Communicating and managing children and young people with
autism and extensive burn injury

Kennedy, R; Binns, F

Abstract

Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disability that affects
the way an individual communicates and relates to their environment and the people
around them. Children and young people (0–18 years) with autism find change difficult
and can demonstrate challenging behaviours when reacting to new situations. Children
with autism can therefore be difficult to manage in paediatric intensive care settings,
and this can become even more challenging when these children present with extensive
burn injuries. A burns service at one children’s hospital in Manchester explored these
issues among staff, and the reasons why children with autism have challenging hospital
stays. Lack of staff awareness was found to be the key indicator of this, stemming from
concerns relating to patient/staff experience, rights, safety and behaviour, management
skills and improving clinical effectiveness. To ameliorate this situation and improve
care provision, a range of measures have been implemented, including a hospital-wide
care standard, an autism training and education strategy, and development of an autism
‘champion’ role to ensure early intervention. This article outlines the development and
implementation of these measures and future action plans.

Citation

autism and extensive burn injury. Wounds UK, 10(3), 60-65

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 4, 2014
• Publication Date: Sep 16, 2014
• Deposit Date: Nov 24, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Journal: Wounds UK
• Print ISSN: 1746-6814
• Publisher: Wounds UK
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 60-65
• Publisher URL: http://www.wounds-uk.com/journal-articles/communicating-and-managing-children-and-young-people-with-autism-and-extensive-burn-injury
• Related Public URLs: http://www.wounds-uk.com/journal