Development
Expected milestones by age, used by the LPN to judge whether a client’s behaviour is age-appropriate.
Development follows a predictable order, and the LPN uses it as a yardstick: is this client behaving the way someone their age usually behaves? A behaviour that looks worrying out of context is often perfectly normal for the stage, and a behaviour that looks harmless may be a real delay.
On the NCLEX-PN the practical use is choosing care that fits the age. A toddler in Erikson’s autonomy stage does better with two acceptable choices than with an open question. A preschooler thinks in magical terms and may believe illness is punishment, so explanations stay short and concrete. A school-age child wants to master things and will cooperate if allowed to help. An adolescent’s priority is identity and peers, so privacy and being included in decisions matter more than the parent’s preference. An older adult reviewing their life may want to talk about it, and listening is the intervention. Report a milestone the client has clearly not reached to the RN rather than reassuring the family yourself.
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