How Nurses Can Best Support Families of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Model Educational Module for BSN Students

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition in around 1.8% of children that results in difficulties with social interaction, speech, and nonverbal communication (CDC, 2020). Diagnosis of ASD is stressful for parents and families, yet a review conducted for this project showed nursing textbooks present a disproportional view of ASD, focusing on severe symptoms and limited information on interventions for family support. This project resulted in a model module to educate BSN students on evidence-based best practices in nursing care with families of children with ASD that use the real experiences of families with ASD to engage students. A focused scoping review of the literature to explore research on families of children with ASD revealed that parents often experience stigma related to the diagnosis, have informational and emotional needs during the initial diagnosis, and benefit from connecting with other parents. Interviews with parents of a child with ASD and a young adult with ASD revealed that families can thrive and successfully support their developing child. The research review, along with reviews of websites for specialty centers for ASD, informational websites on ASD, BSN nursing textbooks, and social media were combined with compelling animated content and the voices of parents to create a model module with educational content, a scavenger hunt of an ASD resource, and reinforcement of concepts through a care plan and a skill exercise. The module was reviewed and critiqued by a BSN educator and will be disseminated in a scholarly publication. Additional resources are provided.Bachelor of Scienc