Disclaimer: none of these

pictures are of patients or

workers at the PDC (not
allowed due to HIPPA)

Pediatric
Developmental
Center
Advocate Children’s Hospital

Lizzie Janito
Background Info
Mission: multidisciplinary team that provides diagnostic and treatment services for
children ages 0-18

Goals: give proper diagnoses, get proper treatment, help parents and siblings, adapt
services to meet each patients needs

Funding: any insurance and medicaid, Feldman Endowment for Children with
Special Needs and The Masonic Family Health Foundation help

Years and size: about 30+ years with 40+ workers

Neighborhood: Chicago, residential area

Culture
Norms: grad students do a lot, eat in your own
office, no one fills the coffee pot

Informal rules: hallway meetings, eat food from

table

Communication: in person and email, sometimes

phone call

Cliques: each department, grad students, interns

Conflict management: never witnessed conflict

but it goes to HR if serious
Human Resources
- Rarely in the office
- What they do:
- Help with the hiring process
- Help train new staff
- Post job openings
- Help with any concerns
- Always available to have a meeting
External
Partners
Social and Political Issues
- A lot of families can’t afford it
- Don’t know they need help
- Not everyone believes there child needs help
- Not enough support from family
- People don’t show up
Hierarchical
Structure
My Orientation
● Oriented by getting a packet, picked my
internship late

● Resource guide: pictures of people

everywhere, go to Sharon

● Invited to graduate meetings

Me at the PDC
● Challenges: boring at first, nervous that I’m

bothering others when I have questions,

working with kids that have ASD and ADHD

● Relationship with supervisor: checks on me in

the internship office, talk in passing

● Project: group work, PECS

Future Me at the PDC
● Want to branch out more

● Don’t want to only work with special needs

children

● Love the multidisciplinary aspect of the

PDC
Pros Cons
- Helping people in need - Sit around a lot

- With kids - Not being able to take lead in

group, that’s for the grad students

- Always learning - Not meeting parents

 Interviews

- What stood out: NICU clinic, a lot of

different diagnoses where OT is needed, a
lot of locations a social worker is needed

- What I wish I would’ve asked: Wished the

OT was younger so I could ask about grad
school stuff, Sharon’s child welfare job