Child life specialists at The James: Aiding kids and families affected by cancer

Coping with a loved one’s cancer diagnosis can be difficult for anyone, but especially for children and teens. They may not fully understand what it means to have cancer and how their lives may change.

While everyone in the family needs to be able to process what the disease and hospitalization may involve, children and teens may need additional time and support to fully grasp the situation and express how they are feeling — that’s where a certified child life specialist comes in.

At The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James), we care for the whole person by providing patient- and family-centered care through our child life services.

What is a child life specialist?

A child life specialist is a health care professional who has special training in child development, education and medical knowledge. They work with children and families at the OSUCCC – James to provide the support they need during cancer treatment. We help children and teens:

• understand cancer and changes related to a cancer diagnosis
• feel comfortable asking questions
• find ways to connect and bond with the person affected by cancer
• express feelings and provide coping mechanisms
• talk about their fear or anxiety of hospitals and unfamiliar health care environments

What does a child life specialist do?

A child life specialist uses a variety of strategies to support families before, during and after a hospital stay. The goal is to build on your child or teen’s own strengths to improve their coping skills.

Some of the strategies include:

• Preparation: Educating children about medical procedures and what to expect to reduce anxiety.
• Emotional support: Providing emotional support before, during and after medical procedures or hospital stays.
• Therapeutic play: Using play to help children express their feelings and understand medical experiences.
• Family support: Assisting the family in understanding and supporting their child's needs.
• Developmental support: Promoting cognitive, motor, social, and emotional development.

It’s also important that we take any special needs into consideration, such as a developmental or behavioral condition, so we can tailor our care accordingly. When your child feels comfortable and safe, it can also help reduce your concerns as a parent, especially if you’re the one who’s received the cancer diagnosis.

A child life specialist works closely with the medical team and families to create a less stressful environment by:

• Talking with the family to learn how much the children know and understand about the hospital, why they are there and how they’re adjusting to the unfamiliar environment.
• Sharing tips with parents about how to talk to their kids about their health condition.
• Encouraging open, honest and developmentally appropriate communication that provides the child with the information they need to know in small, easy-to-understand bites.

For small children, play-based activities are important. Often times, we will use a doll and doll-sized medical equipment to:

• Help expose children to what the hospital room will look and feel like
• Show what infusion lines and feeding tubes will look like and how this medical equipment helps their loved one and their body.
• Give kids a sense of what their loved one will feel like when they touch or hug them.

We may also take pictures of their parent or family member in their hospital room to show the children and allow them to have an emotional reaction before visiting them in the hospital.

Because medical treatment can be intimidating for anyone of any age, these techniques give children the opportunity to ask questions and get detailed information from the child life specialist about what to expect before, during and after the hospital stay.

The OSUCCC – James is one of the few cancer centers in the country that offers a child life program. Our services are available to:

• Children of an adult being cared for at the OSUCCC – James
• A child who is receiving radiation therapy at The James Outpatient Care
• The sibling of a child receiving therapy at The James Outpatient Care.