Medical appointments and autism
There is a whole new level of need with medical appointments or emergencies with a child on the spectrum. I can’t remember our mother making special comments about the appointment. Yes, ,we were going to have an injection or whatever….and that was it.
However, when you come to a person on the autistic spectrum, life is really different. You can’t just “go to an appointment/emergency/operation. They need to be prepared because otherwise their behaviour can cause issues. I have been in some where life has been….well, interesting….for want of a better word.
Mostly I will admit that every time I have said something to Johnathan about how he needs to be in the doctor’s surgery or the emergency room or wherever we are going. Because I know he can cause a whole load of problems if I don’t. life can be well, unusual. However, there are times things can go really wrong that you don’t even plan for, so it’s wise to be prepared.
One thing I DO forget often is his headphones. And we were going to the emergency room and they put us in a cubicle and someone down the hallway was screaming their head off. Johnathan couldn’t stand the noise so he started screaming to cover it. As this was a sensory issue, I asked them if they could put us somewhere else so he would be able to stop. The moment he couldn’t hear the screaming, he stopped, just as I expected.
There are times when i find you have to advocate for your child either because they don’t understand what’s going on or you know they won’t cope with a certain procedure. Whatever happens, you need to stand your ground because they need it. And it’s not fair to the person on the spectrum to give them more trauma than they normally are.
So, one time Johnathan was due a surgery - I think he was 2, to look at his digestive system. And I was told he needed a cold cream on the back of his hand and he started getting really agitated. I told the nurse she would have to remove it because he didn’t like the sensory experience. Once it had been removed I was told that they would inject into him which would put him out. I told them they needed to gas him first and they told me they don’t do that for children.
When we went into the pre-op area, they tried to hold him down and inject him. He was thrashing around and screaming, so eventually they just put a mask over his face and put him out that way. Sometimes (often) Mummy does know best!