Autism Spectrum Ambassador Program

The Autism Spectrum Ambassador Program (ASAP) is a medical student staffed program designed
to improve the experience for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder coming into the
Children's Hospital for a day procedure involving anesthesia. This program will pair an
interested and trained medical student with a family whose child is scheduled for an
outpatient procedure and who is identified as possibly needing special accommodations to
improve cooperation and procedure tolerance.

Patients will be identified using the Anesthesia clinic's schedule via PowerChart, consented
at the pre-operative anesthesia clinic visit, and enrolled in our program by study personnel.
Once enrolled, families will be asked to complete a confidential survey that will identify
areas that can be accommodated on the procedure day. Students will gain access to these
survey results, contact the family at least 1 day prior to the procedure. A brief discussion
will take place to review the child's history and survey results. The student will then
create a written, personalized Accommodation Plan to be distributed to personnel and the
family. The student will meet the family at the hospital and accompany the family check in
until the patient is in the post anesthesia recovery unit.

Students will be trained to chart a child's Accommodation Plan for each member of the
treatment team which will be distributed by the student with ample time before the procedure.
This accommodation plan will alert each treatment team member including surgical nursing,
anesthesia, registration, and to the extent possible surgeons, to what accommodations will be
needed to improve the experience of the child. Students will be trained to assist with
accommodations by communicating on the family's behalf to hospital personnel to include
surgical nursing, anesthesia, registration, and to the extent possible surgeons, among
others.

To the extent possible, the investigators hope that having a student advocate, educate staff
on the procedure day, and implement changes as needed will improve patient satisfaction with
the experience and improve the ease with which a procedure can be carried out for a child
with ASD. Students will also be queried as to the experience and survey data will be used to
improve the program over time.

Training will be completed so that all members of the treatment team will be aware of the
program and aware of the possible accommodations. Treatment team members will be provided
additional training to enhance the success of the ASAP program and all treatment team members
will be encouraged to work together for the best possible outcome for all patients. Treatment
team services include: surgical nursing, anesthesia, registration, and to the extent possible
the surgeons involved in the care of these children.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Study participants will be children 30 months to 17 years 2. Study participants will be
boys and girls 3. Study participants will have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder 4.
Study participants will be presenting through the pediatric anesthesia clinic in
preparation for a surgical or nonsurgical procedure at the Children's Hospital 5. Study
participants must be English Speaking

1. Ambassadors must be enrolled as first, second, third, or fourth year medical students
at the Penn State College of Medicine

2. Ambassadors must complete training successfully

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Children under 30 months or older than 17 years

2. Children who do not have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder

3. Children who are not having surgery at the Children's Hospital

4. Children who are having a procedure but are not being seen for a pre-anesthesia visit

5. Children who cannot understand and communicate in English

1. Individuals who are not a medical student at the Penn State College of Medicine 2.
Medical students who do not complete the training course 3. Medical students who are not
deemed appropriate the ASAP Ambassador role as per the discretion of study personnel.