PREPARATION BEFORE THE PROCEDURE
PokePals helps children understand and rehearse medical experiences before fear becomes crisis.
Poke Pals™ helps children understand and rehearse medical experiences before fear becomes crisis.
Through hands-on, sensory-aware workshops, children can explore medical equipment, practice coping and communication, make meaningful choices, and learn what to expect—without the pressure of completing an actual procedure.
Because the first time a child encounters a tourniquet, blood-pressure cuff, needle supplies, or unfamiliar medical sensations should not have to be the moment the procedure must succeed.
The order leaves your office. The experience doesn't
A pediatrician may order necessary blood work and send a family to an outside laboratory.
What happens next is often invisible to the practice.
The child may encounter unfamiliar equipment, sensory overload, multiple attempts, escalating distress, physical restraint, or a collection that cannot be completed. The family may leave without a specimen—and the pediatrician may receive little information beyond the absence of a result.
But that experience follows the child.
Fear learned during one blood draw can affect the next vaccination, dental visit, examination, imaging appointment, or necessary procedure.
Poke Pals™ addresses the preparation gap before the child enters the procedure room.
TRUST TRANSFERS. SO DOES TRAUMA.
Children do not experience the laboratory, pediatrician, dentist, and imaging department as unrelated systems. They bring the memory of each encounter into the next one.
Every experience helps answer the same question:
Am I safe when people care for my body?
WHAT CHILDREN EXPERIENCE AT Poke Pals™
Poke Pals™ gives children an opportunity to explore and practice before an actual procedure is required.
Through structured, hands-on stations, children may:
• See and touch unfamiliar medical materials at their own pace
• Learn the sequence of a blood draw or other medical encounter
• Practice communicating “stop,” “more time,” “I’m ready,” or “I need help”
• Explore sensory elements without the pressure to complete a procedure
• Identify coping tools and comfort preferences
• Make meaningful choices about how they participate
• Build familiarity through play, repetition, and predictable language
No blood draws or invasive procedures are performed during Poke Pals workshops.
The goal is not to promise perfect cooperation or a successful procedure. It is to give children preparation, language, choice, and a safer starting point.
FAMILIES SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY TO MAKE HEALTHCARE ACCESSIBLE
Our goal is to provide Poke Pals workshops at no cost to participating children and families.
The program is designed to be supported through:
• Pediatric practice and healthcare partnerships
• Community sponsorships
• Grants and charitable funding
• Organizations investing in pediatric access and patient experience
Families already carry the emotional, logistical, and financial burden of difficult medical care. They should not also be expected to finance the preparation that makes that care more accessible.
SEEKING A PEDIATRIC PRACTICE PILOT PARTNER
Poke Pals™ is seeking one pediatric practice interested in hosting an introductory workshop at no cost to the practice or participating families.
The pilot will demonstrate what child-centered medical preparation can look like in a familiar, trusted setting.
Poke Pals will provide:
• A structured, hands-on preparation experience
• Child-friendly medical-learning stations
• Sensory-aware activities and communication supports
• Workshop materials and facilitation
• A brief caregiver-feedback process
• A post-pilot summary and partnership conversation
The participating practice will help identify an appropriate space, invite a small group of families, and provide feedback on feasibility and future needs.
No blood draws or invasive procedures are performed during a Poke Pals workshop.
WHO POKE PALS IS FOR
Poke Pals™ is designed for children who may benefit from additional preparation before medical care, including children who:
• Experience significant medical fear or anxiety
• Are autistic, neurodivergent, or sensory-sensitive
• Communicate without speech or use alternative communication
• Have had a previous difficult or traumatic medical experience
• Need more time, repetition, predictability, or control
• Are preparing for an unfamiliar procedure for the first time
A diagnosis is not required.
Children do not have to reach a crisis before they deserve preparation.
WHY PREPARATION BELONGS BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT
During an actual medical procedure, the child is expected to process unfamiliar sensations, understand instructions, regulate fear, communicate needs, and remain physically available for care—all while the healthcare team works within real clinical and scheduling demands.
That is an enormous amount to ask in one moment.
Poke Pals moves learning and exploration earlier, into a setting where the child can slow down, ask questions, practice, pause, and leave without a procedure having to be completed.
Preparation cannot guarantee that every future encounter will succeed.
But children deserve the opportunity to arrive with more understanding, more communication, and more trust than they had before.
BUILT AT THE INTERSECTION OF PEDIATRIC HEALTHCARE AND BEHAVIORAL SUPPORT
Poke Pals™ was founded by Franchesca Kelly, an ASCP-certified pediatric phlebotomist, Medical Laboratory Assistant, Registered Behavior Technician, writer, and researcher.
Her work combines more than nine years of pediatric blood-collection experience with direct behavioral support for neurodivergent children.
Poke Pals grew from a simple observation:
Healthcare teams are trained to perform procedures. Children are not always given the preparation they need to participate in them.
HELP MAKE PREPARATION FREE FOR FAMILIES
Poke Pals™ is building a partnership-supported model so the cost of preparation does not fall on the families already carrying the burden of difficult medical care.
PEDIATRIC PRACTICES
Host an introductory Poke Pals workshop.
HEALTHCARE AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Sponsor workshops for children and families.
FAMILIES AND CAREGIVERS
Explore preparation resources and learn what to ask before your child’s next procedure.
More from Poke Pals founder Franchesca Kelly
In Beyond the Card: When Visual Supports Stop Supporting, Franchesca explores communication, autonomy, and what adults may miss when we focus on performance before understanding the child.
https://autismspectrumnews.org/beyond-the-card-when-visual-supports-stop-supporting/
- ASCP Critical Values (2024, 2025, 2026)
- Contemporary Pediatrics
- Clinical Lab Products
Visit: youtube.com/@PokePalsKids
Published Work & Thought Leadership
Selected articles on pediatric phlebotomy, medical anxiety, and trauma-informed outpatient care.
https://clpmag.com/diagnostic-technologies/pediatric-testing-problems-labs-arent-measuring/
Storyboards
Preparation Tools (Storyboards)
Some children need to see what’s coming before they can feel safe.
Poke Pals storyboards walk children through medical procedures step-by-step using simple visuals and predictable language.
Available for:
- blood draws
- vaccinations
- dental visits
- imaging (MRI/CT)
- and more
→ Visit the Poke Pals Shop
https://www.etsy.com/shop/PokePalsKids?ref=dashboard-header
