Health Promotion and Maintenance
88. A nurse visits the home of a young child to administer the Denver II developmental assessment. The child is unable to perform several required items, and the parent expresses concern regarding the child's performance. What is the best way for the nurse to respond to the parent's concerns?
. Reassure the parent that the Denver II is not a measure of the child's IQ.
. Offer the parent some skill-building activities and explain that the child will be reassessed in 2 weeks.
. Advise the parent that the child's primary physician will be notified and will make any necessary referrals.
. Tell the parent that it is not unusual for children to fail the Denver II.
Test-Taking Tip
When parents express concern regarding their child's health or development, the nurse should discuss the next step in plan of care, while also providing the parents with tools they can use now.
Content Area: Child Health, Growth and Development; Integrated Process: Nursing Process, Implementation; Cognitive Level: Application; Client Need/Subneed: Health Promotion and Maintenance/Developmental Stages and Transitions
Health Promotion and Maintenance
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Answer 1 is incorrect because, although the Denver II is not an IQ test, it does provide information regarding the child's developmental level in the areas of language, personal-social, fine motor-adaptive, and gross motor. Answer 2 is correct because a "suspect" Denver II should be repeated in 1 to 2 weeks to rule out factors such as fatigue or illness that may influence the child's performance. The parent is also provided some skill-building activities to enjoy with the child to encourage development. Answer 3 is incorrect because the nurse should not refer the child to the physician until a second Denver II is suspect. In addition, the nurse is able to make necessary referrals to developmental specialists without first notifying the physician. Answer 4 is incorrect because this is not accurate and provides false hope in the event the child does have developmental delay.