Examining frequent emergency department use among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Goris et al. (2021) looked at every emergency room visit by kids and teens with autism in one state.

They compared how often these children used the ER and what other health issues they had.

Autistic youth went to the ER more than their non-autistic peers.

They also carried more extra health problems at the same time.

Iannuzzi et al. (2022) widened the lens to young adults and saw the same pattern. Autistic 18- to 25-year-olds were admitted to the hospital almost four times as often.

Amaral et al. (2019) focused only on psychiatric ER trips in privately insured teens. They found autistic teens had ten times more of these visits than typical peers, backing up the broader finding.

Totsika et al. (2023) added self-injury visits across all ages, showing autistic people land in the ER for this reason far more often.

Sturm et al. (2024) uncovered a twist: when autistic youth do reach the psychiatric ER, doctors miss trauma-related diagnoses 42 % more often. Higher use plus under-recognition equals double risk.

Your behavior plans should treat the ER as a likely event, not a rare crisis. Teach caregivers how to spot pain, seizures, or rising anxiety before it escalates. Build a short script they can hand to triage nurses that lists the child’s common triggers, best calming tools, and current meds. Role-play calling 911 or driving to the hospital. Add a goal for medical self-advocacy in the treatment plan. These steps cut wait times, reduce trauma, and keep procedures smooth when seconds count.