It takes a huge load off the minds of people with autism if they are able to schedule appointments via email or online appointment scheduling software instead of having to use the phone. Ideally, an informative website with images of the office gives them a heads up on what to expect once they get to the office.
Many people also find it helpful if they don’t have to wait in the noisy waiting room and are able to leave in between or move to a quieter waiting area. Optical and acoustical stimulation provided by music, radio, TV or flickering lights, for example, can also make waiting in the waiting area difficult. Incidentally, clear and effective communication before the actual treatment or exam as well as accepting that there might be potential issues when it comes to touch doesn’t just help people with autism but also people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this case, physicians should also take extra time and care and show respect if people set boundaries and would like to be exclusively treated by women for example.
At any rate, respect and openness towards needs, no reservations whatsoever and a certain willingness to find solutions should actually be the given foundation for all medical treatments.
And by the way, all of these different needs and requirements basically also apply to treatment facilities for speech therapy, occupational therapy, psychotherapy or pharmacies. However, wheelchair user and blogger Ju / Wheelymum knows that "accessibility is not a matter of course and more a matter of luck." Yet accessibility in all of these facilities would also benefit elderly persons and parents with strollers – and not just people with disabilities.