Case
NURS 3185 Maalik Abdella Case Study
- Course
- NURS 3185
- Institution
- Prairie View A&M State University
Abdella GI - Case study to help with practice and critical thinking on real-life stories,
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BackgroundMaalik Abdella is a healthy 2-year-old boy whose family immigrated from Mosul, Iraq, 3 years
ago. Maalik’s father, Kasim, brought his family to the United States when his city was in danger
of attack. He wanted to seek a better and safer life for his family. At the time that Kasim and his
wife, Farrah, left Iraq, they had a 4-year-old daughter, Sabeen. Sabeen is now 7 years old and,
having grown up in the American culture, has assimilated well. On the other hand, neither Kasim
nor Farrah spoke any English at the time they arrived in the United States. Their native language
is Arabic, and they had a difficult time when they first arrived in the country.
The family moved to an area in which there is a large group of Muslim families who all practice
the Islamic faith. This was comforting to both Kasim and Farrah initially because they had no
family around to help them. In the Muslim culture, extended family is an important part of a child’s
life because of the belief that children are better off when they learn about life from more adults
than just their parents (Hickey, 2013). The community to which they moved helped fill the role of
the extended family that Kasim and Farrah had left behind in Iraq. In addition, the Abdellas joined
the local mosque and were able to continue to practice their Islamic faith.
Within a few months of moving to their new community, Kasim began to work at the local
butcher shop. The butcher shop is halal, meaning that it is one in which all meat is butchered
according to Islamic principles and, practicing the food restrictions of Islam, no pork is sold
(Johnson, 2019). About the time that Kasim began to work at the butcher shop, Farrah discovered
that she was pregnant with her second child. Maalik was born without any complications, and the
Abdella family began to acclimate to their new home and community.
Although the Abdella family has been living in the United States for 3 years, they continue to
practice traditional customs of the Muslim culture and Islamic faith. Farrah wears a hijab when in
public or when in the presence of other males. Both Kasim and Farrah play a role in deciding who
their older daughter Sabeen’s friends are. They wish her to have friends who are of the same faith
as their family so as not to expose her to the excesses of American culture. In the Muslim culture,
respect for others, delayed gratification, and self-discipline are of utmost importance (Hickey,
2013; Inhorn & Serour, 2011).
Both Kasim and Farrah have learned some English, although they still have difficulty with the
language at times. Sabeen speaks Arabic at home but has learned to speak English through school
and is able to help her parents when they struggle to find the correct wording. Maalik is learning
to speak and is learning Arabic and English at the same time. His language skills are really starting
to take off, and Farrah often hears him trying to say what his sister Sabeen says and sees him try
to copy what Sabeen is doing, such as coloring pictures (Growth and Development Check 5.1).
Two-Year-Old Milestones
Growth and Development Check 5.1
Social/Emotional
•Likes to be around other children
•Tries to imitate both children and adults
•Engages in parallel play
•May have temper tantrums
Speech
, •Speaks in two- to four-word sentences
•Is able to point to objects in a book
•Is able to point to body parts
•Follows simple instructions
Cognitive
•Identifies shapes and colors
•Builds a tower of at least four blocks
•Begins to show hand preference
•Can name items in a picture book
Gross Motor/Fine Motor
•Throws a ball overhand
•Stands on tiptoes
•Climbs on and off things
•Kicks a ball
•Starts to run
Adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Learn the signs. Act early. Retrieved
from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-3yr.html
Temper Tantrums
Patient Teaching 5.1
Temper tantrums occur as part of a normal stage of emotional development. Tantrums can begin as early
as 12 mo of age but are typically seen between the ages of 2 and 3. Temper tantrums often occur when
the child is frustrated and unable to verbalize what he or she wants. However, a toddler may also throw a
temper tantrum as a way to get attention. Normal temper tantrums in toddlers consist of behaviors such
as the following:
•Kicking and screaming
•Flailing of the arms
•Crying
•Throwing themselves on the floor
Dealing with temper tantrums can be frustrating. It is important for parents to understand that this is a
normal developmental behavior. When a child is throwing a tantrum, parents should ignore the behavior
as long as the child is safe. If the child is at risk of danger, the parent should hold the child tightly. If a
child throws a tantrum in a public place, the parents may try to distract the child but may ultimately need
to leave rather than giving in to the child.
