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Designing a Sensory Kit to Improve the Environment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Pediatric Emergency Department

  • S:I: .Developmental Approach and Targeted Treatment of Sensory Alterations
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Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have more frequent use of healthcare services, including visits to the emergency department (ED). Medical care for children with ASD can be adversely affected by the highly stimulating environment of the ED. In this study, we gained insights from stakeholders with lived experience (parents of children with ASD, children with ASD, and ED healthcare providers) to create and implement a sensory equipment kit. The kit was evaluated and iteratively improved based on observations of children using the sensory equipment, satisfaction surveys from their parents, and interviews with healthcare providers in the ED. Findings from this study can be used to guide other EDs in creating their own ASD sensory kit.

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Acknowledgments

Thank you to the parents who offered their insights. Thank you to Salina Eldon for helping to recruit participants. Thank you to the ED staff and volunteers who championed the kit.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Emergency Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada

    Sasha Litwin

  2. Faculty of Design, Ontario College of Art and Design University, 100 McCaul Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1W1, Canada

    Kate Sellen

Authors
  1. Sasha Litwin
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  2. Kate Sellen
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Contributions

Authors SL and KS conceived and designed the analysis. SL collected and analyzed the data. SL wrote the paper and KS revised the paper.

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Correspondence to Sasha Litwin.

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The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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Litwin, S., Sellen, K. Designing a Sensory Kit to Improve the Environment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Pediatric Emergency Department. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 3369–3379 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05651-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05651-7

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