Children with ASD prefer routine (Chebuhar et al., 2012). A routine is a comfort mechanism for the child with ASD, and these routines are always disrupted by hospitalization. It is difficult to replicate a child’s routine in the hospital setting. However, all attempts should be made to regulate the child’s schedule while hospitalized and abide by as much of the home schedule schedule as possible. Keeping meal times, activities of daily living care times, and play times the same can decrease the anxiety and agitation levels of both the child and the family (Scarpinato et al., 2010). It is important to encourage the child’s family to bring in favorite object to act as a source of comfort as well. If a patient prefers certain foods or has a hypersensitivity to smells, the family should feel free to bring in food from home to decrease the number of variations from the regular routine.
The nurse caring for the child should also advocate to minimize interruptions to the child’s sleep pattern because children with ASD often struggle with sleep (Myers & Johnson, 2012). If the patient is medically stable, avoiding overnight vital signs and medication administration during established rest periods may help reduce the anxiety level of the child. If disruptions to the established schedule need to occur, informing the child of the change in concrete, simple terms should be attempted prior to performing any new tasks (Johnson et al., 2012).