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Updated: Sep 4, 2025
Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
Designing a Sensory Kit to Improve the Environment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Pediatric
1Division of Emergency Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada. sasha.litwin@sickkids.ca.
Insights
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) benefit from sensory kits in emergency departments (EDs). This study involved stakeholders to create and refine these kits, improving care for children with ASD in the ED.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric emergency medicine
- Autism spectrum disorder research
- Healthcare accessibility
Background:
- Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently utilize emergency department (ED) services.
- The ED environment can negatively impact medical care for children with ASD due to sensory overload.
- There is a need for strategies to improve the ED experience for children with ASD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and implement a sensory equipment kit for children with ASD in the ED.
- To gather stakeholder input for kit creation and refinement.
- To provide a model for other EDs to create similar sensory kits.
Main Methods:
- Stakeholder engagement with parents of children with ASD, children with ASD, and ED healthcare providers.
- Iterative improvement of a sensory equipment kit based on user feedback.
- Evaluation through direct observation, parent satisfaction surveys, and healthcare provider interviews.
Main Results:
- A functional sensory equipment kit was developed and implemented in the ED.
- Stakeholder feedback guided iterative improvements to the kit's design and contents.
- The study provided insights into the practical application and benefits of sensory kits in an ED setting.
Conclusions:
- Sensory equipment kits can mitigate the adverse effects of the ED environment for children with ASD.
- Collaborative, stakeholder-driven development is effective for creating tailored healthcare interventions.
- This study offers a replicable framework for enhancing ED care for pediatric patients with ASD.
Abstract:
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have more frequent use of healthcare services, including visits to the emergency department (ED). Medical care for children with ASD can be adversely affected by the highly stimulating environment of the ED. In this study, we gained insights from stakeholders with lived experience (parents of children with ASD, children with ASD, and ED healthcare providers) to create and implement a sensory equipment kit. The kit was evaluated and iteratively improved based on observations of children using the sensory equipment, satisfaction surveys from their parents, and interviews with healthcare providers in the ED. Findings from this study can be used to guide other EDs in creating their own ASD sensory kit.
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