Comparison of Physical Assessment Among School-Aged Children from 5 to 12 years

Running head: NURSING
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Comparison of Physical Assessment Among School-Aged Children from 5 to 12 years
The parameters of physical assessment of the children between the age group of 5 to 8
years deals with assessment of the weight of the child with respect to height and a detailed
assessment of the general appearance of the child like eyes, head, nose ears, mouth and teeth.
The major physical assessment apart from the assessing the physical appearance include
examining the heart rate, respiratory rate (RR), blood pressure (BP), pulse rate, basal
metabolic index (BMI), pulse rate (PR) and measuring of the body temperature (temp) (Ling
et al., 2014). Children between the age group of 9 10 12 years are also accessed on the scale
of their height (gender based), weight (body mass index), BP, RR, OR and body temperature
along with the assessment of the basal metabolic rate. Additional physical assessment
includes study of the muscle mass or muscle development, assessment of the genital
maturation (growth of the genital organs is faster among the adolescence or pre-pubertal girls
and in case of pre-pubertal boys it lasts longer ending up attaining a taller height). Further
physical assessment will include proper examination of the tenderness of skin, proper
development of joints and finding other signs of pre-pubertal development (Ling et al., 2014).
The technique of the physical assessment for the children between the age group of 5
to 8 years must be conducted under the presence of their parents. Presence of parents gives
children mental assurance of being safe and secured. In some cases, children refuse to
cooperate or becomes agitated or tensed, hampering the assessment procedure. It order to
manage this condition, the health professionals takes interventions like distracting the
children or tempting them gifts like chocolates, toys or telling them fancy stories (Cvejić,
Pejović & Ostojić, 2013). It is recommended to conduct the physical assessment of girls (9 to
12 years) in front of their mother and in case of boys (9 to 12 years), in front of their father.
This is because at during 9 to 12 years is the pre-pubertal stage and privacy and

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confidentiality is required to be maintained. In order to gain adolescence co-operation and
consent, it is the duty of the healthcare professionals to educate them about the importance of
the physical assessment (Cvejić, Pejović & Ostojić, 2013).
Typical Assessment for a Child of a Specific Age
Child selected: Boy, age: 5 years
The first and fore-most milestone in the developmental history of a 5-year boy is
physical development. According to van der Fels et al. (2015), a process of developing gross
and fine motor skills defines physical development. Gross motor skills are characterized by
the development of ability to walk, run, jog, jump and hop. Fine motor skills include proper
development of the joint of the wrist muscles, ability to the child to tie the lace of the shoes or
zipping up the shirt buttons. Other important aspects of the physical development of a boy of
5 years of age include proper handling and use of forks and knives with proper co-ordination.
Emotional development also occurs alongside the physical development during 5 years of
age. Emotional development is characterized by development of sense of anger, empathy,
sense of fear, anxiety and other tantrum. Social development occurs at this stage of life like
formation of new relationships or making new friends (van der Fels et al., 2015).
Developmental Assessment of a Child Using a Developmental Theory
Erikson’s Theory of Psychological Developmental focuses on socio-cultural
development. It consists of 8 different stages characterized by the stages of psycho-social
crisis. Erickson stage of psychological development during 5 to 12 years of age is defined by
industry and inferiority. This highlights that children underwent maturity with their level of
self-awareness along with logical understanding. Logical understanding increases knowledge
about the scientific facts, logical reasoning and general knowledge taught in school. The