My Experience at the Pediatric Developmental Center By

My Experience at the Pediatric Developmental Center By: Tiffany Cervencik

About Me – My name is Tiffany Cervencik, and I am a graduating senior from Loyola University of Chicago with a degree in Psychology and Neuroscience. This spring semester, I got to intern at the Pediatric Developmental Center at Illinois Masonic Hospital. I enjoy learning about different developmental disabilities found in children so that one day I will be able to provide the best possible care. My professionals goals are to continue with my education in psychology and to one day give back to the community as an adolescent clinical psychologist in a hospital setting.

Different Children I worked with: Autism Down Syndrome Intellectual Disabilities Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Developmental Disabilities Learning Disabilities Sensory Processing Disorder

My Role: – I helped in different settings and interacted with children who have different disabilities. I was able to see how different health care professionals work and what their job entails. In addition, I was an aid in diagnostic clinic evaluations. During this, the clinician evaluated the child and talked with the family. The clinician was then able to come up with a treatment plan and talk about the next steps. In addition, I created visuals and schedules by hand. This was created on a case by case basis and how the child would most benefit from it. I was part of group settings, individual settings, and therapy sessions. I worked with children from 9 months up until 12 -years-old.

About The Center: “The Pediatric Developmental Center is the most comprehensive outpatient diagnostic and treatment center for children with special needs in the Chicago area. ” – Services Include: – The Team: – Multidisciplinary diagnostic programs – Developmental Pediatrician – Medical Diagnostic and Early Intervention for infants and toddlers – Pediatric Neurologist – Behavioral Psychology Program – Comprehensive treatment for children with autism – Family support program, including groups for siblings of children with disabilities and chronic illnesses – Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist – Developmental and Behavioral Psychologist – Board Certified Behavioral Analysts – Developmental Therapists – Social Workers

Learn to create and use PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) – What is it: Teaching an individual to give a picture of a desired item to a partner, friend, teacher, and or therapist and that person immediately honors the exchange as a request – Who is it for: Individuals of all ages demonstrating a variety of communicative, cognitive, and physical disabilities – Phases: Learning how to communicate, picture discrimination, sentence structure, Language Expansion, Answering Questions, & Commenting

Learn to create and use a visual schedule – Used for: Children in all different types of group or individual settings – Gives the child a break down of what they are going to be doing in group or at home and what they can look forward to once their tasks are done – Varies based on the child and setting

Site Brochure – For my internship I created a brochure that would benefit both the site and parents. Many parents came into the center and were unaware of certain signs, symptoms, and treatment options for their child. The site did not make it known to families about the services they do. The brochure benefitted families because it made them aware of the different services, the common diagnosis that are prevalent in children, and a fact on the dissability. The following two slides will present the brochure.

Internship Project-Brochure for Center

Internship Project-Brochure Cont’d

Learning Outcomes & What I Learned Through This Experience – Children had different behaviors and certain skills that they were able to do and could not do. This skill made my interactions enjoyable and I was able to learn what worked and did not work for a certain child. – I had to organize, create visuals, & lead group. Organization allowed me to stay on top of things and how to get things done in a timely manner. I also learned how to work as a team and implement different strategies. – I had to learn how to communicate with different children. Some were able to communicate with words while others it was difficult for them to form words. This included the use of PECS.

Final Thoughts – This internship experience impacted me on a personal and developmental level. I have had an entire semester to gain experience into the field of psychology, and in doing so I have gained a deeper understanding as to what career path I want to take. Along the way, I developed patience, teamwork skills, time management skills, and communication skills. I will continue to gain real-world experiences in working with children who have developmental disabilities. I also will continue to step out of my comfort zone. I have enjoyed making a difference in a child’s life. In closing, I have grown so much on an educational level, by giving back to the community and gaining experiences that will benefit me in the future.

Concluding Remarks for future PDC interns – Dear Future PDC Intern, – First and foremost, congratulations on getting accepted into the internship program at the Pediatric Developmental Center. It is such a great program to be part of and a great way to gain experience into the psychology field. You are going to learn a lot at the center about different diagnosis and interact with different children. At first, it may be stressful, but it will all be worth it at the end of the day. I thought I would end my semester by giving four pointers to the future PDC interns to help them throughout the semester. – Plan ahead for deadlines and for the amount of hours needed. Sometimes there a lot of assignments due on the same day, so staying on top of things and being organized will help you. Do not wait until the night before to do the assigned readings and complete assignments. – Time flies so appreciate the little things. My semester at the PDC came to an end early due to COVID-19. I wish I would have appreciated my time at my site a little bit more. The site will teach you so much about yourself and will challenge you to the best of your ability. – Do not be afraid to form a relationship with the different health care professionals at the site. They can help you with so much whether it be making a project for a session or giving you advice on ways to improve. They are also a great resource for when you begin looking at different health care fields. – Finally, ask for things to do at your internship site if you are bored. The health care professionals were always looking for help during group and individual sessions. If you want to see what a health care professional does or how children with a certain diagnosis are, then ask. Trust me, this will benefit you in the long run. – There will be moments where you have your bad days and days where you will need to ask for help, but use this as a learning experience. In addition, your supervisor and professor are a great resource for many things especially when you are struggling with a concept or assignment. Going to your site and attending class is key in order to succeed. Lastly, have fun and enjoy your internship experience! – Sincerely yours, – Tiffany Cervencik

– I would like to thank the staff at the Pediatric Developmental Center for their ongoing support. I cannot wait to apply what I learned at the site to future jobs and internships. I received valuable feedback from my supervisors and gained a valuable internship experience. I also would like to thank my professor, Dr. Richards, for mentoring me throughout my time as an intern. Lastly, I would like to thank my classmates for providing feedback on their experiences and for being a great cohort to work with for the semester.