Eliza Thornberry
By: Jasmine Adamos California State University, San Marcos Nurs 332: Nursing Care of Children Summer 2017
Elizabeth “Eliza” Thornberry
Elizabeth “Eliza” Thornberry is an energetic, smart, nature loving, and adventurous girl who travels with her family around the world in search of exotic and rare animals. Born on December 4, 2005, Eliza is a 11year-old teenager who is trying to find her way in life. Eliza is very family oriented and lives out of a recreational vehicle (RV) with her nuclear family which includes her mother Marianne, her father Nigel, her sister Debbie, her adopted brother Donnie, and her best friend, who is also a chimpanzee, Darwin. Eliza has the ability to speak to animals and she often uses her talent when she explores the wilderness with her family.
Eliza is 5 feet tall (60 inches) and weighs 82 pounds (37.3 kg). She has black eyes, wears big round glasses, has freckles on her cheeks, and wears braces. She has shoulder length redorange hair that she likes to wear in braided pigtails with two elastic red hair bands. Her daily outfit consists of a short sleeved yellow dress with a red turtleneck collar and red pockets, white angle-length socks, and brown ankle height boots.
Friends & Family Eliza’s father, Nigel, is the star and host of a show called “Nigel Thornberry’s Animal World,” and Eliza’s mother, Marianne, is her husband’s camera person. Along with the kids, the family travels the world to find and film exotic animals for Nigel’s show. Since they are consistently on the road Eliza and her older 16-year-old sister, Debbie, are homeschooled in their RV by their mother. Their younger brother Donnie is four-years-old and still a little too young to start homeschooling. Nigel and Marianne are often away from the family RV majority of the day to explore and film for the TV show. During the hours when Nigel and Marianne are out, they ask Debbie to watch both Eliza and Darwin and try to keep them in the RV where it is safe. Little do they know, Debbie is usually too focused on her headphones and her computer to realize or care that Eliza sneaks out to explore with her best chimpanzee friend named Darwin. The duo enjoys exploring new territories, enjoying human nature, and somehow always find themselves in sticky situations. On one of their adventures to Africa, Eliza was given the “gift of gab” by a shaman and now she has the ability to speak to animals. Unfortunately, she has to keep her gift a secret otherwise she would lose her powers. Thanks to her hidden ability Eliza has been able to save numerous animals from trappers, poachers, and many difficult situations. Eliza’s curiosity mixed with her ability to communicate with animals often separates her from her family, but at the end of the day, the six of them always come back together to have dinner and prepare for the next day and the next location.
Nigel
Marianne
Debbie
Darwin
Donnie
Growth & Development: School Age Child (6-12 years) Eliza: Age 11
Growth and Development Children at this age will gain about 4.4 to 6.6 pounds and will grow about 2 inches per year. Puberty typically occurs at this stage and visible signs of maturation typically show at around 9 years old (ATI Nursing, 2013). Normal height and weight of an 11-year-old is 57 inches and 81 pounds (Livestrong, 2015). An expected BMI for a girl in a healthy weight category should fall between the 5th percentile and the 85th percentile for her age (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). Eliza is 5 feet tall (60 inches) and weighs 82 pounds (37.3 kg) which makes her BMI a value of 16.0. This places her in the 50th percentile and at healthy weight for her age (CDC, 2000).
Gross Motor Skills At age 11, gross motor maturity is evident in an increase in dexterity and becoming more limber. Children have improved coordination, balance, and rhythm, and are able to climb, bike, skip, jump rope, and swing. At this age, children learn to swim and dance, and enjoy competition and games (Ward, 2014). Eliza constantly explore the wilderness and often finds herself climbing on trees and rocks, swinging from tree branches, and even swimming in open water. Eliza shows good coordination and balance and enjoys playing games with her best friend Darwin.
Fine Motor Skills At age 11, fine motor skill maturity is seen through good eye-hand coordination, improved balance, and the ability to write. Children at this age can sew, draw, make arts and crafts, and can build models (Ward, 2014). Eliza shows maturity of fine motor skills in her ability to make small crafts with materials she finds in nature such as small figurines, braided grass, and even a hand-made slingshot. Eliza also shows great interest in writing and can often be seen jotting down her adventures in her diary.
