Abstracts Category : Other

Treating Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Toolkit for Nursing Professionals with Literature Focus on Gastrointestinal Comorbidities and Their Impact on Behavior

by Audrey Caroline Rice

As the number of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnoses made within the United States continue to increase, more children with the disorder are being treated in acute care settings because of medical comorbidities that commonly coincide. Pediatric nurses often lack the knowledge and awareness necessary to deliver specialized care to these children (Jolly, 2015). Based upon this information, a review of recent literature was conducted to explore ASD, its characteristics, common comorbidities, and how pediatric nurses should modify practice to improve the delivery of care. Electronic databases were searched to find relevant literature from 2002 to 2016, with twenty-seven articles deemed appropriate. An educational toolkit for pediatric nurses was written based upon the reviewed literature, including information about ASD, its associated comorbidities, and evidenced-based interventions to help individualize nursing care. Additionally, a review of literature was performed to investigate gastrointestinal (GI) comorbidities in children with ASD and their impact on increased negative behaviors and need for specialized nursing care. The overall goal is to improve and individualize the delivery of nursing care to children with ASD. ( en )