A "Whole Child Approach": Parent Experiences with Acute Care Hospitalizations for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Behavioral Health Needs.

Researchers talked to 12 parents about their experiences when their autistic children were hospitalized for mental health reasons. They found that three main things affected how well the hospital stay went: the child's specific needs (like how they communicate and handle sounds), how well the family worked with doctors and nurses, and how comfortable and knowledgeable the hospital staff were about autism. Every family's experience was different based on their child's unique needs.

This qualitative study explored parent experiences during hospital stays for children with autism spectrum disorder and behavioral health needs. Researchers conducted focus groups with 12 parents whose children were admitted to a pediatric hospital. The study identified three key factor categories influencing hospitalization experiences: child factors (communication, sensory, behavioral, medical, and safety needs), family factors (relationships with healthcare teams, family needs, and advocacy experiences), and staff factors (communication practices, comfort level, and knowledge). Findings revealed that experiences varied widely based on each child's unique needs, highlighting the complexity of providing appropriate care for this population during behavioral health crises and pointing to specific practices that could improve outcomes.

Hospital staff require autism-specific training on communication, sensory needs, and behavioral supports. Care plans should address individual child factors while supporting family advocacy and involvement. Standardized approaches may be insufficient given the wide variation in experiences and needs.

Small sample size of 12 parents limits generalizability. Single hospital setting may not represent diverse healthcare contexts. Qualitative design provides depth but cannot establish causal relationships or quantify outcomes.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience increased hospitalizations as compared to the general population, particularly in the context of mental health crises. Given the unique needs of children with ASD and behavioral health needs that can either lead to or emerge during hospitalization, an understanding of hospital experiences is critical. To date, research on caregiver experiences in acute care medical hospital settings is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate caregiver experiences with inpatient care for children with ASD and behavioral health needs, including factors and practices that impacted or were desirable for care.

Two focus groups were conducted with a total of 12 parents of children with ASD admitted to a large pediatric hospital. Data were analyzed using interpretive description. Emerging themes pointed to the child, family, and staff factors and practices that intersect to influence hospitalization experiences. Child factors included the child's communication, sensory, behavioral, medical, and safety needs.

Family factors included the family's relationship with the healthcare team, own needs, and advocacy experiences. Staff factors included staff communication practices, comfort, and knowledge when providing care. Overall, this research demonstrates the complexity of factors and practices that impact the behavioral health hospitalization experience for children with ASD and their caregivers. Experiences varied widely and were guided by the unique needs of each child.

Findings point to care practices that can be adopted to best meet the needs of all stakeholders during hospitalization and offer implications for future educational initiatives.