Wheeler, K. (2014). Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse: A how-to guide for evidence-based practice (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing.
The Alexandra and Theo Kazilieris family comes to see you again, this time with both of their children, Craig, now 11 years old, and Abigail, an eight-year-old girl. Both children have special needs.
About six months ago, you diagnosed Craig with autism spectrum disorder with severe symptoms. Since then, he has moved on from trucks to an obsessive attachment to his iPad, which he has with him all the time. He displays marked hand flapping, which is exacerbated when he is stressed. His speech is limited, and he uses repetitive language. Today, he constantly says, “Happy birthday.” His parents and teachers report that he has poor social skills, shows no interest in others, and has a very limited social network.
Photo of AbigailAbigail has been diagnosed as mildly intellectually disabled (MID); she is two levels behind her peers. She struggles with identifying social cues, which often causes her to present as seemingly immature to her peers. Abigail is biracial; Alexandra and Theo adopted her four years ago after having been her foster parents for three years.
Answer the following questions from your perspective as their psychiatric nurse practitioner.
Identify one potential psychotherapeutic intervention for Craig and one for Abigail.
Discuss how you could build an environment around Craig and Abigail that would support competency and augment vulnerabilities.
Describe how you would support the Kazilieris family. Identify some resources that are available in your community. If the resources are available online, include the links.
Sample Solution
