Browsing by Subject "Neurodivergent"

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    Strategies for optimal management of pediatric acute agitation in emergency settings
    (Wiley, 2024-08-23) Saidinejad, Mohsen; Foster, Ashley A.; Santillanes, Genevieve; Li, Joyce; Wallin, Dina; Barata, Isabel A.; Joseph, Madeline; Rose, Emily; Cheng, Tabitha; Waseem, Muhammad; Berg, Kathleen; Hooley, Gwendolyn; Ruttan, Timothy; Shahid, Sam; Lam, Samuel H. F.; Amanullah, Siraj; Lin, Sophia; Heniff, Melanie S.; Brown, Kathleen; Gausche-Hill, Marianne; ACEP Pediatric Emergency Medicine Committee; Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine
    Acute agitation in youth is a challenging presentation to the emergency department. In many cases, however, youth can be behaviorally de-escalated using a combination of environmental modification and verbal de-escalation. In cases where additional strategies such as pharmacologic de-escalation or physical restraint are needed, using the least restrictive means possible, including the youth in the decision-making process, and providing options are important. This paper reviews specific considerations on the approach to a youth with acute agitation and strategies and techniques to successfully de-escalate agitated youth who pose a danger to themselves and/or others.
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    Tailoring Dental Appointments for Neurodivergent Children
    (2025-05) Chelmella, Payton; Van Antwerp, Leah; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Steele, Jaime
    Many neurodivergent children have a difficult time during their dental visits or cannot find a dental office willing to treat them. This doctoral capstone project aimed to give a local pediatric dentist office the information and experience they need to confidently provide care for neurodivergent patients and patients with dental anxiety. Six evidence-based themes about beneficial adaptations and modifications were addressed, including: acclimating to the dentist, desensitization, patient care beyond the chair, child behavior management, adaptive communication, and sensory processing. The capstone student provided the dental team with additional information during the project, but the above themes were emphasized the most. The dental team members completed a pre-survey (9 participants) and post-survey (8 participants) to evaluate their knowledge and confidence in three areas: general knowledge about adaptations and modifications, perceived knowledge about concepts relating to specific adaptations and modifications, and their confidence in implementing specific adaptations and modifications. The results show that the three categories had a statistically significant difference between pre-survey and post-survey results with a medium to large effect size. This project had a strong impact on the dental team’s knowledge and confidence in ways to treat their neurodivergent patients and patients with dental anxiety, therefore, this project shows that occupational therapy has a valuable place in pediatric dental settings.