Child Life and DIR

The child life specialist is a crucial bridge between the adult world and the developing child's experiences. When a child is faced with medical challenges, such as surgeries, chronic conditions, or life-threatening illnesses, the resulting stress placed on the entire family system is significant and unusually disruptive. The job of the child life specialist is two-fold: supporting the child's development in the context of their medical journey and determining the needs of the family, including how best to connect with them amidst a medical crisis. This presentation will share how the developmental framework known as "DIR" is a perfect blend with the Child Life Specialist occupation. 

DIR, which stands for (D)evelopmentally informed, (I)ndividual Differences & (R)elationship framework, is a model and intervention that can be tailored to all people across the lifespan through affirming values and practices. DIR begins by looking at the "D" in development through the interplay of multiple systems (e.g., sensory, motor, cognitive) as they mature over time. Are these systems learning to work with each other as they mature? It centers the "R" of relationships as the vehicle through which development occurs while honoring a child's individual differences that center a child's neurobiological constitutions. These differences include, but are not limited to, culture, religion, socio-economic status, and remaining intersectional identities. As a newborn, infant, toddler, child, adolescent, or young adult experiences medical challenges, the DIR model supports the Child Life Specialist in their quest to assess and meet the family where they are at as it relates to present circumstances. DIR is a roadmap for partnering with children and their families. It is based on a theory of components that, when working together, form the foundation for engaging, relating, and communicating with others, which continues to support a child's development across the lifespan.

Presenters

Denise Matsuyama Lai, MA, CCLS, CIMI Chase Child Life, Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA

Mary Ann O'Connell, Ph.D, CCC-SLP, Infant and Early Childhood Development with emphasis in Mental Health and Neurodiversity/Speech-Language Pathologist/Profectum Academy Faculty

Suggested Domain: Assessment, Intervention
Credits: 1.5 PDU

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