Assessing Children's Health

1. Chapter 3
Assessing Children’s Health
Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be
scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

2. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Health Information….. (1 of 2)
• Information about a child’s health is available in many forms and from a
variety of sources.

3. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Health Information….. (2 of 2)
• It 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. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Child Health Histories
• Information provided by families 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. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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.
• Dental exams are encouraged but typically not required
• Height, weight and BMI measurements provide reliable information about a
child’s growth and well-being.

6. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Sensory System Assessment
• Young children learn primarily through their sensory organs – eyes, ears,
nose, hands, and mouth.
• Teachers see children functioning in a variety of situations. They may
observe behaviors that indicate a sensory problem that requires follow-up.

7. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Vision
• What behaviors might suggest that an infant or toddler may be experiencing
a potential vision problem? (See Teacher Checklist 3-1)
• What behaviors might indicate that an older child may have impaired vision?
(See Teacher Checklist 3-2)
• What evaluation procedures can be used to determine if a referral is
necessary?

8. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Hearing
• What behaviors might indicate a potential hearing problem in an infant or
toddler? (See Teacher Checklist 3-4)
• What behaviors might be observed in an older child? (See Teacher Checklist 3-3)
• What formal testing procedures are used to confirm or rule out a hearing
disorder?

10. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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 to interpret sound.

11. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Hearing Disorders…..
What modifications and instructional methods can teachers implement to help
children who have a hearing impairment?

12. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Nutritional Assessment
• BMI, appearance and behavior provide initial indicators of a child’s nutritional
well-being.
• Additional assessment tools include dietary/nutrient analysis, measurements
compared to norms (e.g. BMI, head circumference), and laboratory tests.

14. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Common Nutrition Disorders
• Malnutrition – a 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 inactive lifestyle.

15. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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. Marotz, Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 10th Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Referrals…..
• A comprehensive evaluation may be needed to identify a child’s health
problem.
• 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 with recommendations.