A child is admitted to the hospital with asthma. Which assessment findings support this diagnosis?

A. Parents are shocked when their child is diagnosed with a malignant bone tumor. The orthopedic surgeon discusses the options of limb amputation and a limb-salvage procedure. The parents are asked to consider each option.

This situation involves a difficult medical decision, but it does not describe a conflict or ethical dilemma that necessitates immediate involvement of the ethics committee. The parents are being informed about treatment options, and their input is sought in making a decision for their child's care.

B. The physician recommends that a young child be taken off the ventilator. The parents, who are divorced and have joint custody of the child, have differing views about whether to discontinue the ventilator.

This scenario presents a clear ethical dilemma involving the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. The differing views of the divorced parents with joint custody may require the involvement of the hospital ethics committee to provide guidance and facilitate resolution.

C. A child in end-stage renal failure is placed on the renal transplant list. The parents are asked to sign permission for surgery after a cadaver kidney is located. One parent is out of town and gives telephone consent.

While organ transplantation involves ethical considerations, the described situation does not present an immediate conflict or dilemma that requires the ethics committee's urgent involvement. The scenario seems to involve a common process of obtaining consent for surgery.

D. After initial therapies have failed, a child with leukemia is evaluated for a new cancer protocol. The child, age 8 years, gives assent for the new treatment, and his parents give their consent.

This scenario involves a child participating in the decision-making process through assent, and the parents providing consent. While significant, it does not describe a conflict or ethical dilemma that requires immediate ethics committee involvement. The situation seems to involve standard procedures for obtaining informed assent and consent for medical treatment.

A. Magical thinking

Magical thinking is a cognitive characteristic commonly observed in preschool-aged children. It involves believing that one's thoughts, wishes, or actions can influence events, even when there is no logical or causal connection. For example, a preschooler might believe that simply thinking about a toy can make it appear.

B. Thoughts are all-powerful

The belief that thoughts have omnipotent power is often seen in the preoperational stage of cognitive development, which occurs in early childhood. Children in this stage may think that their thoughts alone can cause significant changes or events.

C. Ability to conserve

Conservation is a cognitive skill associated with the concrete operational stage of development, typically occurring around 7 to 11 years of age. Children at this stage understand that certain properties of objects remain the same despite changes in appearance. For example, they recognize that the amount of liquid stays the same when poured into a differently shaped container.

D. Animism

Animism is a concept observed in the preoperational stage, where children attribute life-like qualities to inanimate objects. For instance, a child might believe that a stuffed animal has feelings or thoughts.