Caring for a Child With Autism in the Emergency Department

1820 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Challenges for parents of autistic children

Introduction
1 out of 88 people are diagnosed with autism. 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in socialization, communication, and repetitive behaviors. 1,2 There is a wide range of symptoms as well as variations in levels of developmental delay and cognition. 1, 3 As the prevalence of autism continues to rise, more children with ASD are being seen in the emergency department. Healthcare staff often struggle to communicate effectively with this population of children and have difficulty finding appropriate interventions when challenging behaviors occur. 1 A 2011 study conducted in Pennsylvania surveyed 3500 parents of individuals with autism who had required an emergency department or hospital evaluation. 28(%) of the respondents reported having negative experiences and unwanted outcomes. (original: The results were attributed to lack of communication, education and experience of ED personnel who were evaluating and treating individuals with autism. 2 )(better: The authors of this study attributed these less than desirable outcomes to the several factors. First, the ED personnel lacked training about the characteristics of autism. Second, they had little experience treating individuals with autism. The purpose of this article is to explore barriers to caring for pediatric patients with autism throughout various stages of the ED course and provide recommendations to improve patient comfort and safety, quality of care, and family satisfaction.
Arrival and waiting
Children with autism often find comfort in strict adherence to routine. An unplanned visit to the emergency department interrupts their schedule, which may build upon the anxiety that is already present from...

... middle of paper ...

...10. Kopecky K, Broder-Fingert S, Iannuzzi D, Connors S. The needs of hospitalized patients with autism spetrum disorders: A parent survey. Clinical Pediatrics. 2013;52(7):652-660.
11. Tucker S, Derscheid D, Odegarden S, Olson ME. Evidence-based training for enhancing psychiatric nurses' child behavior management skills. J Nurses Staff Dev. 2008;24(2):75-85.
12. Shellenbarger T. Overview and helpful hints for caring for the ED patient with asperger's syndrome. J Emerg Nurs. 2004;30(3):278-280.
13. Tagon T, Bryan Y, Kurth C. Pediatric radiology sedation and anesthesia. international anesthesiology clinics. Frontiers in Pediatric Anesthesiology. 2006;44(1):65-79.
14. Bass K. Specialty: Autism approaches need to be tailored to each person. The Pennsylvania Nurse. 2006;6(1):14-16.
15. Thorne A. Are you ready to give care to a child with autism? Nursing. 2007;37(5):59-61.

Show More
Related

  • Leo Kanner And Asperger Syndrome

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 1940’s two doctors in different countries observed children displaying similar behaviors and deficits. One of the doctors was Viennese pediatrician Dr. Hans Asperger and the other was a child psychiatrist named Leo Kanner. Dr. Kanner was the first of the two doctors to report his observations. What he described were behaviors similar to those seen in children with what we call Autistic disorder. The behaviors affected the children’s communication, social interaction and interests. Dr. Asperger later published an article discussing what he dubbed “Autistische Psychpathen im Kindesalter” which translates to “Autistic Psychopathy”. Although some behaviors overlapped, there were differences leading to the belief that these doctors were documenting two different disorders. The two most prevalent were the differences in motor and language abilities (Miller, Ozonoff). Another was Asperger’s belief that his patients were of normal or above average intelligence. It was not until 1994 that Asperger Syndrome was entered into the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM IV), finally becoming an official diagnosis. At the time, Asperger Syndrome (AS) was labeled as a subcategory of autism along with autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive development disorder. Since then, the community of people with Asperger Syndrome has grown to love and better understand the disorder that they live with every day. Some of them have even affectionately named themselves “Aspies”.

    Read More

  • Living with Asperger's Syndrome

    560 Words  | 2 Pages

    Where does the name Asperger's Syndrome come from? Over fifty years ago, a Viennese pediatrician,...

    Read More

  • Autism Literature Review Essay

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    For the purpose of these literature review a search was done using PubMed which is available through the Medical Library of the National Guard Health Services. This research focus is Autism and its management. Using these four key words "Autism" "definition" , "symptoms", and "treatment". As result, nine papers were found and this literature review summarizes them.

