Friday, 01 July 2011
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Taking a Child with Autism to the Dentist
Teeth need to be taken care of no matter what. We all have to eat, and good oral hygiene is essential to a good quality of life especially when an individual is already burdened with a learning disorder such as autism. But when your child suffers from autism, getting him or her to embrace oral hygiene as well as visit the dentist can be an extraordinary challenge. It’s hard enough convincing children they should trust a stranger who wears a mask to probe their mouth with scary-looking tools. Children with autism often experience a sensory overload when going to get their teeth checked up. Unlike a normal doctor’s visit, which has been a tradition for a tot’s whole life, a dentist can be incredibly frightening when a child with autism is three, four, or five years old when they make their first visit.
It’s a dilemma that is being considered by many American oral health professionals, from Seattle orthodontist to Miami dentists. Dental care is a health service that is necessary for all people, so the move to make the oral hygiene experience a better one for those with autism and other disorders that inhibit social interaction is a top priority. Websites exist meant to help dentists understand the particulars of autism and what they can do to provide those with autism a comfortable atmosphere. It’s much the same stuff as dentists do to make children more comfortable in general, but some important specific information is relayed to dentists they may otherwise not think to consider when welcoming and helping a patient with autism.
Autism Speaks is also getting in on the action. They’ve released an incredibly detailed guide to oral hygiene (with nice animations) that is targeted towards parents of children with autism. For instance the guide suggests using a timer when training an autistic child how to brush their own teeth, to help establish a more orderly and therefore more enjoyable experience for the kid. It also provides great information on what to do when it comes time to visit the dentist, such as making sure the child sees photographs of the office and equipment before the appointment. The guide can be seen by clicking here.
Poor oral hygiene is a problem for anybody, but when someone has autism the affliction may be incredibly difficult to counteract without serious dedication. The solution, as it is with everyone, is to thwart such problems before they start. Proactively pursue ways to get your autistic child used to oral hygiene and visits to the dentist and scratch that accomplishment off the list.
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About the Author
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- From: autismlearningfelt
- About Me: I am a WAHM, with two children. My daughter is 5 and my son is 10. My 10 year old son is diagnosed with Autism. I have a home-based business, www.learningfelt.com . Great creative and fun activities with felt for children. This blog is for sharing my experiences raising my son, product reviews, giveaways and sharing whatever items I find and want to share with all my readers. Read more at my blog: http://www.autismlearningfelt.com/
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Comments (3)
There is a really great place in Philadelphia my work takes most of our kids to, if they accept their insurance. "Special Smiles" in a portion of Temple University Hospital is super amazing and understanding, I wish places like that could exist everywhere on earth.
I know a lot of children, some very closely with autism, and while I do not at all argue that it is much more difficult for a child with autism to feel comfortable with a dentist and dentist's office, and that it can be hard to have them sit still enough and endure any type of pain...
This really isn't a huge priority, children have been attending the regular dentist office since forever and they've managed just fine. Regardless of the facility or how kind and patient a dentist is with the child, it's going to be a scary and difficult and a little challenging, but that's kind of just how it works wiht a person with exceptionalities.This is how it CAN work with any child. While I do hope you can find a dentist that is appealing to you, I think it is important to realize that because people have differences, not each and every one can be catered to with every building and person they encounter.
I have a disability, and even as an adult I do have difficult but do go to the dentist, it mainly because I dislike my teeth, fear of pain, even though the dentist is making my teeth better.
Prefer to go private if we could affort it than NHS treatment in the United Kingdom, than I could find a dentist who could spend more time with me, even though my current dentist is patience with me.