Adolescent Development

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.

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.

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

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.  

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

Developmental Theories

• Erikson

-Identity vs. Confusion

• Piaget

- Moving from Concrete to Formal Operations

Markers of Adolescent Development

• Body Image

• Egocentrism

• Relationship with parents and peers

• Idealism

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.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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

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

Adolescent Activity Area

• Social Interaction

• Normalization

• Independence

Teen Room

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

Thank You!