NORCET 7 Prelims -2024
Child Health Nursing (Pediatrics)
Easy
A nurse is counseling a family whose child has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. Which of the following is a common characteristic of Down syndrome?
Appeared in: NORCET 7 Prelims -2024
Explanation
- Down syndrome is fundamentally characterized by delays in both physical growth and cognitive development.
- Short stature is a consistent finding, with affected individuals having slower growth rates and a shorter final height compared to the general population.
- Cognitive delays, ranging from mild to moderate intellectual disability, are a hallmark of the condition, affecting learning, language, and problem-solving skills.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option B: This option is only partially correct. While reduced muscle tone (hypotonia) is a classic feature of Down syndrome, individuals typically have short limbs and fingers, not long limbs.
- Option C: This statement is the direct opposite of the cognitive profile seen in Down syndrome. The condition is defined by intellectual disability, not a high IQ.
- Option D: This is incorrect. Down syndrome is associated with a well-documented pattern of over 80 possible physical characteristics (dysmorphic features), such as a flat nasal bridge, up-slanting eyes, and a single palmar crease.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Clinical characteristics of Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
- A nurse's primary role when counseling families is to provide accurate, empathetic information and dispel common myths about Down syndrome, focusing on the child's individual potential and strengths.
- Early referral to intervention services (physical, occupational, and speech therapy) is a critical nursing action to help manage hypotonia and promote optimal developmental outcomes.
- Nurses must educate families about the need for lifelong health screening for common associated conditions, such as congenital heart defects, thyroid dysfunction, and hearing/vision problems.
How to Approach the Question
- First, identify the core concept of the question, which is the common characteristics of Down syndrome.
- Recall the classic clinical presentation of Down syndrome from your nursing knowledge. Key features include a specific facial appearance, short stature, hypotonia, and intellectual disability.
- Systematically evaluate each option against your recalled knowledge.
- Option A directly lists two hallmark features: short stature and cognitive delays. This is a strong candidate.
- Option B contains a correct feature (reduced muscle tone) but an incorrect one (long limbs), making the entire option incorrect.
- Options C and D present information that is factually opposite to the known characteristics of Down syndrome (high IQ, no abnormalities).
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Clinical characteristics of Down syndrome (Trisomy 21)
- Stem keywords: Down syndrome, common characteristic, counseling
- Lead-in keywords: Which of the following
- Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.
- Negative lead-in flag: false
Question ID
QKYFJ2Ae8OIHW_HqE-4ACn
Reference Book
E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) pp. 275-277, 331-333
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 11789-11791
Practise the full NORCET 7 Prelims -2024
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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