To help your child prepare for his/her MRI visit, we have created a special picture story that can teach your child what to expect.
This story is part of a series of stories originally developed in collaboration with Norah Johnson, of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and funded through a grant by Autism Speaks.
I am going to Connecticut Children’s to have an MRI. An MRI is a special machine that takes pictures of the inside of my body.
We will leave our car with the valet or in the parking garage.
First, we will go to the front desk. We will get stickers with our names to put on our clothes.
We need to go to Radiology (1J) for my MRI.
We are at Radiology! We will go to the check-in window. The receptionist will talk with my family and type information into the computer.
I will sit in the waiting room. I can watch TV or look at the fish while I wait.
The MRI technologist will call my name. She will look at my bracelet and then bring me to the room. My family will go with me.
The room has a big machine in it. The special bed moves in and out of the machine to take pictures of me. Nothing will touch or hurt me.
The technologist will tell me what to do. I will change my clothes for my MRI because no snaps or zippers are allowed. This is okay. I will put my clothes back on when I am done.
I will put my clothes in a special locker so that they will be safe.
Next, I will stand in front of a metal detector and spin slowly in a circle. I will look for a green light to tell me I am ready.
The technologist will ask my family questions to make sure that I am safe for my MRI.
The technologist will use a special wand to make sure that my mom and I aren’t wearing any metal. The wand will not touch me.
Next, I will go into the room with the MRI scanner. It looks like a large circle with a table in front of it.
I will need to lie on the table.
Sometimes I will have a seatbelt over my lap to remind me to stay still and keep me safe.
The technologist will give me a safety button. If I need to come out of the scanner, I can squeeze it and the bed will slowly come out.
I will wear earplugs to protect my ears from the loud noises that the MRI machine makes.
Sometimes I can listen to music or watch a video while they take the pictures. If I am allowed to do this, the technologist will ask me to choose.
The technologist will tell me if I need to take medicine for my MRI. I will do my best to follow directions.
The table will move me into the big machine. The machine will not touch me. I will not feel them taking my picture. I need to stay very still.
I will stay in the machine while the pictures are being taken. I will hear loud noises. This is okay. The tech will talk to me through the headphones to ask if I am okay.
When the MRI is done, the table will move me out of the machine.
Now I will put my clothes back on.
