Child and Family Nursing - Case Study Example

Child and Family Nursing Questions Word Count: 1980. Customer Inserts His/her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name 02, 08, 2010 Introduction The assignment is a case scenario of the social issues experienced in a family, the major issue facing the Patrick family is that of child care. The Patrick’s family is made up of two children, Scott and Hayley who are 10 and 8 yrs old respectively. The family’s primary guardian is the mother of the two children, Karen who is married to Bruce and together they take care of the family. Hayley was diagnosed with Autism when she was young and taking care of her has been challenging for the family. Taking care of autistic children requires a lot of attention yet Hayley’s mom works many hours at her job and rarely finds enough time for Hayley. According to Simpson (2005), Hayley condition makes her not to interact with other kids in school and taking care of her and Scott is difficult for Karen. Health and Social Issues The Patrick’s family faces a lot of issues such as child care, finances and marital issues. Karen, Hayley’s mother of was once divorced and is now married to a younger man, Bruce; he wants Karen to consider having a child of theirs but Karen is not willing to do so due to the fear of giving birth to another child with autism. Childcare problems faced by the Patrick’s is mainly caused by the care that should be given to Hayley, this issue has become the major concern for Karen and Bruce. Autism is a condition which affects a small number of people and it is normally diagnosed at the young ages of less than 4yrs old. According to Chez (2008), autistic children suffer from social development and they rarely interact with other people easily while forming an attachment to their main caregivers; thus in the case of Hayley she is incredibly attached to her mother. Hayley’s condition is affecting Karen in that she is normally tired from taking care of Hayley and it affects her working hours causing stress and worry for her. As a result, Karen is not ready to give birth to another child on request from Bruce. Bruce although being attached to Scott, his attempts to improve relations with Hayley have been unsuccessful; while his wish for a child has not been honored causing strain to their marriage with Karen (Le Blanc, 2007). Autistic children require special care in order for them to develop socially and this has to be given in special schools which is costly for the Patrick’s family. Autism in children affects their communication in that they take time in responding and initiating conversations (Zager, 2005). Hayley’s development into adolescence will be affected by the lack of friends since due to the difficulty in making and keeping friends. Autistic children usually face independence problems later in life and all the attention focused on Hayley will make Karen pay less attention to Scott; this isolation may make Scott suffer social issues as an adolescent leading to problems in the family. Family Strengths The Patrick’s family acquires strength from the love and understanding amongst each family member that makes their bond stronger. These strengths coupled with commitment have proved to be strength pillars which assist the Patrick’s family to overcome their problems. Hayley’s condition requires love and sacrifice in taking care of situation; in this case her mother and Bruce have shown willingness to care for her. Autism requires attention in the monitoring of the child’s behavior in order to help that person overcome their problems. Children with autism usually display symptoms of aggression and anxiety and thus a lot of understanding is required (Volkmar, 2007). This strength is displayed by the Patrick’s family especially by Karen; therefore Hayley does not feel out, helping them cope well with life. Due to the attention required for autistic children, Hayley requires a lot of attention for care givers to understand her needs, in this case the school she attends has a nurse who could help Hayley adopt with her school work. Love is another strength which helps the Patrick’s family cope with Hayley’s situation, the love Karen has for Hayley makes her take time off to go and provide care for her. The love Bruce has for Karen’s kids makes him understand and cope with Hayley’s situation. According to Brill (2007), love is very important for children with autism since these children choose friendship based on quality rather than quantity. The Patrick’s family has hope which is a good strength reserve to draw from; this factor helps them to cope with stress and worries about Hayley’s situation. Hope is categorized as strength in that Bruce, who is Karen’s spouse, hopes that they could have another child which is a danger sign since that child could suffer from autism. Management Strategies The management of Autism requires several strategies given that it’s a condition which is not curable but it can be managed and children who suffer from this condition could improve as they grow up. Out if the several management methods, the most important strategy is teaching the child to be independent (Tuchman, 2006). This strategy can be conducted through the self management technique; which teaches the autistic child to improve his/her social behavior by counting the number of times when the child conducts proper behavior and when the child behaves in a proper manner, he/she is rewarded. Another management strategy is to teach caregivers on how to handle and understand autistic children, this strategy is important in that it helps the caregivers by equipping them with skills needed to cope with and handle autistic children. For instance care givers might be taught on how to respond to signs and communication methods used by autistic children and in so doing they are ready to respond to their needs. More important techniques used in caring for autistic children include use of structured teaching; this technique involves the organization of physical