    Read More

  • Considerations of Individuality in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Autism

    2050 Words  | 5 Pages

    There is no standard ‘type’ or ‘typical’ person with autism. Parents may hear more than one label applied to the same child: autistic-like, learning disabled with autistic tendencies, high functioning or low functioning autism. These labels don’t describe differences between children as much as they indicate differences between professionals’ training, vocabulary and exposure to autism (1)

    Read More

  • Early Intervention is Crucial in Treating Autism Spectrum Disorder

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Your child has autism spectrum disorder” are words no parent wants to hear. They are words that will instill fear, worry, and sadness. When parents hear this for the first time, they will have many questions. “Is there anything I can do to help my child? If so, what can be done?” Early intervention services; such as applied behavior analysis therapy, occupational therapy, sensory integration therapy, and speech therapy before the age of three; can help improve the development of children with autism spectrum disorder. As an educator, early intervention is a subject teachers should be well educated in. It would be beneficial to the educator and the student, for a teacher to know and understand early intervention strategies.

    Read More

  • ABA Therapy and Autism

    1267 Words  | 3 Pages

    Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that effects the brains development. It is characterized by affecting communication, cognition and social interaction. The spectrum of the disorders ranges from a mild condition called Asperger’s syndrome to a more severe form, which severely impairer’s development. The Office of Communications and Public Liaison states that the disorder affects one and eighty-eight children, however ASD effects boys more frequently than girls (Office of Communications and Public Liaison, 2013). ASD emerges in all age, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The significant varied character and severity of the disorder is why ASD is considered a spectrum that poses a broad range of symptoms.

    Read More

  • The Truths of Autism

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every year doctors diagnose thousands of adults and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Due to the growing awareness of autism and recent developments in technology, scientists and doctors can now discover and observe the effects of autism on society, and people. Starting with its discovery, researchers have been able to diagnose people more effectively. Doctors are beginning to discover what causes this disorder, and are currently trying to find ways to prevent and treat it. Many places have opened their doors to people with this disorder, creating autistic friendly environments where people are patient and understanding. Schools have also become accommodating to autistic children and adults. Autism also puts great strain on family and home lives.

    Read More

  • What is Asperger Syndrome?

    2757 Words  | 6 Pages

    Many people across the world are unfamiliar with disorders associated with autism. Some people do not even know what autism actually is. Asperger’s Syndrome is one perplexing disorder, of countless, that needs to be acknowledged. Although it is one of the more well-known disorders, an understanding of Asperger’s is far from common knowledge. There is an abundance of misconceptions and people unaware of what Asperger Syndrome actually is. Being uncertain about the characteristics of a person with Asperger’s allows people to go through life not understanding the disorder itself and people who have it.

    Read More

  • Role Stress Has On a Family With A Child With Autism

    1597 Words  | 4 Pages

    Snell, M. E. (2003). Autism, Education of Individuals with. In J. W. Guthrie (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Education (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 161-162). New York: Macmillan Reference USA.

    Read More

  • Advice For Teaching High Functioning People with Autism

    1238 Words  | 3 Pages

    This paper was reprinted with permission of Susan Moreno on the O.A.S.I.S. (Online Asperger's Syndrome Information and Support)

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Children With Autism

    616 Words  | 2 Pages

    65 children, 52 boys and 13 girls who were not diagnosed with autism, from 3 different clinics, were used for this study. They were under 3 years of age, they were referred to the clinics due to social and/or language issues, and their parents provided informed consent. The children had also previously had 2 independent diagnostic evaluations. A second group of 37 children were used from this sample, th...

    Read More

  • Observing a Child with Autism

    1802 Words  | 4 Pages

    Cody is an eight-year-old boy diagnosed with autism. Cody tends to perseverant on things that are dangerous. He often verbalizes “glass is dangerous, it cuts your eye, call 211, go to the hospital.” Cody also tends to stare off into space and is socially inappropriate.

    Read More

  • Teaching Children with Autism

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dempsey, I. & Foreman, P. ( 2001). A Review of Educational Approaches for Individuals with Autism. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 48 (1), 105-116.

    Read More

  • Treatments For Autism

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many treatments have been suggested to parents for children with autism. An Internet survey was carried out and allocated to parents in order to classify the treatments applied by parents of children with autism. Almost all 108 of the 111 treatments recorded in the survey were used by at least one parent. An overall of 764 surveys were presented to the website throughout the 3-month data gathering tim...

    Read More

  • Case Study of a Child with Autism

    1292 Words  | 3 Pages

    tried giving him a drink or some food in the hope that she had guessed

    Read More

More about Caring for a Child With Autism in the Emergency Department

Open Document