Confirm Client Developmental Status - Essay Example

Answer to Question The physical development or motor skills of an individual refers on ability to usephysical faculties such as the hands and fingers for touching and lifting things, feet for walking and running, and control of other muscle coordination to be able to perform simple tasks such as sitting, standing, to more complex things such as jumping and running. The degree of physical development of a child depends on his/her age and is expected to be able to do more physically challenging tasks as the child grows into adulthood. In the case of the 14 year old client, there is stunted growth observed, reported irregular menstruation, and overweightness that are considered deviation from normal adolescent growth. The U.S. National Library of Medicine state that breast development is the first stage that occurs to a female entering puberty and before their first menstrual period there is a notable increase in height, hip size, hair growth in armpit, legs and pubic area, and vaginal secretions. Accordingly, the menstruation cycle occurs once in every 28 to 32 days and the first few months is usually intermittent but becomes regular overtime. The cognitive development is the intellectual ability of a person to think, process facts, solve problems, and decipher symbols. The 14 year old client is getting low grades in school and is reportedly having learning disabilities particularly in reading comprehension, memorizing and arithmetic. The famous developmental psychology theorist Jean Piaget states that an individual went through four stages of cognitive development. The first is sensorimotor stage during infancy and the second is the pre-operational stage during early childhood. The third is called concrete operational stage during elementary and early adolescence in which William Huitt notes that cognitive development is demonstrated through decrease in self-centered thoughts, ability to focus and comprehend on tangible objects and experiences, and ability to relate the concept from one to another. The last stage is the formal operational stage from adolescence to adulthood where an individual demonstrates comprehension ability in abstract concepts, construct their own theories, and has more understanding on the causality and effects of human actions. Thus, such learning disabilities of the client should not be taken for granted because it could exacerbate discrimination towards the client and defer her potential to grow. Adolescents with learning disabilities were reported to “experience severe emotional distress…with girls being more likely to experience than boys” (American Psychological Association 13) leading to grave actions such as violence, substance or alcohol abuse, and even suicide. The problems with the physical and cognitive development of the 14 year old client have affected as well her emotional development. Emotional development in adolescence includes their ability to establish personal identity, ability to manage encountered stress, and ability to establish what they want to become when reaching adulthood. On the contrary, the client is extremely shy, dislikes her physical appearance, rarely gets involved in group activities, does not believe when people compliment her, and is very uncertain of her role in life and her future. Clearly the client was unable to develop her sense of identity and self-esteem. The cognitive skills of adolescents “enable them to make abstract generalizations about the self” and physical attributes of girls contributes to development of their self-esteem (15). Moreover, adolescents are expected to master their emotional skills commonly known as emotional intelligence. Developing adolescent emotional intelligence includes ability to “recognize and manage emotions” by being aware of it (17). Adolescent emotional intelligence helps them “develop a cooperative spirit” (17) that requires understanding on the value of team work and recognition of peer’s capacity of significant contributions from simple school projects to difficult life situations. The social development of adolescents pertains to their ability to relate with the people round them including family, peers, co-workers, neighbors, and community. Peer relationship for teenagers is associated with social status and acceptance. Accordingly, adolescents aged 14-16 years old befriend peer notwithstanding differences in gender orientation, principles, physical appearance and values (21). Family relationships in any form are seen to be very crucial in the emotional development, cognitive, performance of teenagers in school and in the community, and in choosing friends. Adolescent relationship and perception on their teachers contribute as well to the academic performance and self-esteem at school and in the community. Healthy relationships are crucial in the values formation, coping mechanism, and prevention of alcohol and substance abuse among adolescents. In the case of the 14 year old teenager, she is usually seen alone and if with peers they are usually just one or two females whom she worked with at a local restaurant. Her parents as well were never present during parents-teachers meetings. In school, nobody seems to know her well as she is usually alone and is reported by her teachers to be very quiet and sits far back in a classroom avoiding eye contact. Adolescent psychological development is simultaneously interlinked with their physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development. In the case of the client, she is observed to be often anxious whether in school or at work. Sometimes she is seen wearing a dress and sometimes wearing masculine clothing and she never attended community welfare activities. Lewis Judd states that adolescent psychological development pertains to their “emotional and psychological independence