Gabriel’s Super Saturday at Sheffield Children’s

“I think it was an amazing idea to put that in place for us!”

Gabriel recently visited a special Super Saturday phlebotomy clinic with his mum, where he was given the time and space he needed to become comfortable in his environment before having a blood test.

Seven-year-old Gabriel has been diagnosed with autism and his mum, Lucine, was worried that he wouldn’t cope with the appointment because of a previous bad experience.

Lucine explained: “We had previously been in the waiting area for an hour, which was very hard for Gabriel. He was walking everywhere; into the coffee shop, stores and in the rest room he was playing with water. During the appointment I held him on my lap and he was so upset that three staff came to hold different parts of his body so blood could be taken. It was quick, but very frustrating and upsetting for him.”

However, on this occasion, Lucine called our Learning Disability Lead Nurse, Joanne Bowers, to discuss how the blood test could be made easier for Gabriel.

Joanne learned that Gabriel liked videos, sensory lights, and water play. Above all, he would need time to familiarise himself with the environment, and he didn’t like to be rushed. With the support of play specialists and phlebotomists (staff who take blood samples), who volunteered to be part of Super Saturday, Gabriel’s next visit was much smoother.

To tailor the environment and experience to his needs Gabriel and Lucine were met at the entrance and he was able to wander around Outpatients before being guided through to the clinic room so he could familiarise himself with the space. The room and corridor leading to the clinic had also been adapted for Gabriel. There were sensory lights, a bubble tube with swimming fish, a video playing, soft alphabet blocks, a squeezy ball, and a water mat. When he was ready, Gabriel sat on his mum’s knee with the water mat placed on his lap, allowing the phlebotomist to carry out the blood test with minimal stress.

This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week and so we wanted to share Gabriel’s story and highlight how, depending on how our brains are wired we think, move, process information and communicate in different ways. This approach wouldn’t have worked for everyone, but it was the right approach for Gabriel. If you think your child might benefit from a different approach – such as having sensory distractions, or perhaps removing those distractions – then please contact Joanne, our Learning Disability Lead Nurse before your appointment. Details of how to do this are in the comments.

Lucine said: “It was amazing, I was very surprised with Gabriel’s reaction to it. I think it was an amazing idea to put that in place for us. I really didn’t expect that it would work, but it worked perfectly. He took his time to explore the place and get familiar with it, and so he was ok with the needle. Well done everyone.”

If you would like to contact Joanne, our Learning Disability Lead Nurse, go to Assistance for children with learning disabilities or autism.