Safety and Efficacy Associated With a Family-Centered Procedural Sedation Protocol for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder or Developmental Delay.

Doctors tested a new sedation plan for kids with autism or developmental delay. The plan let parents practice giving pretend nose spray at home first. In the hospital, staff dimmed lights, cut noise, and let parents stay close. Kids then got calming nose medicine plus laughing gas for procedures.

The team wrote up each case but did not give numbers for success or side effects.

The paper only describes the steps of the family-centered protocol. It does not say how many kids stayed calm, how fast they woke up, or if any had problems.

Feng et al. (2025) also used a case-series design with autistic patients needing sedation. They gave only intravenous propofol and counted clear outcomes: 80% of scans were good and zero kids had serious side effects. Their numbers show one drug can work safely.

Diemer et al. (2023) add parent prep and room changes but leave out numbers. The two papers do not truly clash; they simply report at different detail levels.

Chiviacowsky et al. (2013) surveyed parents and found family-centered care boosts satisfaction in primary care. The new sedation plan uses the same family-centered idea in a procedure room instead of a doctor’s office.

You now have a ready-made checklist you can hand to medical staff: send home practice spray, tweak lights and sound, keep parents present, combine nose dexmedetomidine with nitrous oxide. Push the team to track calm behavior, wake-up time, and any side effects so the next BCBA has numbers to share.