PARENT PRESENT INDUCTION OF ANESTHESIA IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM: PARENTAL PREPARATION

This exploratory study investigated perceptions of parents-caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who were present during induction of anesthesia for their child’s dental procedure. An education handout about the induction experience was developed for the study. Participants completed an 11-item survey assessing parentcaregiver and child anxiety level and usefulness of the handout. A convenience sample of nine parents-caregivers of children with ASD who had dental procedures under general anesthesia and self-identified as able to understand and read English completed a survey about their perceptions of the induction experience. The parents received an educational handout explaining their role and what to expect during their child’s anesthesia induction. Wilcoxon signed-rank test and an upper tailed t test were used to analyze survey responses. Parents-caregivers perceived that their presence during induction of anesthesia helped to reduce the child’s anxiety : mu = 3, p = .005; t = 6.38, p - .000) Findings supported effectiveness of the educational handout that described what parentscaregivers could experience in the operating room during induction of anesthesia : median = 4.67, p = .004; t = 5.74, p = .0002. This study supports parental presence during induction of anesthesia for the child with ASD undergoing dental procedures. It confirms the need to provide parentscaretakers information about anesthesia induction and how their child may react during this process, as well as familiarize parents about what to expect in the operating room.