Preparing for a Successful Dental Visit with your Autistic Child

Going to the dentist can be an extremely stressful time for autistic children (and their parents). Preparing your child and providing them with appropriate executive functioning, sensory, or communication supports will go a long way in having a more successful dental appointment. 

PREPARATION

• Plan ahead for what supports your child will need during the visit

  • Visual supports: pictures showing the steps of the visit

  • Communication supports (Send us a message if you would like to receive a printable communication board you can bring to your next dental visit)

• Sensory Supports

• Improve predictability by showing pictures, videos or even doing an in-person walk through of the dentist’s office in the days leading up to their visit

• Improve predictability by talking about or showing videos of what happens during a dentist visit

• Discuss the reason “why” we need to go to the dentist. This should be done in a factual way without causing fear.

• Discuss ahead of time what your child should do if they are beginning to feel dysregulated or if they need a break. This could be a signal- raising their hand, verbalizing “I need a break” or using the “stop” symbol on a communication board. 

DURING

• Have easy access to any supports that you brought

• Honor consent the entire visit. If your child is non-speaking then we need to listen and watch for changes in their body language. This means if they are turning their head away, pushing the dentist's arm away or crying then the dentist needs to stop. You will most likely have to advocate for your child and tell the dentist they need to stop. This also means stopping even if the dentist is “almost done” or stopping before every tooth has been cleaned. You can always resume the cleaning if your child feels comfortable again after taking a break or you might need to schedule an additional visit. Your child knowing they have control over what happens to their body is way more important in life than a dental cleaning and it will also lead to more successful dental visits in the future.

AFTER

• Plan for a “feel good” activity afterwards. This is not a reward but instead a way to help your child re-regulate after a potentially stressful or unpleasant experience. The “feel good” activity should take place whether they sat through 3 minutes of a cleaning or the entire appointment.

• Later that day ask your child how they felt during the visit. Discuss what sensory or communication supports they felt were useful. Ask what they think could be improved for the next visit.

I hope you found these tips to be helpful in preparing your child for their next dental appointment. By preparing, providing needed support and honoring consent we can set our children up for future successful dental appointments and good oral health.

Send a request through through the button below if you would like to receive a printable communication support board to use during future visits.

If you would like additional help in preparing for a dental visit or if you need help figuring out your child’s sensory needs then reach out today to schedule an occupational therapy evaluation.