1. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 3 Assessing Children’s Health

2. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Health Information….. Information about a child’s health is available in many forms and from a variety of sources.

3. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Health Information….. (continued) This information can be used to: – assess and monitor a child’s health over time – identify developmental problems – formulate intervention plans – make referrals and work with service providers – evaluate a child’s progress

4. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Child Health Histories Information that families provide on health history forms can be useful for understanding the child’s: –Current developmental progress –Special health conditions or needs –Daily habits and preferences, such as eating and sleeping patterns and words used to express personal needs –Concept of family

5. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Medical and Dental Records A complete physical form and immunization record are required for admission to early childhood and public school programs in most states. Height, weight and BMI measurements provide reliable information about a child’s growth and well-being.

6. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Evaluation of the Sensory System Young children learn primarily through their sensory organs – eyes, ears, nose, hands, mouth. Teachers see children functioning in a variety of situations and can observe behaviors that may indicate a sensory problem.

7. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Vision What behaviors suggest that an infant or toddler may be experiencing a potential vision problem? (See Table 3-2) What behaviors might be observed in an older child? (See Table 3-3) What evaluation procedures can be used to determine if a referral is necessary?

8. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Common Vision Disorders Amblyopia – a distortion and gradual loss of vision due to a muscle imbalance. Strabismus – a condition in which the pupils appear crossed or not aligned equally. Myopia – nearsightedness; child may appear clumsy and ‘accident-prone’

9. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Hearing What behaviors might indicate a potential hearing problem in an infant or toddler? (See Table 3-6) What behaviors might be observed in an older child? (Table 3-5) What formal testing may be used to confirm or rule out a hearing disorder?

10. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Common Hearing Disorders Conductive loss – interferes with the ability to hear and distinguish quiet sounds. Sensorineural and mixed hearing loss – interfere with the child’s ability to hear and/or interpret sound.

11. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Hearing Disorders….. What modifications and instructional methods can teachers implement in the classroom to help children who have a hearing impairment?

12. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Speech and Language Developmental milestones provide a functional measure for evaluating a child’s speech and language progress. A hearing test should be a first step in assessing a child who may have a speech impairment or delay. Referral for professional evaluation should be made if there are any concerns.

13. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Nutritional Assessment BMI, appearance and behavior provide initial indicators of nutritional health. Additional assessment tools include dietary/nutrient analysis, measurements compared to norms (e.g. BMI, head circumference), and laboratory tests.

14. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Common Nutrition Disorders Malnutrition – lack of sufficient food or essential nutrients. May be caused by limited access to food or unhealthy food choices. Obesity – commonly due to a combination of excess food and calorie intake and sedentary lifestyle.

15. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Childhood Obesity In what ways does obesity challenge children’s health? What can be done to avoid obesity and improve children’s weight management?

16. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Referrals….. Identifying children’s health impairments requires a comprehensive evaluation. The evaluation process must take the child’s family and home environment into consideration. Teachers should refer families to appropriate health professionals and support their efforts to follow through.