Anxiety Disorders and Stress Q 41
The nurse teaches the parents of a mentally retarded child regarding her care. The following guidelines may be taught except:
A. Overprotection of the child.
B. Patience, routine, and repetition.
C. Assisting the parents set realistic goals.
D. Giving reasonable compliments.
Correct Answer: A. Overprotection of the child
The child with mental retardation should not be overprotective but need protection from injury and the teasing of other children. Family education is an essential service provided by healthcare providers for family members of intellectually disabled patients. The first part of this is assisting the family members in understanding intellectual disability: definition, management, and prognosis. Then, healthcare providers can help the family through placement decisions, refer them to appropriate services and equipment, and provide caregiver training. Establishing strong support for the family, in turn, creates a caring home environment for the patient.
Option B: Behavioral therapy aims to encourage positive behaviors while discouraging undesirable behaviors. Providing positive reinforcement and benign punishments (e.g., time-outs) is an effective method of behavioral training. Other supplemental methods may include avoiding triggers of negative demeanor, shunning misconduct, and redirecting to prevent or curtail any troublesome behavior. Creating the least restrictive environment for students with an intellectual disability means to place them in general classrooms as much as tolerated.
Option C: In addition to preparing the family for the patient, physicians must recognize that family members also often bear a significant amount of stress as well. The medical team must support the whole family through psychosocial problems such as the need for respect, feeling helpless, depression, and anxiety. There are also outside resources to which the family can obtain a referral. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), The Arc of the United States, and Family-to-family Health Information and Education Centers are some of the nationally available resources, and social workers can help with connecting the families with local resources.
Option D: Children with mental retardation have a learning difficulty. They should be taught with patience and repetition, start from simple to complex, use visuals and compliment them for motivation. Realistic expectations should be set and optimize their capability. Cognitive therapy is another mode of behavioral training that has been effective for eligible intellectual disability patients. Cognitive therapy has its basis on a principle that one’s behavior, emotions, and cognitions are connected, and it aims to correct one’s negative behaviors by identifying and adjusting negative thoughts and emotional stress.