If the work of children is to play, then the job of the Child Life Program at University of Iowa Children's Hospital is to make sure they get a chance to do their job.

When Sophie Lowe was diagnosed with leukemia at three-and-a-half years of age, her life and that of her family immediately became focused on her treatment. Beginning the day after her diagnosis, she needed a series of procedures, including blood draws, spinal taps, and bone marrow aspirates. Adults have a hard enough time going through all this, but a child may not understand that a painful procedure can help her get well.

"As a Mom, I think it would have scared me to have that done to myself but to see my innocent little girl, who had no idea why this was happening, was agony for me," remembers her mother, Jennifer. "The first time they went in to do a spinal tap, I was feeling completely helpless and unable to help my daughter. I sent her in and cried my eyes out in her room, not wanting to go in with her in tears."

Luckily, Sophie and her parents could turn to Child Life, a therapy program that provides services to all young patients in UI Children's Hospital. The Child Life Program seeks to normalize the hospital experience for children by offering developmental play experiences. Sometimes that means just giving the children a chance to play. At other times, this includes one-on-one sessions that focus on helping children understand illness, even medical play that familiarizes them with upcoming procedures.

Staff members are assigned to specific hospital units. Child Life staffer Emily Mozena, MA, CCLS, CTRS, stayed with Sophie when she had her first spinal tap.

We Can Do This

"The second time Sophie went in for a spinal tap," said Sophie's mother, "Emily took me by the hand and said, 'We can do this.'" Thanks to Mozena's work with Sophie, the little girl was very calm in the treatment room. There were toys on the bed for her to play with and Emily was reading her books with surprises behind the flaps. "I stood there in tears that were originally meant for empathy for my daughter, which then turned to joy seeing how Child Life helped her."

When Sophie was upset and uncomfortable, her mother learned to say, 'I know they are squeezing you, but they will be done soon,' and Sophie really seemed to accept that. "This gave me, the Mom, the power to feel like I was helping in a circumstance where otherwise I would have just felt helpless."

Child Life is instrumental in making sick kids feel like there is fun to be had, even in the hospital. When she comes to the hospital, Sophie is made to feel special and happy, says her Mom. "Those are long days when you're in isolation, in the hospital, cooped up in your room, and music or an activity with markers, or a craft project make the time go by so much faster to a child. They made the time pass effortlessly for Sophie."

A family member with a disability or a life-threatening illness can affect siblings as well. When Sophie was hospitalized, her mother spent much of her time by her daughter's side. "As a result, our three children at home began feeling the effects." The older girls started to go a special program for siblings where they were able to talk about what it was like to have an ill sibling and meet other kids who were going through the same challenges. The program allowed them to vent but it also made them realize that they are not the only ones feeling a certain way. "They get to feel important to people who know how hard it is to feel that way when parents are tending to an ill child," said Jennifer.

Support

Other times the parents of a premature baby need help learning how they can play with their newborn or they may simply want or need information about their child's developmental needs. "We are there to support them," says Gwen Senio, BA, CCLS, Manager of the UI Child Life Program.

Unless the young patient needs to be in isolation, toddlers and pre-schoolers may benefit from participation in small group activities focused on all areas of development. School-age and adolescent patients are provided with a wide range of activities to meet their needs and abilities.

One special activity is medical play, which lets children express their "hidden" misconceptions of their medical experience and provides medical staff with an idea of how the child is dealing with the illness.

"Child Life had changed the entire dynamic for our family of having a child fighting cancer. I cannot imagine traveling this path without Child Life's assistance. I could not have been the Mom I am today without the support and kindness of Child Life."

There are 10 Child Life Specialists available to help young patients and families get back to "work." One staffer works in research.

For further information about the UI Children’s Hospital Child Life Program, call 319-356-4469.

Sophie

For more information:

Emily Mozena, MA, CCLS, CTRS

Gwen Senio, BA, CCLS

Child Life Program

University of Iowa Children's Hospital