History

The field of child life began to flourish in the United States and Canada in the early 1960s through the pioneering work of Emma Plank (and others) who trained with Maria Montessori and used the principles of child development to promote appropriate care for this special population in the hospital. Prior to this time, it was not uncommon for parents to be excluded from the pediatric wards of hospitals except for brief visitation hours, sometimes just on weekends. Today, we acknowledge the special emotional and educational needs of children by providing an environment and programs which facilitate the primary role of family, and support which encourages adjustment to the hospital and to health care through the growing years.

http://www.mayo.edu/mshs/careers/child-life-specialist