broken arm and sensory problems?

Post Reply New Topic

My daughter who is 12 and has autism broke her arm in school today (she punched a boy and it broke, hopefully it will teach her violence does not pay!). We spent the afternoon in hospital and they put on a temporary plaster which will be changed for a proper one next week.

She was very brave as it was a long wait and very stressful but she was very good. Her TA and a spare teacher came with her as she has challenging behaviour and they were worried she would refuse treatment. However next week when we have to get the plaster changed they wont be coming with us and Im worried that my daughter will be difficult and upset.

She has very strong sensory problems and hates dusty, wet, gritty, cloth textures so will really struggle with the plastering process. This time she screamed the whole time it was done and for the xray (but she let them do it so phew!), next time she might be worse as we will have no TA and she wont be in shock/pain and its a bigger plaster so will be more messy and take longer.

So anyone got any tips on how to make the hospital trip go well or how to make the sensory stuff not be so upsetting for her or how to cope if she does start tantruming?

if the break is severe, there is a thing called an external fixature, sometimes a 'hoffman appliance', that can be used instead of a cast. it is metal with long screws going into the bones. it is very strong and actually rather cool looking so she might think it's neat to have on her arm and won't fight so much about it.

good luck.

Can you get a nurse or doctor to talk to her before hand (preferably a day or 2 before) and explain to her EXACTLY what is going to happen step by step? If she is mentally prepared she may be able to handle it better. Maybe write down each step of the process then when you are going through it you can cross each thing off the list and she will be able to see the progress and that she is getting closer to it being over. Also a promise of a BIG reward after it is done. Be sure the nurses & doc know ahead of time about her issues. Tell them to explain everything they are going to do before they do it.

Thanks, I shall suggest those things.

I'm sorry if this is offensive to anyone but in this situation I would sedate my daughter. She is also quite combative with medical professionals so they gave me some Valium to give her in case of emergency. That would definitely constitute an emergency use in our situation.

I was about to suggest the same thing. I wish I had the option to be sedated for lots of the medical procedures I had to endure as a kid. I had an EEG at seven or eight and it was torture. I had nightmares about EEGs for years afterwards. I had lots of trouble in science class when it came time to learn about the brain because of all the pictures of EEGs. Ikept having flashbacks from when I was seven or eight. I get so jelous whenever I read of other kids being sedated for one. They said the test would only last for about an hour but it lasted several becuase they had to keep restarting it becuase I "wouldn't" sit still. I could not sit sill for long periods at that age. It was beyond my control. Do they restart the test when a kid has a gradmal seziure? They wouldn't even let me hold my stuffed animal for the test. I wish I could have been put out for it.

I broke my arm once falling out of the car or swing but my problem was keeping my cast on. I kept slipping out of my cast. My mother had to keep driving me back and fourth to the hospital to have it put back on tighter. I couldn't take the itching and would stick hangers down my cast to try and strach it. Ithing is one of the few sensations I can't tolerate. Hopefully I will never break a bone as an adult because I have a dremel and know how to use it. But anyway, I agree with having your daughter sedated for the procedures. I've read about children being restrained on something called a papoose board for medical treatment and it sounds like torture. There are even accounts of normal kids with full blown PTSD after being tied up on one of these boards. Again, I agree with sedating her.

I wouldn't recommend it for other than emergencies if all else fails.

I'd go with Bombaloo's recommendation about preparing her mentally and giving her a reward afterwards for being nice. At least the mental preparation could also help her (and you) later in life if it should happen again. Being good triggers a reward could make her focus more on the goal, even though the procedure may be uncomfortable.

I agree.

I agree with sedation. Having meltdowns and screaming is not only bad for the people who have to deal with the child, it is very distressing and stressful if you're the one who is doing it. Maybe when she is older she will be able to deal with these things better.

My daughter has been put in a papoose restraint. She has no recollection of it (she has blocked it and was in fight or flight mode) but I will never forget. It was such an awful experience I will never let it happen again. She even broke loose at the beginning and they had two nurses on my 40 pound child with seemingly super human strength. After that the dentist told me she wouldn't see her again unless she was put under general anesthesia. We did do the general anesthesia and things worked out well-much better than having her in a velcro straight jacket on a board. I'll never forget the look in her eyes when she was in that restraint. It was animalistic. She was terrified. I was scarred from that experience for quite a while. Maybe I still am.