NSG 6435 wk 2 discussion 3

Why is developmental assessment essential in the provision of primary care for infants, children, and adolescents, and what are the essential components of this assessment on the basis of a child’s age? Developmental assessment is essential for children throughout different phases due to the rate at which changes happen. Patterns of normal developments for each age group is variable and will be different for each child. The best way to measure is to monitor the child’s height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) on a growth chart (Burns, et al., 2017). In addition, the CDC recommends providers monitor the child’s development at each visit, use validated tools to periodically screen children to identify areas of concern and the need for further examination or evaluation, and using more comprehensive evaluation if risks are identified. Components of the developmental assessment consists of monitoring and screening. Monitoring is done on every child and checks for children that may be at risk for developmental delays. The provider should monitor by not only observing the child but also by asking parents about their concerns, obtaining a developmental history, identifying risk and protective factors, and thorough documentation of the findings (“Screening for Professionals”, 2019). Screenings are more in-depth and should be done on all children no matter if concerns are present. Screening is used to identify developmental risks that were not identified during the monitoring process (“Screening for Professionals”, 2019). •Which tools will you use to assess specific components of development (such as speech, motor skills, social skills, etc.)? Which tools do you think are the most accurate in assessing the developmental components and why? Screening tools used will depend on the child’s age and developmental capacity. The American Academy of Pediatrics has a site for providers to use that will help with specific tool that are needed based on category, language, cost, topics covered and the number of items. The “Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3)” covers