Early stimulation of babies and young children in hospitals: an intervention in pediatric psychology

Abstract

This article describes the experience of the practical training placement in Clinical/Hospital Psychology as part of the graduate course in Psychology. The activities described are carried out by the students of the final year of the course, in the program “Early Stimulation of babies and small children”, the aim of which is to promote the health of hospitalized babies and young children. The activities carried out by the students are based on the theoretical contributions of psychology of human development, pediatric psychology, and in particular, psychomotricity. The activities include early stimulation of young, hospitalized patients, taking into consideration their clinical status; adaptation of these patients to the hospitalization process; interaction with family members, enabling them to take part in and conduct activities to stimulate their children in the home environment; and working with the health team to raise awareness and provide guidance on the emotional aspects related to the clinical state of hospitalized babies and small children. This experience enabled the Psychology students to enhance their professional training, transforming a biomedical model into a biopsychosocial one that proposes changes in ways of interacting with the patient, family members and the health team, seeking to develop supportive actions that are committed to promoting health in the hospital context.