Nearly one in five children in the United States has a special healthcare need. Children and youth with special healthcare needs, also known as children with special healthcare needs, require more care for their physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional differences than their typically developing peers. A special healthcare need can include physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities and long-standing medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes or muscular dystrophy.
All children have unique needs in emergencies, but care for children with special healthcare needs is often more complex because of their various health conditions and additional care requirements. They may have difficulty moving from one place to another, have urgent or constant medical needs, difficulty communicating or trouble transitioning to different situations.
A disaster can present all these difficulties at once. Knowing what to do can help maintain calm and keep your family safe.
Planning is key. It is essential for families to have an emergency care plan in place in case a public health emergency like a natural disaster, an act of terrorism, or a disease outbreak occurs. If there is a child with special healthcare needs in your family, you and your family can prepare by developing a written emergency care plan and practicing your plan. For example, a plan can include medicines or assistance devices that your child needs. If possible, let your child help make the plan. Healthcare providers can work with families of children with special healthcare needs to ensure the child’s needs are covered in the family emergency plan and identify support networks in your community.
Appropriate response. Stay as connected as possible with children and others, as these connections can help provide care and support in an emergency while distracting children from lessening their worries and anxiety. Talk to children about what is happening in a way that they can understand. Keep it simple and consider the child’s age and type of disability. For example, it may be hard to know how much information a child with autism is learning through television and conversations. Adults may have to look for clues that provide information on the feelings and fears of these children.
Children with special healthcare needs may need special support services, including medicine and medical equipment, typically unavailable in traditional emergency shelters. In addition, children requiring medical services cannot legally consent to treatment.
If your child has specific equipment needs and/or the equipment requires electricity to operate, notify local Emergency Medical Services and other responders of these needs before an emergency. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) developed an Emergency Information Form to help emergency care professionals and healthcare providers give appropriate care to children with special healthcare needs during an emergency. These children should also have access to appropriate resources for safe transportation during an emergency.
After the disaster. A disaster can have long-term effects on the mental and emotional health of all children. Coping with a disaster can be particularly difficult for children with disabilities. Children with serious emotional and behavioral problems are at high risk for severe stress after a disaster or traumatic event. In many cases, it may help to maintain as much of a regular routine and environment as possible. It is vital that parents, caregivers and healthcare providers know how to help children cope after an emergency to support their health and wellbeing.
Source: CDC: www.cdc.gov
