title: Caring for the child with an autism spectrum disorder in the acute care setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article explores the challenges that patients with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) face when hospitalized and provides assessment strategies and plan-of-care suggestions for nursing caregivers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With a high prevalence rate of medical comorbidities among this population, such as gastrointestinal complaints and seizures, nurses are likely to care for hospitalized patients with an ASD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For a child with an ASD, hospitalization can be an overwhelming sensory and cognitive experience. Nurses equipped with an understanding of the unique needs of a child with ASD can tailor the plan of care to reduce patient and family anxiety, optimize treatment goals, and reduce the stress of hospitalization.
authors.affiliation: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. scarpinato@email.chop.edu
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Scarpinato
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: Kay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurbjun
authors.forename: Xenia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bateman
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Holtzer
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ely
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy*; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D003142:Communication; D015897:Comorbidity; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010371:Pediatric Nursing