IGNOU Post B. SC. Nursing entrance -2021
Child Health Nursing (Pediatrics)
Easy
A child can walk with a steady gait at the age of?
Appeared in: IGNOU Post B. SC. Nursing entrance -2021
Explanation
- At three years of age, a child's gait typically matures into a steady, heel-to-toe pattern that resembles an adult's walk.
- This milestone is characterized by a narrower base of support and the development of a reciprocal arm swing, indicating improved balance and coordination.
- Prior to this age, a child's gait is known as a 'toddler gait,' which is characteristically wide-based and unsteady.
- The ability to ride a tricycle, which also emerges around age three, further demonstrates this newfound stability and coordination.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option A: At one year, a child is just beginning to walk independently. The gait is characteristically wide-based, wobbly, and unsteady, known as 'toddling'.
- Option B: By two years, a child can run and navigate stairs (placing both feet on one step), but the gait still lacks the full coordination and stability of a mature walk.
- Option D: At four years, a child's motor skills are more advanced; they can typically hop on one foot and descend stairs with alternating feet. A steady gait is already well-established by this age.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Gross motor development milestones in early childhood, specifically the age for achieving a steady gait as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Assessing motor milestones is a fundamental part of pediatric nursing used to screen for developmental delays.
- A significant delay in achieving a steady gait (e.g., still very unsteady after age 3) can be a red flag for underlying neurological or musculoskeletal conditions, warranting a referral for further evaluation.
- What if? If a 3-year-old child who was walking steadily suddenly develops an unsteady gait, the nurse should assess for acute issues such as an injury, an ear infection (otitis media) affecting balance, or a new neurological problem.
How to Approach the Question
- First, identify the key concept in the question: 'steady gait'.
- Differentiate 'steady gait' from simply 'beginning to walk'. A steady gait implies maturity, balance, and coordination, not just taking the first steps.
- Recall the typical timeline of gross motor development in early childhood.
- Consider the characteristics of a child's gait at each age option: 1 year (toddling), 2 years (running but still refining), 3 years (steady and coordinated), and 4 years (advanced skills like hopping).
- Select the age that corresponds to the development of a mature, coordinated, and stable walking pattern.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Gross motor development milestones in early childhood, specifically the age for achieving a steady gait.
- Stem keywords: child, walk, steady gait, age
- Lead-in keywords: BEST, MOST RELEVANT CLUE
- Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.
- Negative lead-in flag: false
Question ID
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Reference Book
E6 Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics(2024) — Volume 1 p. 207-209
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 11323-11325
E6 Ghai Essential Pediatrics(pp 26-904 of 913) p. 25-27
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