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8. The Doctor's Office

When Christopher was very small, we spent plenty of time in doctor's offices. The worst visit was when my husband took Christopher to see an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist and the two of them were forced to wait over three hours! My son took apart all of the magazines, climbed over and under all of the waiting room furniture, and hosed down the carpet with the drinking fountain. By the time they were seen by the doctor, my husband was so angry for being detained so long that the doctor waived his fee for the visit.

The best visits to the doctor are when we are able to schedule the appointment near the end of the day, or at the very beginning, so that the wait will not be too terribly long.It is also better if the doctor has a few children's books or toys in the waiting area. If we can dim the flourescent lights a bit, that helps, too.

I have learned that Christopher is able to sit in a chair and wait quietly for about 30 minutes if I give hime a 20 ounce Sprite to sit and drink while he is waiting. I use Social Stories to give him an idea of what to expect. I draw little stick figures with cartoon "ouch" synbols pointing to the part that the doctor will be directing his attention to (ears, etc.) He is generally cooperative about basic physical examinations, as long as the doctor does not try to mess with his ears too much. Anything that requires a great deal of cooperation though, requires general anesthesia.

Mary wrote:

" My worst experience was in the doctors office after he had his tonsils out. I tried to prepare him for the interaction for with the Doctor, but while we were in the waiting room he was like a wild child.

People kept watching me to see what I was going to do. I finally put him in my lap to keep him contained, but I wanted to stand up and scream He's autistic it's okay he acts this way!"

Jypsy wrote:

Dentist ....Not a great time for any kid. We have a great pediatric dentist who happens to be the closest dentist and his wife is our family dentist. Alex at first roared his way through most exams When he needed work that required a level of cooperation, he was put under. As time went on it got easier. Alex now goes to the dentist saying "no crying". He gets laughing gas and tries very hard to cooperate. He used to cover his ears the entire time, now we let him use the headphones that go with the TV on the ceiling.

P.S. I found this page and I hope it is useful....Janet Lawrence

Special Procedures For Children With Autism In The Dentist Office
A class report by Brent Philpot
an Undergrad Senior At University of Arkansas
April 16, 1997

Web Page Author: Janet Lawrence
Snail Mail: 878 Osborne Road, Hazel, KY 48039
Updated: 8/29/98
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Email: tjlawrence@kih.net