Erikson, Piaget, & Kohlberg: School Age Child (6-12 years) Eliza: Age 11
Erikson: Industry vs. Inferiority A child in the industry versus inferiority stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development is ready to be a worker and producer, and wants to engage in more tasks and activities that they know they can complete. Children experience relationships and learn to work with others both cooperatively and competitively. Children at this stage may also be at risk for feelings of inadequacy and inferiority mostly when they believe they cannot perform to other’s standards (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk & Wilson, 2014). Eliza spends a lot of time exploring and finding tasks and activities where she can be of service to others. Eliza’s gift of speaking with animals allows her communicate and create relationships with animals and help them in times of need.
Piaget: Concrete Operations A child in the concrete operations of Piaget’s cognitive development have thoughts that are increasingly logical and coherent. They are able to classify, sort, order, and organize facts about the world to solve problems. They use inductive reasoning to gather facts to come to a conclusion, and they are capable of dealing with multiple aspects of certain situations simultaneously (Perry et al., 2014). Eliza is capable of using logical and coherent thinking to work her way through difficult situations. Being out in the wilderness, Eliza and Darwin often have to pull from what they have learned from past situations in order to tackle new ones. Eliza shows increasing ability to multitask and handle various thoughts and emotions simultaneously. child in the conventional level of Kohlberg’s moral Kohlberg: Conventional Adevelopment is concerned with conformity and loyalty, and maintaining family expectations regardless of consequences. At this level, a child sees “good” as being met with approval and successfully pleasing and helping others. In addition, “good” includes obeying the rules, doing one’s duty, and showing respect for authority are appropriate behaviors (Perry et al., 2014). Although Eliza escapes from her family RV to explore the wilderness with Darwin, she has a strong desire to please her parents and follow the rules which is why she always makes sure to return back home before her parents do. Eliza believes that because she can speak with animals then she should help them, and she finds great satisfaction from being helpful.
Nutrition Nutrition is the single and most important influence on growth and development, and adequate nutrition is closely related to good health throughout life (Perry et al., 2014). According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 created by the USDA, an 11-year-old girl should be consuming 1,600 if sedentary, 1,800 calories if moderately active, and 2,000 calories if active (USDA, 2015). Eliza is very active and is constantly running around and exploring. For her age and level of activity, a 2,000 calorie diet is appropriate. According to the Dietary Guidelines, a 2,000 calorie diet should be comprised of: Vegetables
2.5 cups
Fruits
2 cups
Grains
6 ounces
Dairy
3 cups
Protein
5 ounces
Since Eliza and her family are constantly on the road, her usual diet is comprised heavily of food sources that are available to them. Sometimes when the family travels to civilized areas, nonperishable food items are purchased. A typical daily meal plan includes: Breakfast
fruits (usually bananas and berries), instant oatmeal
Snack
bananas, granola
Lunch
canned pasta
Dinner
fish, canned green beans, easy rice
Often times Eliza is not receiving adequate nutritional intake because she is constantly active. In other words, she is burning more calories than she is consuming. While this is not uncommon for active children of her age, it is important for her to be reminded to eat a well balanced diet that includes foods from all categories such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and proteins. should be reminded to keep her sugar and saturated fat intake to a minimum, and to participate in regular physical activity. One method that Eliza could refer to for guidance on good eating practices is My Plate, which is a visual representation of what her plate should look like for every meal (choosemyplate.gov, 2017).
OREM: Self -Care Requisites
Feelings – Partially Met
Family & Friends – Partially Met
Eliza is a very curious and adventurous young Eliza has a strong base of family in her life, but teenage girl. She has a huge gift that enables her because she is consistently on the road, she to speak with animals, but no one knows about it doesn’t have the opportunity to communicate except for her best chimpanzee friend, Darwin. and mingle with other teenagers her age. With Eliza has a great relationship with her mother her gift of communicating with animals, she has but does not often tell her things, especially found companionship and friendship with her because her adventures involve speaking to best friend Darwin who is a chimpanzee. Yet animals and occur when she’s supposed to be because her family does not know about her gift, staying near the family RV. Thus, Eliza is only her friendship is a secret. Aside from Darwin, able to really talk about her feelings to Darwin. Eliza does not have strong relationships with her Eliza would benefit from having more people in sister Debbie and her brother Donnie. Eliza her life that she could open up and communicate would benefit from having human interaction with. with teenagers her age.
Sex and Sexuality – Partially Met
Drug or Alcohol use – Partially Met
Eliza is at an age where sex and sexuality are usually topics of interest, but because Eliza and her family are consistently traveling, there is a disconnect from usual topics that teenagers face in school. Eliza’s attention is very focused on animals and adventure, and she has little to no knowledge about sex and sexuality. Eliza would benefit from education about sex, education about her body as she grows to enter puberty, and opportunities to ask questions that she may have.