environment, planning of routines with flexibility, use of visual systems and arrangement of activities to be undertaken. These techniques when undertaken ensure that the autistic child feels comfortable and he/she is able to embark on life and daily routines easily (Strock, 2007). Another important management technique that can be employed in this case includes the use of speech and language therapy. Speech and language therapy helps an autistic child to develop good communication skills. This technique must be done using various methods such as use of pictures, sign language to augment on audio communication. Studies have shown that this technique helps in the improvement of a child’s social development (Lawson, 2010). An additional autism management technique that can be deployed is the use of social skill group development; this technique is used in the development of social well-being of a child through interaction in groups. These social groups can be made up of families of other autistic children or normal children who can go out and initiate social activities. Some of the activities undertaken here include games, plays, stories and other social activities in the normal life of a child. According to Gabriels (2007), the aim of this technique is to make autistic children respond to social advances of other children and adults, and help in initiating social behavior which will facilitate in their social development. The above stated techniques and approaches can be availed to children suffering from autism and help in their social development. Consequently in Hayley’s case I would recommend that Karen uses the technique of social interaction through social groups. She could conduct this activity with the help of Tom and his family due to the fact that Hayley shares a bond with his biological father. Karen should also involve Scott and Bruce in this activity, so that they don’t feel like they are left out and together they could assist Hayley in her development. Another recommendation that I could make to Karen as the primary caregiver is, she adopts the technique of structured teaching. Whereby she could organize her home in order to appeal to Hayley and plan routines and activities which help Hayley fit into the normal schedule like other children. With use of this plan Hayley could be less anxious and reduce tantrums at home. The last recommendation that I would give the Patrick’s family is to initiate a speech and language therapy for Hayley; this would help her with her communication problems. As a result boost her in initiating conversations rather than repeating words of other people (Siegel, 2003). Although the implementation of some of these techniques are challenging, they are essential in the caring for autistic children, since they have been proven in aiding children in their social development into adulthood. Caring for autistic children can lead to stress in the family thus as a recommendation, the Patrick’s family should take time off regularly away from Hayley in order to relax and they should also seek help from close friends and family when they are overburdened with care giving. Application of Family Strengths The Patrick’s family could be encouraged by the nurse to use their strengths to overcome stress and help in the management of Hayley’s condition. The nurse could advise the Patrick’s to use the love they have for each other in support of their activities they undertake, for instance they could organize social interaction groups with Hayley and other families for her to get used to other people and assist her in developing her social skills. On the strength of understanding that the Patrick’s family have, the advice that would be appropriate to them is to use it in conducting speech and language therapy for Hayley (Notbohm, 2005). This would help Hayley in her communication skills and she would be able to communicate her needs, which is necessary for her during her development to adulthood. Other strengths that the Patrick’s could be advised to utilize in the care giving for Hayley is love which is an important factor. With love, the Patrick’s family could be more patient and understanding of Hayley’s situation and they could tolerate her tantrums; if they are directed to Scott or any other person. The love Bruce has for Karen helps in him being more sympathetic to her thus this involves him in the care giving for Hayley and as a result it helps Karen cope with stress. The nurse at school as noticed that Hayley’s mother is committed to Hayley getting better and how to take care of her needs. This commitment is a strength which she could advise Karen to connect with other parents who have children suffering from autism; in order to draw and share experiences from each other which could help them in caring for their children (Cohen, 2006). Finally the school nurse could advise the Patrick’s family to take time off and share experiences with other people of Hayley’s situation; this could help in relieving stress associated with care giving for Hayley. Karen should also take time to give attention to Scott so she could be part of his life. Conclusion In summary, the case of Hayley is not quite unique in the society today. This is because of the increased cases of autism that affects the neural development of a child and depriving him/her of social development. Autism which is manageable is problem affecting most families, thus a lot of effort, love and patience should be cultivated towards children suffering from autism. Autism and care giving go hand in hand since this condition affects only the social development of children and adults. Autism does not affect the physical well being of an individual thus society must be enlightened to understand and accommodate autistic individuals in order to help them develop socially. Finally psychiatrists and professional should come up with guides on how handle and care giving for autistic children, as well as detection of autism for care givers to be prepared to handle the situation early. Read More