A nurse is reviewing the provider's plan of care for an 8-year-old child whose height has dropped from the 25th percentile to the 5th percentile over the past year. The parents ask what test can help determine whether their child's bone growth is delayed. Which diagnostic test should the nurse anticipate?

A. A routine abdominal ultrasound is not used to assess bone age or growth delays. While abdominal ultrasounds can detect organ abnormalities, they provide no information about skeletal maturation. B. A complete blood count (CBC) evaluates blood cell levels and can detect anemia or infection, but it does not provide information about bone growth or skeletal development. C. A hand-wrist X-ray is the standard diagnostic test to assess bone age and skeletal maturation. By comparing the X-ray of the child’s hand and wrist bones to standardized age-related charts (such as the Greulich and Pyle atlas), providers can determine if the child’s skeletal growth is appropriate for chronological age. This helps identify growth delays, endocrine disorders, or other conditions affecting stature. D. Anthropometric hand-wrist measurement refers to physical measurements of the hand and wrist, which do not provide sufficient information to determine bone age or detect growth delays. X-ray imaging is required for accurate assessment of skeletal maturity.