RIYADH: When a 9-year-old boy recovering from a kidney transplant refused to turn on the lights or speak to anyone, a child life specialist entered his room and comforted him by playing in the dark. Weeks later, she watched him take his first steps to recovery, both physically and emotionally.

Raghad Al-Salamah, among the first Saudis to work in the child life field, said the genre plays an important role in preparing children and families for the experience of hospitalization.

She told Arab News: “The main focus of child life is helping families and children cope with their hospitalization and cope with their negative experiences.”

Child life specialists provide support tailored to the child’s age and emotional needs, aiming to reduce anxiety through preparation and play-based methods.

Their work includes explaining medical procedures in ways children can understand while creating a more supportive environment in clinical settings.

Al-Salamah said that, over time, the effect of child life services becomes visible in how children approach their treatment.

She said: “I see the impact during hospitalization: I see that in their eyes, I see how they are, how excited they are I’m here, and how they are coping with their illness … And how they are taking their medication, going through their procedure.

“Sometimes they are doing some procedure with no sedation. So, I really see the impact in the eyes of children and their families.”

Al-Salamah added that some families and healthcare providers still confused the role of child life specialists with other professions in the hospital.

She added: “Some of the families, and healthcare providers, don’t understand what child life is and what it’s doing, so they always mix us up with a play therapist or with a social worker or even with a psychologist.”

She explained how specialists work to educate children about the treatment they will receive, helping them cope with any difficulties. 

A study titled “Reducing Anesthesia and Healthcare Cost Through Utilization of Child Life Specialists in Pediatric Radiation Oncology” found that the presence of certified child life specialists reduced the need for anesthesia by 16 percent among children undergoing radiotherapy.

Another study, “Benefits of a Family-Centered Approach to Pediatric Induction of Anesthesia,” found that when a family-centered model including child life specialists was used, the need for sedation before procedures dropped from 41 percent to 13 percent.

Al-Salamah said she was drawn to the field to prioritize children’s experience in healthcare, adding: “I always was concerned, and had questions regarding the child who had the diagnosis and would live his life with the diagnosis.

“I was always focusing on educating the children and preparing them for their diagnosis and what they would be going through while they were here in the hospital.”

Expanding the role of child life specialists, Al-Salamah said, could strengthen the overall hospital experience for patients and healthcare teams.

“Most hospitals need to begin integrating child life specialists into their programs,” she said. “It has an impact not only on the children, but also on their families and the healthcare teams. It helps everyone in the hospital.”

While child life remains relatively new in Saudi Arabia, the field is gradually being integrated into pediatric care.

Fadi Munshi, executive director of Abdulrahman’s Oasis, the child life foundation in the Kingdom, said that at the early stages of implementation, many people, including healthcare staff, were unfamiliar with its role.

Munshi told Arab News: “We had to raise awareness and explain how emotional and psychological safety support can make a big difference in a child’s healing.”

Munshi said the response from institutions had been encouraging, and added: “Today, two main hospitals have child life teams, and staff often say they cannot imagine going back. Doctors, nurses and families all notice how children are more relaxed and cooperative during procedures.

“Their experience during the hospital stay is more positive, which eventually helps everyone in the healthcare system.”

He said some hospitals had already made significant progress in implementing these services, while others were continuing to build awareness and training capacity.

“We hope that every hospital in the future (can have these services) and this is one of our main goals: that every single child in Saudi Arabia in every hospital can have this care in the future,” Munshi said.

He added that many families had reported improvements in how their children handled their treatment, and said: “Families often tell us their child is less afraid, more comfortable. They ask specifically for the child life team to be present during some stressful painful procedures.”

Fahd Al-Thunayan, the chairman of Abdulrahman’s Oasis, said child life services played a vital role in improving hospital environments for young patients.

He told Arab News: “Everyone knows the fear and anxiety that comes with entering a hospital — how much more (is it) for a child who doesn’t understand many things?”

Child life specialists help create a more humane treatment environment, he said, using various methods to ease pain and provide emotional support.

He added: “The result is a child who is more comfortable, cooperative and less stressed, which reflects positively on faster recovery and better quality of life in the hospital.”

Al-Thunayan said the foundation continues to support efforts aimed at expanding access to the services across the Kingdom, and added: “We aspire for every hospitalized child to have access to child life specialists who support them psychologically and socially, just as they are treated physically.”