The Case of Baby Kim

The Case of Baby Kim

Multidimensional assessment of baby Kim

Concerns

Baby Kim has tested positive for crystal methamphetamines, and as a result of this condition, Child Protective Services are involved in the family. According to her health history, the child was born four weeks before his time, and the first week after birth, he experienced intracranial bleeding. This situation made the child stay in the hospital for one month, getting treatment in the NICU. The Child Protective Service discovered that the child’s parents were using drugs. Despite their drug usage, the parents took good care of the other children and kept the home tidy. However, The Child Protective Service had to take baby Kim and his siblings from their parents for three days after the parents refused to cooperate with them. The father failed several drug tests, and Kim’s mother refused to take Kim to a daycare. The challenges in the child’s life have led to developmental delays and other failures from as early as four months.

Biophysical Factors

Kim was born before time, which is the number one biophysical factor to consider. The second problem within this category was the feeding problem, which Baby Kim developed after being born before his time (Ashford, LeCroy & Williams, 2018, pp. 92). Kim’s medical history shows that he tested positive for crystal methamphetamine, and it is possible that he has already been exposed to addiction as a result of his parent’s drug and alcohol usage. Moreover, Kim’s mother used lots of drugs and substances during her pregnancy. Following this, the child’s brief history indicates that Baby Kim had intracranial bleeding either because he was born prematurely or experienced trauma during birth. When he was four months old, he had severe failure to thrive, resulting in him having to be fed with tubes (Guille & Aujla, 2019). In this case, Baby Kim experienced a nonorganic failure to thrive. The other biophysical factor is emotional deprivation. This deprivation occurred mainly because the mother was an addict and could not nourish the child.

Psychological Factors

Baby Kim must have faced trauma from the crystal methamphetamine that his mother was consuming. The other things that caused him trauma were the experiences at birth and during the first few months of his life. The intracranial bleeding and the one-month stay in the NICU contributed to the intracranial bleeding (Ashford, LeCroy, & Williams, 2018). Furthermore, lack of attachment when the child is in foster care also causes psychological issues. This detachment is also called maternal deprivation, and if it happens before the child is six months old, the child’s growth is affected. Therefore, this situation explains her developmental delays (Guille & Aujla, 2019).

Social factors

Baby Kim is from a financially stable family. The father has a stable job, and his siblings are well cared for because they go to school and have a good life. The home environment is essential for the growth of the family (Ashford, LeCroy, & Williams, 2018). Baby Kim is in this situation because of the drug abuse by their parents. Another significant factor to consider is that while Baby Kim is in foster care, he might engage in delinquency because he lacks his father’s love.

Strengths and Challenges

One can say that this baby has strength in her family and financial stability. Baby Kim has his family, and the father has ensured they have everything. They are well provided for, and his siblings are going to school. They also live in a clean environment, and the parents are around even though they have a big problem with drug addiction. On the other hand, the child faces several challenges, including maternal deprivation, frequent admission to the hospital due to his condition, and the confusion that comes with the child being removed from his home as he had been for three days by Child Protective Service.

List the factors you believe should be considered when removing a baby from the home.

The factors I believe should be considered before removing a child from their home is the trauma that may result from removing the child from home. Secondly,  the high rates of physical and emotional abuse reported in foster homes. Lastly, confusion and grief that may result from the removal

Assessment

            Children need their parents for excellent development; therefore, Kim must be left with his mother. It is also important to note that even though the baby’s parents abuse substances, they do not abuse their children, and their children live in a clean environment and are well provided for (Guille & Aujla, 2019). One concern is that even though Kim’s father has undergone tests, it is unclear what kind of drugs he uses. It is essential to determine this because some drugs are hazardous. Baby Kim’s development can be assessed further using the Ages & Stages Questionnaire or the AIMS.

References

Ashford, J.B., LeCroy, C.W., & Williams L.R., (2018). Human Behavior in the Social      Environment; A Multidimensional Perspective, (6th ed). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Guille, C., & Aujla, R. (2019). Developmental Consequences of Prenatal Substance Use in           Children and Adolescents. Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology, 29(7), 479–486. https://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2018.0177

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Born four weeks early, Kim tested positive for crystal methamphetamines. She suffered an intracranial bleed and stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit for one month. It is unclear why she suffered the bleed; there is no strong evidence that the use of methamphetamines causes intracranial bleeds. It could have been a birth trauma or the result of a premature birth. In any case, Kim had a difficult time learning to feed adequately. Child Protective Services (CPS) became involved and discovered that both parents had a drug problem, and a CPS worker was assigned to the family. In addition to her mother’s use of crystal methamphetamines, her father used marijuana regularly. It was noted during a CPS visit that the home was clean and well-organized. The parents had two other children: boys aged four and seven. They appeared to be well-cared-for, happy children. The older boy attended school regularly and excelled in his class. The father worked and provided for the family, while the mother stayed home and cared for the children. Kim went home with her parents, but they had to agree to give three urine drops each over a period of two weeks and place the younger son in daycare. The mother also had to attend a group for recovering drug addicts. When the CPS worker came to sign the younger boy up for daycare, Kim’s mother refused to let him go. She argued that she was at home and preferred to care for him herself. All three children were removed from the home. The boys were returned to the home after three days, but Kim was placed in foster care. Over the next few months, the mother always tested negative for drugs, though she missed two urine drops due to transportation problems. The father, however, always had some questionable substances in his urine. After remaining clean for two drops, he then drank a beer. Kim was in and out of foster homes, coming home periodically for brief periods before being removed again. By four months of age, she was showing severe failure to thrive and had to be fed by a tube. By eleven months, still in foster care, she was showing signs of developmental delay.

1. Perform a multidimensional assessment of baby Kim. Briefly provide some information about the biophysical, psychological, and social dimensions, including strengths and barriers/hazards.

2. List the factors you believe should be considered when removing a baby from the home.