Editing Pediatric Nursing (section)

=== Theoretical frameworks ===

{| class="wikitable"
! Age band !! Erikson (psychosocial) !! Piaget (cognitive) !! Predominant play
|-
| Infant || Trust vs. mistrust || Sensorimotor || Solitary
|-
| Toddler || Autonomy vs. shame and doubt || Sensorimotor into preoperational || Parallel
|-
| Preschooler || Initiative vs. guilt || Preoperational || Associative
|-
| School-age || Industry vs. inferiority || Concrete operational || Cooperative
|-
| Adolescent || Identity vs. role confusion || Formal operational || Peer group activity
|}

'''Application note.''' Nursing interventions map directly onto these stages. For a hospitalized toddler, support '''autonomy''' by offering limited choices ("apple juice or water?") and maintaining home rituals. For a preschooler, address '''magical thinking''' and the belief that illness is punishment; correct the fantasy that a procedure is a consequence of misbehavior. For a school-age child, support '''industry''' by allowing participation in care and keeping up with schoolwork. For an adolescent, protect '''privacy and body image''' and allow peer contact.