Nurse's Pocket Guide

delayed GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
occupational/physical/speech therapy, service coordination,
social work, and assistive technologies.
• Monitor growth and development factors periodically. Aids
in evaluating effectiveness of interventions over time and
promotes early identification of need for additional actions.
NURSING PRIORITY NO. 4.To assist client (and/or caregivers) to
prevent, minimize, or overcome delay/regressed development:
• Provide anticipatory guidance for parents/caregivers regarding
expectations for client’s development to clarify misconceptions
and assist them in dealing with reality of situation.
• Consult appropriate professional resources (e.g., occupational/rehabilitation/speech
therapists, special-education
teacher, job counselor) to address specific individual needs.
• Encourage recognition that deviation/behavior is appropriate
for a specific age level (e.g., 14-year-old is functioning at level
of 6-year-old or 16-year-old is not displaying pubertal
changes). Promotes acceptance of client, as presented, and
helps shape expectations reflecting actual situation.
• Avoid blame when discussing contributing factors.
• Maintain positive, hopeful attitude. Support self-actualizing
nature of the individual and attempts to maintain or return to
optimal level of self-control or self-care activities.
• Refer family/client for counseling/psychotherapy to deal with
issues of abuse/neglect.
• Encourage setting of short-term, realistic goals for achieving
developmental potential.
• Involve client in opportunities to practice new behaviors (e.g.,
role play, group activities). Strengthens learning process.
• Identify equipment needs (e.g., adaptive/growth-stimulating
computer programs, communication devices).
• Evaluate progress on continual basis to increase complexity
of tasks/goals, as indicated.
• Provide positive feedback for efforts/successes and adaptation
while minimizing failures. Encourages continuation of
efforts, thus improving outcome.
• Assist client/caregivers to accept and adjust to irreversible
developmental deviations (e.g., Down syndrome).
• Provide support for caregiver during transitional crises (e.g.,
residential schooling, institutionalization).
NURSING PRIORITY NO. 5. To promote wellness (Teaching/
Discharge Considerations):
• Provide information regarding normal growth and development
process, as appropriate. Suggest genetic counseling for
family/client dependent on causative factors.
Information in brackets added by the authors to clarify and enhance
the use of nursing diagnoses.
364 Cultural Collaborative Community/Home Care