Eliza does not participate in any underage drinking or illicit drug use. Since her family mostly interacts with animals and nature, they do not see sources of drugs or alcohol. Despite not being exposed to it, Eliza could still benefit on education about what drugs and alcohol are, and why it is important to stay away.
Body Image– Partially Met Eliza has braces, wears glasses, and has freckles, which could be a source of plentiful teasing in public school. Yet because Eliza is so disconnected from normal civilization, she has not experienced teasing or negativity about her image. Eliza would still benefit from education about positive body image, eating nutritious and well balanced meals, and staying active.
Anticipatory Guidance QSEN Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) was established to “inspire healthcare professionals to put quality and safety as core values to guide their work.” An important aspect of QSEN is safety and focuses on minimizing the harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance (QSEN Institute, 2014). Nurses are key components in the education of school age children on safety risks and promoting a culture of safety.
Nutrition Although Eliza is of an expected height and weight range according to her placement on growth charts, her diet has some areas that lack in nutrient dense sources such as eating canned vegetables products and processed rice. It is important for Eliza to eat a healthy pattern of food because it can “help achieve and maintain a health body weight, support nutrient adequacy, and reduce the risk of chronic disease” (USDA, 2015). Interventions: - Educate on the components of a well balanced diet. - Discuss optimal and appropriately accessible sources of nutrient dense foods. - Remind Eliza and her family that everyone has a role in creating and supporting healthy eating patterns (USDA, 2015).
Social Development Since Eliza and her family travel often, her group of friends is limited to her family and her best chimpanzee friend Darwin. Peer groups play an important part in social development and it is important for Eliza to be around children her age. Interventions: - Encourage a communication between Eliza and Debbie in order to create a positive relationship between the two. - Encourage Eliza to communicate more with her parents as well in order to foster more confidence with talking to others and expressing herself. - Encourage the family to take periods off from traveling to be around other children and families.
Physical Development School age is a time of many changes, primarily changes associated with puberty. Children at this age begin to become more aware of differences in body size and configuration. The combination of increased awareness and added physical changes places school age children at risk for comparing themselves to others and having lowered self esteem (Perry et al., 2014). Interventions: - Educate on expected changes during puberty and stress that these changes are normal. - Promote a healthy lifestyle through adequate nutrition and exercise which in turn, can foster positive self-image and confidence as Eliza gets older. - Encourage family members to create a support atmosphere that encourages open communication so that Eliza can discuss her curiosities and fears openly.
Safety The most common cause of severe injury and death in school-age children is motor vehicle accidents. Other causes include drowning, burns, poisoning and bodily damage (Perry et al., 2014). Although Eliza does not drive herself, she does spend majority of her time in the family RV and out on the road. Eliza is also at an increased risk for injury because she enjoys to explore and the wilderness where she may be prone to bodily damage, drowning, poisoning, or unsafe situations with animals. Interventions: - Teach the importance of wearing a seatbelt while traveling in the family RV. - Teach wilderness safety including caution when climbing structures, water safety, how to approach wild animals, and what wild plants/foods to stay away from. - Encourage Eliza’s parents to take breaks from filming and spend more time with Eliza exploring.
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References: Images [1] https://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/wildthornberrys/images/5/58/Eliza_with_map.png/revision /latest?cb=20160804000746 [2] https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/wildthornberrys/images/e/e6/Wildthornberrys.jpg/revision /latest?cb=20161230014755 [3] https://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/poohadventures/images/f/f5/Eliza_Thornberry.jpg/revision /latest?cb=20130421050028 [4] https://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/wildthornberrys/images/7/7f/Nigel.png/revision/latest?cb= 20110702113926 [5] https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/rugrats/images/a/a2/Marianne_Thornberry.png/revision/la test?cb=20151023214210 [6] http://nickelodeon.wikia.com/wiki/Debbie_Thornberry [7] https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/wildthornberrys/images/7/75/Darwin.png/revision/latest?cb =20150528205900 [8] https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/wildthornberrys/images/a/a8/Donnie_Thornberry.png/revis ion/latest?cb=20150528210046 [9] http://nickjrcharacters.blogspot.com/2013/03/ [10] http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/TheWildThornberrys [11] https://www.pinterest.com/pin/570620215268330052/ [12] https://www.pinterest.com/pin/533746993328617936/ [13] ChooseMyPlate.gov. (2017) Retrieved from https://www.choosemyplate.gov