The most important part of discipline with temper tantrums is to reward good behavior and ignore
unwanted behavior. One exception to the rule is that biting and hitting should never be ignored and
should be disciplined with a time out. Finally, make sure that parents understand their child’s limits.
Keeping a child out too long and missing a meal or a nap is the perfect setup for a tantrum.
Adapted from Daniels, Mandleco, and Luthy (2012); Swanson, W. S. (2018). Top tips for surviving temper tantrums.
Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/communication-
discipline/pages/Temper-Tantrums.aspx.
Although Maalik is learning to speak well, he still throws temper tantrums (Patient Teaching
5.1). At times, when he doesn’t get what he wants, he throws himself on the floor and cries for
several minutes at a time. Farrah does not remember Sabeen throwing tantrums on a regular basis,
but it seems as if Maalik is having a temper tantrum every day. It is getting very frustrating for the
family, but luckily Maalik is not acting out in public places. Farrah remembers that Maalik has a
checkup scheduled in a couple of days. She will ask the pediatrician how to help Maalik stop
having temper tantrums.
, Health Promotion
Farrah brings Maalik to the pediatrician’s office for his 2-year-old checkup. She tells the nurse that
she really has no concerns at this time other than the daily temper tantrums. The nurse reports that
today Maalik’s weight is 26 lb (11.8 kg), and he is 2.8 ft (34 in) tall (Growth and Development
Check 5.2). The nurse plots his weight and height on the growth chart and calculates his body mass
index (BMI). The nurse explains to Farrah that Maalik’s weight is in the 25th percentile and his
height is just above the 50th percentile. His BMI is 15.8, which is in the 27th percentile. These
measurements indicate that Maalik is of a healthy weight, she says, adding that a healthy weight
range for BMI is from the 5th percentile to the 85th percentile (Hughes & Kahl, 2018).
Physical Growth
Growth and Development Check 5.2
During the toddler years, physical growth is not as rapid as it was during infancy. Typically, the toddler
gains 335 lb (1.3632.27 kg) per year and grows about 3 in (7.62 cm) per year. A toddler will reach half of
his or her adult height by 2 y old.
Adapted from American Academy of Pediatrics. (2015). Physical appearance and growth: Your 2 year old. Retrieved
from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/Physical-Appearance-and-Growth-Your-2-
Year-Od.aspx
After Maalik is weighed, Dr. Peterman enters the room and greets them.
<Maalik’s weight and BMI are healthy,= Dr. Peterman says. <How is his walking?=
<Good,= Farrah tells Dr. Peterman. <He can walk on his own. He is walking up and down the
stairs on his own but still needs to hold on to the rail.=
<That’s good,= Dr. Peterman says. <Holding on to the rail is fine at this age; there is no need to
worry. Can he hold crayons, use them, and stack three or four blocks? Is he learning his colors?=
<Yes,= Farrah says. <He is doing all of these things.= Dr. Peterman charts that Maalik is meeting
gross motor, fine motor, and cognitive milestones.
<How is his speaking?= Dr. Peterman asks.
<Good,= Farrah says. <He is learning both English and Arabic. Kasim and I are learning English,
but we speak Arabic at home. Maalik is speaking in short sentences in both languages and copies
what his sister says and does. But he gets upset, falls down, and kicks and screams.=
<Ah,= Dr. Peterman says. <You mean he throws a temper tantrum?=
<Yes,= Farrah says. <What should I do?=
<Temper tantrums are a normal part of development,= he says. <Just make sure he is safe and
then try to ignore the behavior. When Maalik realizes that you will not respond to the tantrum, he
will stop.=
Dr. Peterman makes some notes in Maalik’s chart.
<Maalik does not need any immunizations at this checkup,= Dr. Peterman says. <I would like to
talk about nutrition, though. It’s really important to limit the amount of sugary drinks and foods
Maalik consumes in a day. Try to encourage him to eat and drink nutritious, high-quality foods
and drinks, and don’t worry as much about how much he eats. Toddlers are picky eaters, and it’s
easy to worry that they are not getting enough to eat. However, they tend to eat the amount that
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