{Child Life}

During my last semester of my undergrad, I decided to write a research argument paper about the fact that, in certain contexts, technology can actually be a huge benefit to children. Here is what I wrote for a writing class.

Currently, the media loves to inundate us with all the multiple negative effects that technology has on children. Video games are bad because they lead to decreased academic performance in school and obesity because children are spending so much time being inactive. But little has been said about the positive effects technology has on our children. Imagine a child in the hospital; frightened because they are in an unfamiliar place, anxious because they are separated from their parents, wondering what is going to happen to them next and how much pain it is going to cause them. What if technology could actually benefit these children in immediate and long term ways? Shouldn’t it be taken advantage of in these situations? Children deserve to be taken care of emotionally when they are also battling physical illnesses. If using video games achieves this, then there can be an argument that there can be positive benefits associated with technology and children when used in the right context. When implemented in certain situations with children, the advantages of technology such as computer games, can ultimately help a child cope with the hospital environment in a much more positive manner.

When children are in the hospital environment they face many different issues depending on their developmental level. These different challenges also depend on the severity of their illness and length of stay in the hospital. Child Life Specialists are members of the medical team that are extensively educated in child development and the various reactions that children often have when faced with the unknown of being hospitalized. It is their job to decrease the stress of the child and of the family involved. Infants face sensory deprivation while in the hospital and they lack a stable routine with a primary caregiver. These are all things they are provided with in abundance at home. Toddlers and preschool age children face many scary misconceptions with the health care field because of their tendencies towards magical thinking. Children this age tend to view hospitalization and tests as punishment because of their egocentric thinking. School age children are at a developmental stage when they need a lot of control over their lives and the health care setting doesn’t contribute to that. (Gaynard, 1990.) Adolescents are forming their identity and trying to detach themselves from their parents in order to gain independence. Battling illness complicates this process because they have to turn back to being dependant on their nurses and parents for help with medications and many other things. This age group also identifies and attaches to their peer group and hospitalization severely puts a strain on these relationships. (Gaynard, 1990.)

Using technology to assist these children and adolescents with coping skills and educating them about procedures and surgeries is a positive and effective form of intervention. It is not one that should be cast aside because of misconceptions that all video games and associated technology can only lead to harmful effects. Most of the time, Child Life Specialists utilize methods such as cloth “hospital dolls”, drawings and games, as a way to prepare children for an upcoming test, procedure or surgery. However, it has been noted that the most favored mode of learning for children in this day and age is being aided by a computer. Combining this with known issues in the hospital, it is correct to assume that creating video or computer games for the purpose of educating children about their upcoming surgery would be a wise and effective means of preparation for them. When children know what to expect of a procedure, they are better able to cope. (Thompson, 1981.)

A recent study was done using a computer game to prepare children for either a adenoidectomy or a tonsillectomy. These two events are very common and so they were chosen to test the effectiveness of using computer games in this specific study. Because of the fact that these two surgeries are performed on an outpatient basis for the most part, there isn’t much time allotted to prepare the child. Through the means of computer based communication, kids are prepared thoroughly and efficiently in a short amount of time. In this study, the teenagers prepared with the software before their surgery showed much higher levels of contentment and comprehension compared to information presented in more conventional ways. (Rassin, 2004.)

Others studies that illustrate the positive and rewarding aspects of computer programs for children facing illness or surgery include, a video game that teaches children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (a ruthless form of muscular dystrophy that most often ends in death by the age of twenty years old) how to strengthen their respiratory muscles. The results of this study showcased the impressive outcome that the game actually heightened the respiratory acts for these children. (Rassin, 2004.)

People seem so preoccupied with the negative effects of excessive exposure to computer and video games, that they don’t even want to consider a positive side. It needs to be addressed that the negative outcomes associated with an overload of playing computer games is only when the games are being played a ridiculous amount and with no, or very limited adult supervision.

In addition to video games that prepare children for surgery, things such as video diaries and video essays have been proven useful in helping children cope with injury and illness. For example, it is therapeutic for an adolescent to be able to document their time and battles in the hospital and then be able to show it to their friends at school as a way for them to see firsthand what their classmate has been dealing with.

In conclusion, we should not only focus on the negative aspects of video and computer games when healthy children are exposed to them in high amounts. Positive facets need to be considered when the ill and hospitalized children need quick and effective modes of learning about a phenomenon that is entirely new to them, such as a surgery they have never heard of before. Research clearly shows that when used in the correct ways and in a guided and controlled environment, the positive consequences of computer and video games far outweigh the negative effects. Careful consideration needs to be taken though to make sure the child is understanding the information that is being given to them and that they don’t have any misunderstandings. Computerized preparation games are also a great way to bring to light any misconceptions that they child may have about their surgery. This way, the child life specialist can address these issues before the actual surgery and potentially avoid a lot of unneeded stress for the child and even the parents.

Works Cited
Thompson, R. & Stanford, G. Child Life in Hospitals - Theory and Practice. Springfield,
Illinois: Charles C Thomas Publisher, 1981.
Rassin M, Gutman Y, Silner D. Developing a computer game to prepare children for surgery. AORN J. 2004 Dec;80(6):1095-6, 1099-102.
Gaynard, Wolfer, Goldberger, Thompson, Redburn, & Laidley. Psychosocial Care of Children in Hospitals. Washington, D.C.: Association for the Care of Children’s Health, 1990.