ASD & Hospitals: Waiting
Our friends with autism experience a unique suite of experiences in the medical health odyssey. Not every provider is trained on ASD, and those that are aren’t necessarily in every environment. No one sees an emergency coming, so when a person with autism needs help at the hospital, it behooves providers to at least have a foundational knowledge of how to help these individuals get the support they need.
The ASD & Hospitals blog post series is aimed at healthcare providers in hospital, inpatient, or outpatient settings. It details ways that individuals with ASD can be supported.
This may be an impossible ask, but it helps to decrease wait times for people with ASD whenever possible. I know, I know, this is a nice dream. But here are some ways to help it along.
If triage results in an unavoidable wait, if possible, provide a quiet place for the person with ASD to wait. This can even be a less occupied corner of the waiting room.
Understand that just entering the hospital can trigger anxiety and challenging behaviors for a person with autism. Support the caregiver where possible.
Whenever possible, allow the caregiver or support staff to accompany the individual.
Utilize hospital resources. If you have a social worker or child life specialist, get that process rolling as soon as possible.
