WEEK 2 Aquifer Case Study: Developmental Assessment and Biological Functioning Essay

WEEK 2 Aquifer Case Study: Developmental Assessment and Biological Functioning Essay

Aquifer Case Study: Developmental Assessment and Biological Functioning

The human lifespan is characterized by a progressive growth and deterioration of life upon achieving maturity. As babies grow to become toddlers, children, and adolescents, their biological functioning becomes complex and sophisticated as they achieve various developmental milestones. However, some children fail to grow at normal rates. The aquifer case study is about baby Rose who was born small for his gestational age. To understand his condition, Dr. Martin performed a development assessment. Developmental assessment is essential for identifying developmental delays or disorders early on and for monitoring a child’s progress over time. In primary care for infants, children, and adolescents, developmental assessment is essential to identifying developmental delays or disorders early on, which allows early intervention and better outcomes. Additionally, it helps identify areas where additional support may be needed by monitoring a child’s progress over time. A developmental assessment may focus on various aspects of assessment such as gross motor skills, fine motor skills, language development, and social interactions, and as the child grows in that order.

Assessment Tools

Speech, motor skills, social skills, and other aspects of development can be assessed with several tools. Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) (Benson, 2020) is a widely used tool for infants even in cases of suspected neonatal and infant infections (Martin et al., 2019). For motor skills assessment in toddlers, I would use the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Aylward, 2020). For the assessment of language and speech among toddlers, I would use the Reynell Developmental Language Scale or Preschool Language Scale (Benson, 2020). The Social Skills Rating System would be a good tool for the assessment of social skills. Notably, none of these tools is superior to the other in achieving assessment accuracy. Their indications are different and so are their target age groups.

Assessing biological Functioning

The most basic parameter for biological functioning is growth and development. To assess growth and development, basic tools such as weight, height, and mid-upper arm circumference. The rate of weight gain is a good indicator of biological growth among neonates and infants (Warren et al., 2021). Achievement of the developmental milestones in comparison with a normal population or other children in the same community indicates biological functioning among children as they grow into adolescence and adulthood (Srinath et al., 2019). Biological function is multisystemic and multi-dimensional. Therefore, assessment of physical growth only may limit the full picture of biological functioning.

Conclusion

Developmental assessment is essential for identifying developmental delays or disorders early on and for monitoring a child’s progress over time. Assessing growth, vision, hearing, immunization status and neurological and developmental milestones is important for providing primary healthcare services to children. Developmental assessment tools like DDST, Bayley Scales, Reynell Developmental Language Scales, and Social Skills Rating System are used to assess speech, motor skills, social skills, and other aspects of development. The rate of weight gain is a good indicator of biological growth among neonates and infants, while achievement of developmental milestones compared to the normal population is an indicator of biological functioning among children as they grow into adolescence and adulthood.

References

Aylward, G. P. (2020). Bayley 4 Clinical Use and Interpretation. Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/c2018-0-01775-2

Benson, J. B. (2020). Encyclopedia of infant and early childhood development. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/c2017-1-03354-8

Martin, R. J., Fanaroff, A. A., & Walsh, M. C. (2019). Fanaroff and martin’s neonatal-perinatal medicine E-book: Diseases of the fetus and infant (11th ed.). Elsevier.

Srinath, S., Jacob, P., Sharma, E., & Gautam, A. (2019). Clinical practice guidelines for the assessment of children and adolescents. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 61(Suppl 2), 158–175. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_580_18

Warren, M. G., Gustafson, K. E., Malcolm, W. F., Ashley, P., Mago-Shah, D. D., & Heyward, E. B. (2021). The care of the premature infant. In Reference Module in Biomedical Sciences. Elsevier.

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Aquifer Case Study: Developmental Assessment and Biological Functioning
This discussion assignment provides a forum for discussing relevant topics for this week based on the course competencies covered. For this assignment, make sure you post your initial response to the Discussion Area by the due date assigned.
To support your work, use your course textbook readings and the South University Online Library. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.
Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ initial postings. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between two or more lines of reasoning in the discussion. Cite sources in your responses to other classmates. Complete your participation for this assignment by the end of the week.
For this assignment, you will complete an Aquifer case study based on the course objectives and weekly content. Aquifer cases emphasize core learning objectives for an evidence-based primary care curriculum. Throughout your Nurse Practitioner program, you will use the Aquifer case studies to promote the development of clinical reasoning through the use of ongoing assessments and diagnostic skills and to develop patient care plans that are grounded in the latest clinical guidelines and evidence-based practice.
The Aquifer assignments are a dynamic way to enhance your learning. Material from the Aquifer cases may be present in the quizzes, the midterm exam, and the final exam.
Click here for information on how to access and navigate Aquifer.
This week, complete the Aquifer case titled Pediatrics 01: Newborn male infant evaluation and care. This case can be found under Aquifer Family Medicine.
Apply information from the Aquifer case study to answer the following questions:
Why is developmental assessment essential in the provision of primary care for infants, children, and adolescents, and what are the essential components of this assessment on the basis of this child’s age?
Which tools will you use to assess specific components of development (such as speech, motor skills, social skills, etc.)? Which tools do you think are the most accurate in assessing the developmental components and why?
Which components would you consider in assessing the basic biological functioning and well-being of your pediatric patients? Why are these components important in providing primary health-care services to children?
Submission Details:
Post your initial response to the Discussion Area by Day 3. Respond to at least two posts by the end of the week, Day 7. The week starts on Tuesday and ends on the following Monday.
Your initial post is due on Day 3.
Your two peer responses are due no later than Day 7. The expectation is that you reply to your peers on more than 2 days before the end of the week to receive full credit.
Please make sure you are using scholarly references and they should not be older than 5 years. Your posts/references must be in APA format.
Please follow the discussion rubric to make sure you have addressed the discussion criteria.