Sometimes the best technique I can utilize whether for pain, coping, or anxiety is distraction. We can all be distracted by something and, as a child life specialist, I take my job very seriously as I work to uncover the specific distraction that works for each patient. For toddlers it can include bubbles, singing, or light up toys. For school aged children, I often gravitate toward the iPad, a game, or craft. For teens, a good distraction might be talking about their favorite movie, listening to music, or an activity. Whatever that topic is, I must work to find how I can utilize it as I attempt to distract from an unpleasant experience.
Today, I found myself working very hard for my pay check as I printed out pictures of these two for a teenage girl to use as distraction...
It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. To all my child life friends - keep up the hard work and if the opportunity ever arises to use pictures like this has hospital room wallpaper...don't let it slip away.
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