Visiting a health professional can be a highly stressful experience for individuals with FASD and their families. While caregivers and whānau often have strategies in place at home to limit exposure to sensory information, the sights, sounds, and smells of a health care facility or hospital may be overwhelming for some individuals.
It’s helpful for everyone to have an FASD-informed team of health care providers and administrators to help manage the stress that individuals and families may experience to ensure every visit to their health care provider runs smoothly – especially the first one!
Prepare ahead
Ask patients or caregivers about any necessary support services before their visit.
Notify the treatment team in advance if special accommodations are required.
Offer staff training – talk to us or check out the webinar recordings on our training platform. Start with 'The Basics'.
Designate quiet areas and clearly indicate where sensory accommodations are available.
Improve wait times if possible
Minimise wait times for patients with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their whānau.
Whenever possible, begin assessments and registration in a calm, quiet setting.
Modify the environment
Dim overhead lighting and monitor room temperature; provide blankets if needed.
Offer sensory tools to ease discomfort and help reduce anxiety.
Work with with caregivers
Treat caregivers as the experts on their child's individual needs.
Ask about successful strategies, sensory sensitivities and preferred communication styles.
Encourage caregivers to comfort and redirect their tamariki or rangatahi if distress escalates.
Always allow the primary caregiver to accompany their tamaiti during assessments and procedures.
Pay attention to signs of caregiver stress and offer coping support if needed.
Involve the caregiver in interpreting pain responses, which may vary widely in FASD.
Communicate effectively
Use our 'KiSSSSSS' pānui to inform your team's communication with patients with FASD.
Gather information thoughtfully
Begin by collecting the patient’s history from the caregiver, then clarify with the individual.
Verify responses carefully, as memory and storytelling may be impaired.
Ask targeted, sequential questions to uncover relevant information.
Use direct questions such as “Do you have a cough?” instead of open-ended ones like “How are you feeling?”
Follow up
Write down explicit instructions or offer visual step-by-step guides for post-visit actions.
Refer patients or caregivers to local support where possible, or direct them to our website.
Where possible, follow up to reinforce guidance and offer reassurance.
* Thanks to CanFASD for providing the basis of the above points.
