Physical development assessment is a procedure that is vital in children between 5-12. This is because it evaluates the physical growth in these children in order to ascertain if they are growing as expected. It helps evaluate a child’s ability to perform certain tasks at different stages ( National Research Council, 2008). A physical development assessment would be beneficial in identifying any problems a child is having and rectify them. A standard questionnaire and observation are two techniques that can be used in order to perform a physical assessment. Children at different stages need to be treated differently. For instance, a 5-year-old may not be able to answer certain questions and there may be need to ask the parents for more information ( University of Texas, N.d).. Also, how one converses with a child would be different, they would have to simplify the questions and most likely read them out for the child. Younger children are not likely to mind being bare-chested if there is need to examine body parts. Meanwhile, girls who are closer to puberty, 9-12 years old, may be a bit more apprehensive about taking off clothing. Also, these children can be asked questions directly and can give more information. Additionally, they will be able to write the answers to the questions on their own.
An 11-year-old girl undergoes many stages in development. According to Huberman (2016), these stages affect physical, cognitive, social and sexual development. Physically, the girl will gain some weight, have muscle growth and genital maturation. In girl’s certain body proportions change, these include; hip growth and signs of breast growth. Due to the development of hormones, in this case estrogen/progesterone, this can result in an oily face and pimples. At the age of 11 a girl starts to become more independent, develops skills that assist with decision making. Also, they take on more responsibilities like babysitting, more chores and small jobs in the home. There is also a development in the understanding of certain issues, for instance war, poverty and other issues. Additionally, they start to consider future career aspirations and are less play centered but more interested in academics. Socially, a girl this age starts to be more conscious of her appearance and tries to belong to certain groups they connect with. Relationships with friends, peers and crushes becomes more important that family relationships. There is also a development of mood swings, insecurities and romantic feelings.
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According to McLeod (2018), the child I chose above is in the 4 th stage, this is called industry vs. inferiority. This is s stage when a child learns how to read and write and to sum things up. I would assess the child by giving them small exercises which would help me assess whether or not she is able to read and write according to the expectation at this stage. Also, this is stage when a child is greatly influenced by their peers and seeks to win approval by doing certain things and feels a sense of pride upon accomplishing these tasks. Additionally, children at this age require a lot of encouragement and need to feel that their initiatives are considered. With this information, I would make sure the child knows they will receive a reward for the exercises they complete and I would make them understand the importance of this assessment. Throughout each exercise I would encourage them to do their best and let them know that I believe they can do the task, but if at all they falter, they must know it does not make them different from anyone else. These findings will help me ascertain if the child has the ability to perform the tasks expected at this stage and if not, ways can be found to help the child improve.
References
Huberman, B. (2016). Growth and Development, Ages Nine to 12 – What Parents Need to Know. https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/resources/health-information/parents-15/
McLeod, S. A. (2018, May). Erik erikson's stages of psychosocial development. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html
National Research Council. (2008). Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, and How. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12446 .
University of Texas. (N.d). Health Assessment of the School-Age Child (5-12 Years). https://www.utmb.edu/Pedi_Ed/CoreV2/WellChild/WellChild10.html
