Hospitals can combine unfamiliar people, bright lights, waiting, touch, pain and uncertainty. For an autistic or ADHD child, that does not automatically mean “non-compliance.” It may mean the environment is asking too much, too quickly. A short care passport can help staff understand the child before distress becomes the main form of communication.
Make one useful page
Create the passport with your child whenever possible. Keep it brief enough for a busy nurse or doctor to scan. Include:
- how your child communicates, including reliable yes/no responses;
- sensory triggers and what reduces overload;
- how pain, fear or shutdown may look for this child;
- words, gestures, AAC or visuals that help;
- preferences around touch, explanations and who should stay nearby;
- comfort items, interests and calming strategies that genuinely work.
The National Autistic Society’s My Health Passport and NHS England’s health and care passport guidance offer useful models. Update the page after meaningful changes rather than treating it as permanent.
Share it before the appointment
If the hospital allows it, send the passport in advance and ask for it to be added to the notes. Bring a printed copy and a phone copy too. At arrival, calmly say, “This explains how my child communicates and what helps.” The passport supports conversation; it does not replace your child’s voice or the clinical team’s judgement.
For planned visits, rehearse one or two predictable steps instead of the whole event. A simple sequence might be: arrive, check in, wait, meet clinician, go home. Pack a small comfort kit with headphones, a familiar object, a drink if permitted, and the communication tools your child already uses. Our guides to waiting rooms and queues and preparing for a blood test may also help.
Use the passport in urgent care
In an emergency, show the page as early as possible and highlight the most important two or three points. Ask staff what must happen now, what can wait, and whether explanations, fewer speakers or a quieter space are possible. If your child’s behaviour or pain signs differ from what staff expect, describe the change plainly.
A passport cannot remove every difficult moment. It can, however, give everyone a shared starting point: this child is communicating, this child has preferences, and small adjustments can protect dignity while necessary care continues.
This is general information shared for parent awareness, not medical advice. Every child is different — please confirm decisions with your child’s doctor or a suitably qualified professional.