Nursing 109

N109: Foundations in Nursing Practice Study Guide

1.4 Preschooler: 4 to 5 Years Physical Development During this period, the child will begin to grow more in height than weight and will begin to take on a slimmer, more erect appearance. By age five, the child has typically doubled her birth length and her brain has reached approximately adult size. Vision is still not fully developed and it is normal for a preschooler to be slightly farsighted. Preschoolers are able to do simple activities of daily living (brushing hair and teeth, dressing themselves, and washing hands and face) but will probably require reminders and some assistance to do these activities. Balance is improving. Common Health Problems Identified in this Stage During the preschool stage, the child is still totally dependent on the caregiver for health and safety needs, but is beginning to venture away from the primary caregiver for short periods of time. Accidents and abuse continue to be sources of health problems. Dental cavities are still an area of concern. It is during this stage when vision, hearing, and developmental tasks may be measured. Immunizationstatus must also be assessed. Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks During this period, the developmental tasks include learning sex differences and sexual modesty, refining language, and getting ready to read. Preschoolers also learn to relate to others emotionally and distinguish right from wrong. Freud’s Psychosocial Development Phallic stage: The pleasure zone switches to the genitals. Freud believed that during this stage boys develop unconscious sexual desires for theirmother. Because of this, he becomes rivals with his father and sees him as competition for his mother’s affection. During this time boys also develop a fear that their father will punish them for these feelings, such as by castrating them. The boy develops masculine characteristics and identifies himself as a male, and represses his sexual feelings toward his mother. Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Expected outcome: Initiative vs. guilt During the preschool years children are learning to master the world around them using basic skills. They begin to develop courage, independence, and judgment. At this time, parents should encourage independence and not dismiss new ideas or creativity, or children may feel guilt regarding their own needs and desires. Piaget’s Cognitive Development Intuitive thought phase: The child is now better able to think about things and events that are not immediately present. However, oriented to the present, the child has difficulty conceptualizing time. His thinking is influenced by fantasy, the way he would like things to be, and he assumes that others see situations from his viewpoint. The individual begins to think about the idea of death.

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