudal Pattern (head to toe)

Proximodistal Pattern (from center outward)

Simple to Complex
Periods of greatest growth
 Rapid from birth to 2 years
 Slower pace from 2 years
to puberty
 Rapid from puberty to 15
years
 Sharp decline from 16 to
24 years when full adult
size is reached
Factors that Influence G&D
 Genetics
 Environment
 Culture
 Nutrition
 Health status
 Family
 Parental attitudes
 Child-rearing philosophies
Methods to Evaluate Growth
 Charts: compare to norms
 Compare to self over time
 X-rays
 Teeth
 Anthropometrics
 height, weight, head circumference
Growth and Development
Milestones

Case Studies
Case Study: Infant
 Dawn, a 10 month old, is admitted to the
hospital for suspected child abuse.
Case Study: Toddler
 Emily is a 2 year old who was admitted to
the hospital for the removal of a benign
tumor. The admitting note states, “Emily
may be developmentally behind in the area
of gross motor skills.”
Case Study: Preschooler
 Art is a 4 year old being seen for a well
child check. He appears to have reached all
of his developmental milestones.
Case Study: Early Childhood
 At 6 years old, Juan is newly diagnosed
with Type 1 diabetes mellitus and is ready
to be discharged from the hospital.
Case Study: Late Childhood
 LaToia is an 11 year old promising dancer
who suffered a knee injury and is now
post-op repair.
Case Study: Adolescence
 Aamal is a 17 year old being seen for her
college entrance physical.
Importance of Play
 It is the work of childhood
Classification of Play
 Functional or
Practice Play
 Symbolic Play
 Games
 Social Aspects of Play
 Solitary play
 Parallel Play
 Associative play
 Cooperative Play
 Onlooker Play
Solitary Play
 Independent play
 Child plays alone with toys that are
very different from those chosen
by other children in the area.
 Begins in infancy and goes through
toddler age
Parallel Play
 Children play near each
other, but not with each
other
 Absorbed in own activity
 Enhanced gross and fine
motor development
Associative Play
 Group play without
group goals
 Lack of formal
organization of play
 Toddler-preschooler
Cooperative Play
 Working together on
a project
 Organized structure
 Common goal
 Preschoolers
Onlooker play
 Child observes others
playing
 May ask questions of
players, but does not
attempt to join the
play
Functions of play
 Physical development
 Cognitive development
 Emotional development
 Social development
 Moral development