Caring for the child with an autism spectrum disorder in the acute care setting.

Purpose: This article explores the challenges that patients with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) face when hospitalized and provides assessment strategies and plan-of-care suggestions for nursing caregivers.

Conclusions: With a high prevalence rate of medical comorbidities among this population, such as gastrointestinal complaints and seizures, nurses are likely to care for hospitalized patients with an ASD.

Practice Implications: For a child with an ASD, hospitalization can be an overwhelming sensory and cognitive experience.