from parents and other adults” (467) or the time when adolescents become vocal about their opinions and disagreements within their families. Another is the establishment of self-identity or the stage when adolescents have concepts on their personality, likes and dislikes, beliefs, and what they wanted to be. The “development of self-motivation and self-determination” to finish a task including the determination to set values and standards of living like adults do (468) is another sign of normal adolescent psychological development. As previously mentioned, the five main developmental areas are interrelated and simultaneous thus psychological development also pertains to ability of adolescents to empathized with other people even environmental issues. Another sign is the adolescent ability to establish “appropriate sexual identity” (468) that is crucial to formation of relationships and sexual drives. Answer to Question 2 One of the things to be vigilant when caring for an elderly person is on the health and well-being. According to Alice Clark, when elderlies gets sick, their physical and mental state are also affected leading to serious negative mental health conditions such as “depression, anxiety, grief and social isolation” that needed both counseling and clinical assistance. Other physical changes in elderly that needed attention are the five senses of touch, hearing, eyesight, smell and taste as this could lead to problems in nutrition and other chronic health conditions such as cancer, mental health problems, arthritis, urinary inconvenience, sleep patterns, and cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disorders. Dementia, a disease that causes large decline in a person’s physical, cognitive and psychological functions is a great concern when caring for the elderly because it leads to severe memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease, hallucination, restlessness, disruption in eating habits, and uncontrolled movements. The physical structure of the house or the care center is another important issue to be considered. According to the Australian Government Department of Health and Aging, falls can be prevented by fall-proofing the surroundings like sharp edges and worn carpets, and examining the elderly client on what particular physical assistance he or she needs when going around like lifts, rails, and ramps. In addition, the same source states that it is equally important to evaluate the condition of the elderly client if she or he is suffering from memory loss, aggressiveness, and problems on hearing and sight because the said conditions require particular fall preventive care. Lastly, according to the National Ageing Research Institute “17% of the people over the age of 75 years take 6 or more medication” thus, it is imperative to be vigilant on the safety use of medicines of an elderly client as wrong medication management could lead to over or under dosage, and worst lead to adverse effects that would further exacerbate the health condition of the elderly client. Some medications can also contribute to certain allergic reactions to the elderly patient such as rashes, dizziness, and loss of appetite while some medicines are contraindicated to other medicines, food, and beverages. Answer to Question 3 The Child Development Institute state that at the age of 2 a child should be able to run, feed self, ride bicycle with training wheels, puts on socks and shoes, stand with one foot and cross legs briefly, build 10 blocks, and button and unbutton clothes. Moreover, it can interact with people and environment by using language and images, and has developed sense of security and safety to concrete objects or repetitive images. The situation of the 2 year old student and her mother calls for an assessment on the social issues in the family, school, and community that is contributory to the developmental delays of the client. Some personal, social and emotional contributing factors to be considered include trauma, poverty, child abuse, alcohol and substance abuse, violence, and family dispute or changes. When evaluation results require competencies of other professionals, the social worker must refer the case to other institutions that can provide adequate care to both the child and parent. According to the National Association of Social Workers, the primary goal of a social worker is “help people in need and to address social problems”. In a school setting, the primary responsibility of a school social worker is to make sure that the student’s learning potential is maximized and his or her needs are met. The client’s case requires employing several methods of intervention such as “counseling with the child” (Barnett 9) and “family crisis intervention” (10) that are appropriate for the student’s situation. Prior to conducting the intervention, it is the responsibility of the social worker to get informed consent from the parent of the child since the client is still 2 years old and to explain fully to the parent the social services of the institution and the rights of the child to a full development. The National Association of Social Workers code of ethics state that social worker should adhere to “respect on clients’ privacy” and all the individuals involved in the case intervention, and adhere as well to the confidentiality of the case. The case should be brought to notice of the school administration and the social worker must supervise implementation of the school policies on children who are neglected or in need of special attention like the 2 year old student. Lastly, in preparation for instances of death of parent, change of school or change of address, it is the responsibility of the social worker to guarantee the continuity of the casework and critical incident management of the child by referring the case to the nearest available social work