School Age Test/Procedure Preparation

Pre-procedure preparation

Limit your explanations to 20 minutes each, in several sessions if necessary.
School age children have a good concept of time, allowing for preparation in
advance of the procedure. The older your child, the earlier in advance you can
begin preparation.

Here are some general guidelines for preparing your child for a test or
procedure:

• Explain the procedure in language your child understands, and use concrete
  terms, avoiding abstract terminology.
• Make sure your child understands the exact body part to be involved and that
  the procedure will be limited to that area.
• If the procedure affects part of the body that serves a noticeable function
  (such as speech, hearing, or urination), explain how the procedure will affect
  or not affect the function. Discuss how long the effects will last.
• While talking about the procedure with your child, avoid words that have more than one meaning.
• Give your child permission to yell, cry, or otherwise express any pain verbally.
• To the best of your ability, describe how the test will feel.
• Allow your child to practice different positions or movements that will be
  required for the particular test or procedure, such as the fetal position for a
  lumbar puncture (spinal tap).
• Stress the benefits of the procedure and anything that the child may find
  pleasurable afterwards, such as feeling better, or going home. You may want to take your child for ice cream or some other treat afterwards, but do not make this conditional on "being good" for the test.
• Suggest ways for maintaining control:
  o counting
  o deep breathing
  o relaxation (thinking of pleasant thoughts)
• Allow your child to participate in simple tasks.
• Include your child in the decision-making process, such as the time of day or
  the body site where the procedure is performed (these depend on the time
  constraints of your health care provider and the type of procedure being
  performed, but where possible, let your child make some decisions).
• Encourage participation during the procedure, such as holding an instrument,
  if allowed.
• Encourage the child to hold your hand or the hand of a nurse or someone else helping with the procedure. Physical contact like this can help reduce pain and anxiety.