When planning a new children's mental health clinic, the nurse understands the importance of including a play area. Play and toys are used to assess children with suspected mental disorders because:
1. Children express themselves through play.
2. Children do not usually relate to adults.
3. Play enables the nurse to assess cognitive ability.
4. Only toys that are developmentally appropriate and specific to the child's biological age are used.
1. Children express themselves through play.
Rationale:
A mental status exam on a child consists of both a semi-structured interview and an unstructured play session with the child. Observing a child at play can also provide invaluable information about motor behavior, thought content, affect, and impulse control. There is a general belief that toys with ambiguous meaning and diverse uses foster symbolic play more effectively because they allow the child to project his or her own identity and function onto the toys. The children may or may not relate to adults, but that is not the reason for including the play area. Cognitive ability is only one of the areas of assessment, and not the overall reason for including the play area. Toys may or may not be specific to the child's biological age
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