institution. Answer to Question 4 The first stage of the psychosocial theory of development Erik H. Erikson is the basic trust versus basic mistrust during the oral-sensory stage where the infant develops trust in the routines and rituals with the maternal parent because of the comfort, nourishment, and warmth provided while the lack of it develops into mistrust (Hall and Lindzey 92). The second stage is the autonomy versus shame and doubt during the “anal-muscular stage” where the child learns either “freedom of self-expression and lovingness” or “loss of self-control” that involves tantrums and stubbornness (93) depending on how the parents enforced control and grants freedom to the child in their activities and behavior with other people. This is also the stage where a child develops a sense of what is right and wrong on certain actions and words spoken (94). The third stage is called initiative versus guilt which usually happens during preschool years, the “age of expanding mastery and responsibility” (94). The virtue of purpose is developed in this stage through playing and exploration as it provides connection to what happens in the real world. This is also the stage when a child plays “dramatic characterization” by imitating adults, other personalities, and even animals that they fancy (95). The sense of togetherness is stronger in this stage and the developing initiative guides the child to pursue goals and tasks. Guilt arises when the initiative has turn into overenthusiastic thoughts and fantasies, and when there is use of manipulative ways to achieve goals and tasks. The fourth stage is called industry versus inferiority stage during formal school age. It is in this stage that a child’s interest in toys wanes and is replaced by “interest in reproductive situations” and learns the value of “perseverance and diligence” in developing self-competence (95) in whatever craft a child is interested with. The inferiority develops when the child is made to feel that it is incapable of completing and mastering the tasks. The fifth stage is the identity versus identity confusion stage that emerges during adolescent years. Erikson believes that this is the stage when adolescent discovers and decides his or her own identity including likes and dislikes, desire and will to control owns life, and the sense of purpose or role in the community. The virtue of fidelity is told to develop at this stage which is defined by Erikson as the “ability to sustain loyalties…in spite of the inevitable contradictions of the value systems” (97). The identity confusion emerges when the adolescent is undecided of his or her roles contributed by numerous factors such as transition from childhood to adolescent, social, religious, and historical change (97). The stage six is called the stage of intimacy versus isolation in young adults. In this stage, young adults are willing to complement their identities with other persons. The virtue developed in this stage is love during intimacy that ends into marriage if genuine relationship is established (98). Isolation happens when adults are not willing to enter into a commitment or relationship. The seventh stage is called the generativity versus stagnation which occurs during adulthood. The main concern in this stage is production, children, and on ideas that is passed to offspring. The virtue developed in this stage is care characterized by the desire to take care of those in need of it by sharing “one’s knowledge and experience with them” (98). Stagnation occurs when “generativity is weak” (98). The last stage is called the integrity versus despair stage during late adulthood wherein an individual develops integrity after the good deeds done. Having subsequently experienced the seven previous stages an individual perceives the “order and meaning of life” (99). Despair develops when the adult is unable to resolve and accept the ups and downs or challenges in life factored by social and historical conflicts that can possibly lead to hope for end of life. The virtue developed in this stage is wisdom developed by “encounter of integrity and despair in the last stage of life” (100). Works Cited American Psychological Association. “Developing Adolescents. A Reference for Professionals.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. 2002. Web. 26 March 2012. Australian Government Department of Health and Aging. “Ageing”. 29 March 2012. Web. 30 March 2012. Barnett, Chris et.al. “Practice Standards for School Social Workers.” Australian Association of Social Workers. August 2008. Web. 26 March 2012. Child Development Institute. “General Developmental Sequence Toddler through Preschool.” 1999-2012. Web. 26 March 2012. Clark, Alice. “It is Time for Social Workers to Claim their Place in Australia’s Health Care System.” Australian Policy Online. Australian National Institute for Public Policy and Swinburne Institute for Social Research. 2011. Web. 25 March 2012. Hall, Calvin and Gardner Lindsay. Theories of Personality. Third Edition. Canada: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1978. Print. Huitt, William G. “Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development.” Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. 2003. Web. 26 March 2012. Judd, Lewis L. “The Normal Psychological Development of the American Adolescent-A Review.” Western Journal of Medicine. December 1967. V.107(6). National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 25 March 2012. National Ageing Research Institute. “Safety Use of Medicines.” Tips on Healthy Ageing September 2011. Web. 25 March 2012. National Association of Social Workers. “Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers.” 1996. Web. 26 March 2012. U.S. National Library of Medicine. “Puberty and Adolescence.” Medline Plus. National Institutes of Health. 21 March 2012. Web. 26 March 2012. Read More