2. What is Child Life?
• Child Life works as part
of a comprehensive team
to help alleviate stress
and anxiety while
promoting positive
coping skills for patients
and families.
3. Roles of Child Life
• Non-medical preparation for tests,
surgeries, and other medical procedures.
• Support during medical procedures.
• Therapeutic medical play using special
dolls, stuffed animals and medical
equipment.
• Activities to continue normal growth and
development of infants, children and
adolescents in hospital patient rooms
and/or activity areas.
• Sibling support.
• Support for grief and bereavement
issues.
• Emergency room interventions.
• Hospital pre-admission tours and
information.
4. Child Life Specialist Qualifications
• Minimum of a Bachelors
Degree with an educational
background that includes
human growth and
development, education,
psychology, and
counseling
• Complete a minimum 480
hr supervised internship
• Certification Exam
5. Child Life Partner
To assist in providing opportunities for
children to gain a sense of mastery,
through play and learning experiences,
and encouraging family and peer
interaction.
• Required education- high school
diploma or equivalent (Associate’s
degree in Early Childhood, Child
Development, or related field is
preferred). A minimum of one year
towards a child development degree
and/or one year paid or volunteer
experience with children is required.
6. Definition of Adolescence
1: the state or process of
growing up
2: the period of life from
puberty to maturity
terminating legally at the
age of majority
3: a stage of development
prior to maturity
7. Developmental Theories
• Erikson
-Identity vs. Confusion
• Piaget
- Moving from Concrete
to Formal Operations
9. Needs of Hospitalized
Adolescents
• Medical Information
• Mobility
• Visits from Friends and
Family
• Independence
• Privacy
• Education
• Recreational Needs
As cited from: Adolescents' perceived importance of and satisfaction with developmental needs during hospitalization
Lubbers, Jaclynn Lea. Proquest Dissertations And Theses 2000. Section 0844, Part 0569 82 pages; [M.S.N.
dissertation].United States -- Michigan: Grand Valley State University; 2000. Publication Number: AAT 1400569.
10. Stages of Adolescent
Development within a
Medical Experience
• Passivity (early adolescence)
• Acquiring knowledge and
experience (middle
adolescence)
• Becoming self-sufficient and
altruistic (late adolescence)
As cited from: A dimensional analysis of the adolescent's general anesthesia experience
Beebe, Jay Joseph. Proquest Dissertations And Theses 1994. Section 0034, Part 0569 177 pages;
[Ph.D. dissertation].United States -- California: University of California, San Francisco; 1994.
Publication Number: AAT 9516395.
11. Body Image
• What is going to be different about my
body?
• What will I wake up with that was not
there before?
• What changes will be temporary and
what will be permanent?
• If it is a temporary change, when will I
get back to normal?
12. Independence
• How long will it take for me to
get back to doing things for
myself- like getting up and
going to the bathroom?
• I am going to be in a lot of
pain? How will you handle
my pain?
• When can I go back to real
life- like hanging out with my
friends and going to school?
13. Idealism
• This surgery is going to
fix the problem and then I
won’t have to come back
here.
• There are no risks
involved in this
procedure. Even if there
are, I’m not going to have
any problems.
14. Adolescent Development in
Chronically ill Children
• Physically delayed
• Socially delayed
• Emotional issues
• Home Life
• Life Expectancy
• Delay in maturity and
independence
• Life situations different but
still want to be an individual
independent from their
disease
15. Hospital Visits
• Familiar with hospitalization
– Take time to visit with patient
independently
• Get to know patient (build
trust)
• Although familiar, still
traumatizing
• Use appropriate language
• Answer questions as needed
18. Questionnaires
• Enjoy being at Texas Children’s
Hospital
• Privacy
• Fear of needles
• Being in the hospital is boring and
it is like being in prison
• Sometimes they are treated like
little kids
• Teens afraid of things going
wrong during a procedure and
being put to sleep
• Enjoy the 16th floor
