Ensuring Comfort and Cooperation: Strategies for Supporting Autistic Children in a Pediatric Ophthalmology Clinic - (2025)

Elise Huntley, MA, CCLS is a Certified Child Life Specialist that provides support for patients with sensory needs in the outpatient setting. Elise has supported neurodiverse patients for medical encounters and procedures in medical imaging, surgery, the emergency department, and most recently in outpatient clinics. As a member of the child life team at Dayton Children’s Hospital, Elise develops individualized coping plans for patients with developmental disabilities prior to hospital visits which allows her to create individualized, adaptive sensory environments. Through adaptations to care, Elise has supported patients in completing non-sedated procedures such as MRIs, eye exams, and needle-based procedures. Elise has conducted hospital trainings on supporting neurodiverse patients in the hospital setting, presented at many conferences including OHA Annual Meeting 2024 and the Great Lakes Association of Child Life Professionals Conference 2023 about how to create adaptive sensory environments in any setting. Elise has also authored two articles for Autism Spectrum News on how to support patients for eye exams and how to make hospital visits easier through the use of adaptive sensory environments and two articles for the ACLP Bulletin on the role of pre-assessment phone calls and how to utilize interpreters to provide culturally sensitive care. Elise served as a mentor with the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) helping other child life specialists develop their skills working with neurodiverse patients and currently serves as a member of an ACLP Committee.