What we currently do:
MagicAid performs magic for patients on the inpatient Pediatrics floor and in the Pediatrics Emergency Room, as well as wherever else needed! We also perform for local charity and hospital events. In addition to performing magic, we teach kids magic and leave them with tricks that they enthusiastically perform for their visiting family members, friends, and healthcare providers.

Projects in progress:
Occupational/ Physical Therapy – We are working on a pilot study with the PT and OT departments at Stony Brook University Hospital. The goal is to create a magic therapy protocol which can then be used to treat patients with 1) hand injury or 2) brain injury.

Hand injury: By teaching the patients and assigning them to master certain magic tricks, they can improve muscle function and dexterity. Magic tricks can be customized to the patient in order to work on whichever deficit they are experiencing.
Brain injury: By teaching the patients and assigning them to master certain magic tricks, they can improve their cognitive ability. Magic tricks can be customized to help patients with memory recall, pattern recognition, and logic development. By making therapeutic exercises more fun and having a concrete goal of mastering the magic trick, the hope is that patient compliance will increase, and eventually lead to better outcomes.

Research – In collaboration with the Pediatrics, Anesthesia, and Emergency Medicine, we are studying whether magic can relieve stress and anxiety in pre-op/inpatient pediatrics patients.
In collaboration with the Department of Psychology, we are looking into the possibility of using magic as a therapeutic tool to improve social skills in children with autism.