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Difficulty: HardDevelopmental Stages and Transitions

A practical nurse at an outpatient pediatric clinic is reviewing a developmental questionnaire completed by the caregivers of an 8-year-old client. Which of the following reported behaviors should the nurse recognize as expected developmental transitions for this age group? (Select all that apply)

  1. Organizing a large collection of trading cards into specific, detailed categories.Answer
  2. Understanding that pouring water from a short, wide cup into a tall, narrow glass does not increase the volume.Answer
  3. C
    Evaluating moral dilemmas based on abstract ethical principles and internal values rather than external rules.
  4. D
    Believing that personal angry thoughts directly caused a younger sibling to become ill.
  5. Demonstrating a strong preference for forming friendships and playing in same-sex peer groups.Answer

Answer

The expected developmental transitions for an 8-year-old include organizing items into specific categories, understanding the conservation of volume, and demonstrating a strong preference for same-sex peer groups.
School-age children (typically ages 6 to 12) are in Piaget's stage of concrete operations and Erikson's stage of industry versus inferiority. Expected developmental milestones for this age include the ability to classify and sort objects (such as organizing trading cards), understanding the concept of conservation (recognizing that volume or mass remains constant despite changes in shape or container), and preferring to socialize almost exclusively in same-sex peer groups or clubs.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the client's developmental stage based on chronological age.
The client is 8 years old, which places them in the school-age developmental stage (typically ages 6 to 12).
Accurate age identification is required to correlate the child with Piaget's concrete operational stage and Erikson's industry versus inferiority stage.
2
Evaluate each reported behavior against the expected cognitive and psychosocial milestones for a school-age child.
Classification (organizing cards), conservation (understanding volume remains constant), and same-sex peer groups are recognized as normal for an 8-year-old.
School-age children transition from preoperational to concrete operational thought, gaining logical problem-solving skills, and shift their social focus to peers of the same sex.
3
Eliminate behaviors that correspond to earlier or later developmental stages.
Magical thinking is eliminated as a preschool trait, and abstract moral reasoning is eliminated as an adolescent trait.
Differentiating between adjacent developmental stages ensures the identification of findings that would require further assessment versus normal transitions.

Key Concept

School-Age Developmental Milestones (Concrete Operations and Industry vs. Inferiority)
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Topics

Developmental Stages and Transitions

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