Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Anesthesia and Radiographic Context

Abstract

A caring encounter involving a child with ASD in the anesthesia and radiology contexts requires advance planning, catered specifically to the individual needs of each child. To accomplish this, general knowledge regarding ASD and ASD's particular manifestation in the child entrusted to their care is required from the health care workers. The organization needs to have structures in place to facilitate this process.

A systematic review of person-centred adjustments to facilitate magnetic resonance imaging for autistic patients without the use of sedation or anaesthesia

“…Optimisation of communication was found to be vital for an autism-friendly MRI service. Specifically, contacting autistic individuals and their parents/carers prior to the examination to provide customised patient care before the MRI scan was widely seen as useful practice ( Berglund et al, 2017 ; DeMayo et al, 2021 ; Erickson et al, 2012 ; Nordahl et al, 2016 ; Björkman et al, 2017 ; Pua et al, 2020 ; Tziraki et al, 2021 ; Yamada et al, 2020 ), as was encouraging radiographers to wear staff ID cards to help patients with face–name associations ( Pua et al, 2020 ). Also, pre-scan interviews with autistic children and their parents play an important role in pre-MRI communication ( Gabrielsen et al, 2018 ).…”

“…The implementation of a flowchart with visual cues to guide the patient through the procedure has also been recommended ( DeMayo et al, 2021 ; Pua et al, 2020 ). In addition, extra time should be allocated to communicate with autistic patients, to explain the procedure in detail and answer any queries ( Berglund et al, 2017 ; Horien et al, 2020 ; Nordahl et al, 2016 ; Björkman et al, 2017 ; Tziraki et al, 2021 ). Prior notification to radiographers of any examinations scheduled for autistic patients was vital ( Berglund et al, 2017 ), as was the need to equip radiographers with the specific knowledge and skills to support and manage autistic patients ( Björkman et al, 2017 ).…”

Considerações Anestésicas Em Pacientes Pediátricos Com Transtorno Do Espectro Autista

“…Como conclusões, os pesquisadores relataram que as aplicações de anestesia e radiologia que envolvem crianças com TEA requereriam um planejamento prévio, atendendo especificamente às necessidades individuais de cada criança. Para isso, seria necessário que os profissionais de saúde tivessem conhecimentos básicos sobre os TEA e sua manifestação particular na criança confiada aos seus cuidados e a organização precisaria ter estruturas estabelecidas para facilitar esse processo 7 .…”

Behavioral training and mirroring techniques to prepare elective anesthesia in severe autistic spectrum disorder patients: An illustrative case and review

“…While early literature reports focused on how to deal with the combative or uncooperative patient, more recently there has been a recognized need to address the root causes of behavioral difficulties as a means to improve hospital experiences for these patients. There is no uniform consensus on the unique needs of this population, which perhaps may explain, in part, the lack of evidence‐based guidelines . Recent research publication has further highlighted a need for both an adapted hospital structure and advanced planning to meet the patient's individual needs .…”

“…There is no uniform consensus on the unique needs of this population, which perhaps may explain, in part, the lack of evidence-based guidelines. 6 Recent research publication has further highlighted a need for both an adapted hospital structure and advanced planning to meet the patient's individual needs. 7 Advanced planning requires: collaboration with the caregivers, communication of information gathered from caregivers to the perioperative staff, and modification of the perioperative environment/course based on the patient's specific needs.…”