Expectation of Development in Early Adolescence Amy Whalen Carrington College, Reno

Expectation of Development in Early Adolescence

Bone fractures are a common occurrence during the childhood years. Children are vulnerable to injury because of the daily activities they perform, the risks they take, and the rate of growth. This can impact the growth and development both physiologically and psychologically for the child. Adolescents can view this type of injury as an impact on their social development and can see their recovery as a slow process that is robbing them of their time with their peers. Although it is crucial to focus on the healing process physiologically for an adolescent, it is also important to ensure the teen is developing appropriately through the psychological stages of life. The developmental stages introduced by Erikson, Freud, Piaget, and Kohlberg help to determine a child’s path into adulthood. This patient is a fourteen year old male that lives at home with his parents and is a freshman in high school. The patient appears to be well nourished, his stated age, and aware of his surroundings. When the patient was playing soccer when he was involved in a collision with his opponent. He was struck in the right leg and fell to the ground with severe pain. The patient was transported to the emergency department by his coach for apparent trauma to the right leg. After being evaluated by the emergency room physician, the patient was diagnosed with a right open comminuted tibia fibula fracture. The emergency room physician ordered a consult with orthopedics and the patient was then admitted to the hospital to start antibiotics and pain management prior to surgery. The patient was scheduled to have open reduction internal fixation the next morning.
The patient appears to be his stated age, his weight is 49.896 kg and he is 5’4” in stature.