Assessing And Treating Children And Adolescents versus Adults

Infant, childhood, and adolescent development are a continual interplay between nature (genetic or biologic predisposition) and nurture (environmental experiences). The nature/nurture continuum and debate will always be a part of your career as a PMHNP.  Knowing common developmental milestone is important in the role as a child provider. Not only is it essential to the diagnostic process, but it is also important to the interdisciplinary interactions with other mental health professionals.

ORDER  HERE A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

The study of normal developmental processes, however, is only one tool that allows the mental health professional to understand the child being evaluated. There are many different assessment instruments and interviewing techniques that PMHNPs can have in their toolkit when working with children and adolescents Assessing And Treating Children And Adolescents versus Adults.

In this Discussion, you examine the differences in assessing and treating children and adolescents versus adults. You take into consideration your own clinical experiences, as well as your experiences in your clinical rotation, and the information from the readings thus far Assessing And Treating Children And Adolescents versus Adults.

Post your answers to the following:

• Explain why a developmental assessment of children and adolescents is important.
• Describe two assessment instruments and explain why they are used for children and adolescents but not adults.
• Describe two treatment options for children and adolescents that may not be used when treating adults.
• Explain the role parents play in assessment

A development assessment of children and adolescents is important because it establishes the quality and quantity of the development status of the child. Ford et al (2017) argue that neurodevelopmental disorders impair an individual’s social and academic functioning and timely identification and intervention improves health and behavioral l of adolescents and children with development deficiencies. Additionally, timely identification of developmental impairments enhances partnerships between healthcare providers and patients and assists in the creation of a care environment that safeguards and promotes the well-being of individuals with developmental impairments (Ford et al, 2017) Assessing And Treating Children And Adolescents versus Adults.

ORDER  HERE A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

Two assessment instruments used for adolescents and children

Wechsler intelligence scale for children and the Wisconsin card sorting test are developmental assessment instruments for children and adolescents. According to Oh (2016), Wechsler intelligence scales are used in intellectual assessment to identify cognitive weaknesses and strengths of individuals with developmental impairments. The Wisconsin card sorting test gauges cognitive flexibility along with set shifting. Executive dysfunction and attention problem are the most cognitive deficits among people with neurodevelopmental disorders. These instruments cannot be used in adults because intelligence measures are among the most sensitive predictors of cerebral compromise in childhood and may not be detected in adulthood since the brain is fully developed (Oh, 2016) Assessing And Treating Children And Adolescents versus Adults.

Two treatment options for children and adolescents

Applied behavioral analysis and social skills interventions are treatment options that can be used to treat children and adolescents with developmental disorders but may not be used in adults. DeFilippis and Wagner (2016) argue that applied behavioral analysis is based upon theories of operant conditioning and learning and entails precise interventions targets, together with positive reinforcement. It may result to notable outcomes, entailing attainment of considerable IQ points. Sadock et al (2014)  claim that principles of learning are greatly used in etiology and management of psychiatric disorders since human behavior entailing, emotion,  thought patterns and overt behavior is attained by learning.  Social skills interventions aim at regulating emotions,   nonverbal and verbal communication skills and improving social interactions Assessing And Treating Children And Adolescents versus Adults.

Role of parents in assessment

Parents play a crucial role in assessment by giving thoughts and observations on their children development. Parent interviews and child testing are necessary and complementary elements of diagnostic assessment. Together with psychometric instruments, a comprehensive evaluation also needs an interview with parents on the development history of the child. The outcomes of the evaluations are offered in a written document and a psychologist discusses any needs that have been identified and recommend interventions (Manolova, 2017) Assessing And Treating Children And Adolescents versus Adults.

References

DeFilippis, M., & Wagner, K. (2016). Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Adolescents. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 46(2): 18-41.

Ford, S., Choi, H., Brunssen, S., & Riper, M. (2017). Delays and Disabilities: NP Screening and Care Management. Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(2): e67-e73.

Manolova, H. (2017). Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Importance of Early Assessment and Early Interventions. Journal of Intellectual Disability – Diagnosis and Treatments, 5(4): 102-112.

Oh, M. (2016). Psychological Assessment in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Hanyang Medical Reviews, 36(1): 72-77.

Sadock, J., Sadock, A., & Ruiz, P. (2014). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry: Behavioral sciences/clinical psychiatry (11^th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Assessing And Treating Children And Adolescents versus Adults