Assessment of the Infant, Child, and Adolescent
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216 Terms
Pediatric Assessment
Checking a child's health, growth, and development based on their age.
Why is pediatric assessment different from adult assessment?
Children's bodies and brains are still developing, so normal findings change with age.
Newborn (Neonate)
A baby from birth to 28 days old.
Infant
A baby from 1 to 12 months old.
Toddler
A child from 1 to 3 years old.
Preschooler
A child from 3 to 5 years old.
School-Age Child
A child from 6 to 12 years old.
Adolescent
A teenager from about 12 to 18 years old.
Growth
An increase in physical size, such as weight or height.
Development
Gaining new abilities like walking, talking, and problem-solving.
Developmental Milestones
Skills children are expected to develop around certain ages.
Gross Motor Skills
Large muscle movements like sitting, crawling, walking, and running.
Fine Motor Skills
Small muscle movements like grabbing toys, drawing, and buttoning clothes.
Language Development
Learning to understand and communicate using sounds, gestures, and words.
Receptive Language
Understanding what other people say.
Expressive Language
Communicating through sounds, gestures, or words.
Social-Adaptive Development
Learning to interact with others and become more independent.
Cephalocaudal Development
Development from head to toe, such as head control before walking.
Proximodistal Development
Development from the body's center outward toward the fingers and toes.
Developmental Delay
When a child does not develop expected skills within the usual age range.
Corrected Age
A premature baby's age adjusted for how many weeks early they were born.
Growth Chart
A chart used to track a child's growth compared with other children of the same age.
Why are growth trends important?
Changes over time can reveal growth problems that one measurement might miss.
Erik Erikson
Psychologist who explained emotional and social development through life stages.
Jean Piaget
Psychologist who explained how children's thinking develops.
Erikson's Infant Stage
Trust vs. Mistrust.
Trust vs. Mistrust
Infants learn whether caregivers will consistently meet their needs.
How can nurses promote trust in infants?
Provide comfort, respond to crying, and encourage caregiver bonding.
Erikson's Toddler Stage
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt.
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Toddlers want independence and to do things themselves.
How can nurses support toddler autonomy?
Offer simple choices and allow safe independence.
Erikson's Preschool Stage
Initiative vs. Guilt.
Initiative vs. Guilt
Preschoolers want to explore, ask questions, and try new activities.
How can nurses support preschoolers?
Encourage play, questions, and participation.
Erikson's School-Age Stage
Industry vs. Inferiority.
Industry vs. Inferiority
Children want to learn skills and feel successful.
How can nurses support school-age children?
Praise effort and allow them to participate in care.
Erikson's Adolescent Stage
Identity vs. Role Confusion.
Identity vs. Role Confusion
Teenagers explore who they are and what they believe.
How can nurses support adolescents?
Respect privacy, listen without judgment, and encourage independence.
Piaget's Sensorimotor Stage
Birth to 2 years, when babies learn through senses and movement.
Object Permanence
Understanding that something still exists even when it cannot be seen.
Piaget's Preoperational Stage
Ages 2 to 7, when children use imagination and symbols.
Magical Thinking
Believing thoughts or actions can cause events in unrealistic ways.
Piaget's Concrete Operational Stage
Ages 7 to 11, when children begin using logic about real situations.
Piaget's Formal Operational Stage
Beginning around age 11, when abstract thinking develops.
Abstract Thinking
Thinking about ideas, possibilities, and future consequences.
Why use play during pediatric assessments?
Play makes children more comfortable and helps nurses assess development.
Parallel Play
Playing beside other children without much interaction.
Associative Play
Playing with other children without fully organized group rules.
Cooperative Play
Playing together toward a shared goal.
When does birth weight usually double?
Around 4 to 6 months old.
When does birth weight usually triple?
Around 12 months old.
Infant Length Growth During First 6 Months
Approximately 1 inch per month.
Infant Length Growth From 6 to 12 Months
Approximately half an inch per month.
Average Newborn Head Circumference
About 13 to 14 inches.
When do infant teeth usually begin appearing?
Around 6 months.
How many primary teeth should children have by 30 months?
About 20 teeth.
Head Control
A gross motor skill that develops before sitting and walking.
Rolling Over
An infant motor milestone that develops as muscle control improves.
Sitting Independently
An infant milestone showing improved trunk strength and balance.
Pincer Grasp
Using the thumb and index finger to pick up small objects.
Walking Independently
A motor milestone commonly developing around 12 to 18 months.
Normal Toddler Appearance
A rounded belly, short legs, and sometimes a curved lower back.
Potbelly
A rounded abdomen that can be normal in toddlers.
Toilet Training Readiness
Signs that a child can recognize and control elimination needs.
Preschool Development
Improved coordination, language, imagination, and social skills.
School-Age Development
Improved reasoning, coordination, learning, and peer relationships.
Puberty
The process when the body develops reproductive maturity.
Growth Spurt
A period when height and weight increase more rapidly.
Tanner Stages
Five stages used to describe physical changes during puberty.
What is an important adolescent assessment concern?
Body image, emotional health, privacy, and puberty.
Thermoregulation
The body's ability to maintain a normal temperature.
Why do newborns lose heat easily?
They have thin skin, little insulating fat, and a large body surface area.
Fontanelles
Soft spots between a baby's skull bones.
Anterior Fontanelle
The larger soft spot at the front of a baby's head.
When does the anterior fontanelle close?
Usually by about 18 months.
Posterior Fontanelle
The smaller soft spot at the back of a baby's head.
When does the posterior fontanelle close?
Usually by about 2 months.
Sunken Fontanelle
A depressed soft spot that may indicate dehydration.
Bulging Fontanelle
A swollen soft spot that may indicate increased pressure inside the skull.
Hydrocephalus
Too much fluid collecting inside the brain's ventricles.
Why are infant airways at greater risk of blockage?
Their airways are smaller, so even mild swelling can make breathing difficult.
Diaphragm
The muscle below the lungs that helps a person breathe.
Abdominal Breathing
Breathing that causes the belly to rise and fall, common in infants.
Eustachian Tube
A tube connecting the middle ear to the back of the nose and throat.
Why are young children prone to ear infections?
Their eustachian tubes are shorter and more horizontal.
Otitis Media
An infection or inflammation of the middle ear.
Normal Newborn Heart Rate
About 120 to 160 beats per minute.
Normal Newborn Respiratory Rate
About 30 to 60 breaths per minute.
Normal Toddler Heart Rate
About 90 to 140 beats per minute.
Normal Toddler Respiratory Rate
About 24 to 40 breaths per minute.
Normal School-Age Heart Rate
About 75 to 100 beats per minute.
Normal School-Age Respiratory Rate
About 18 to 30 breaths per minute.
Normal Adolescent Heart Rate
About 60 to 90 beats per minute.
Normal Adolescent Respiratory Rate
About 12 to 16 breaths per minute.
Why do younger children have faster heart rates?
Their bodies have different oxygen and metabolic needs during growth.
Apical Pulse
The heart rate measured by listening directly over the heart.
How long should you count an infant's apical pulse?
One full minute.
How long should you count an infant's respirations?
One full minute because breathing may be irregular.