Managing children with autism spectrum disorders in emergency departments

Abstract

Taking care of children with autism spectrum disorders is not uncommon in emergency departments as they visit hospital for acute medical and psychiatric conditions. The current prevalence and increasing incidence of autism spectrum disorders will increase the demand for hospital and outpatient services for these children, necessitating education of health care professionals and system adaptations. This paper describes a patient with autism spectrum disorder who had some challenging behavior in the emergency department when he presented with anaphylaxis and discusses management strategies that would help in caring for children with autism spectrum disorders.