Alexis Ruffner, MT-BC
Norton Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky
Having a premature infant creates a stressful time for parents. In this podcast, music therapist Alexis Ruffner speaks about the challenges and needs of culturally-diverse families she sees in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Learn from her experiences in caring for NICU families with different cultural backgrounds and discover how she supports parental singing when she does not speak their language.
Resources:
- Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2019). Foster care statistics 2017. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.
- Castro, D., Ayankoya, B., & Karsprzak, C. (2011). New voices, nuevas voces: A guide to cultural & linguistic diversity in early childhood. Brookes.
- Christian, L. G. (2007). Understanding families. Applying family systems theory to early childhood practice. In D. Koralek (Ed.), Spotlight on young children and families (pp. 4–11). NAEYC.
- Moore, T. J., & Asay, S. M. (2007). Family Resource Management. Sage Publication.
- Onchwari, G., Onchwari, J. A., & Keengwe, J. (2008). Teaching the immigrant child: Application of child development theories. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36, 267–273.
- Pew Research Center. (December 17, 2015). Parenting in America: Outlook, worries, aspirations are strongly linked to financial situation. The American family today. https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/12/17/parenting-in-america/
About the Author:
Alexis Ruffner is a board-certified music therapist with NICU training. She mainly works with premature and medically fragile infants and families in a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Louisville, Kentucky. Currently. She currently is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Early Childhood and Family Development.
Contact: apruffner@gmail.com
Suggested Citation:
Ruffner, A. (2020, July 1). Supporting multiculturalism in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) [Audio podcast]. imagine. www.imagine.musictherapy.biz