In the Know for You to Know

As a parent, you know that preventing dental related issues is important, and you also know that this is not so simple to do when your child has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Some children may be fearful of new surroundings or sensitive to light and sounds or smells and tastes and do not know how to express these feelings. You may or may not have already established a consistent way that comforts your child when introducing them to new experiences.

These last 3 weeks we’ve discussed the challenges and strategies to help you help your child achieve successful dental care in the office, as well as strategies for your at home toothbrushing routine, and strategies for your at home flossing routine.

Today we’re breaking down the basics on how to create your own dental social story.

Helping Your Child To Learn And Prepare For Going To The Dentist

Your approach needs to be tailored to your child’s individual needs.

For some children with ASD, it’s your calm reassuring voice talking with them about the Pediatric Dentist’s office, the people they’ll meet, the chair they’ll sit in, the toothpaste that’s used to brush their teeth.

While other children may like to read or look at books, some like to look at actual photos on your phone, or role play, and for some it’s your social story.

Which ever works best for your child, always stay positive and portray their dental care (whether in the office or at home) in small, repeatable steps.

Read A Social Story With Your Child About Taking Care Of Their Teeth

Social stories use simple, straight forward language to describe the sequence of events a child will experience. The stories usually have photos or pictures to help show the things they will see, hear, and do.

Before creating your own social story, a good resource for you to see examples of social stories is the website for the Pennsylvania Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative.

You’ll find social stories about going to the Dentist, having their teeth cleaned, having dental x-rays taken, and having a cavity filled.

Create Your Own Social Story About Going To The Dentist

Once you’ve made your child’s appointment it’s best to introduce this early on.

Before you do, consider taking pictures of the street the office is on, the parking lot, the outside of the building, the office’s front door with the Dentist’s name.

You might want to stop by and ask if you can take some pictures of the office to include in your social story.

This way you’re establishing what your child will be expecting step by step.

To go along next to the pictures you can include a description—

1. We’re going to the Dentist and we’ll be driving down this street,
2. Then we’ll park the car near the Dentist’s office,
3. After we park the car we’ll walk to the Dentist’s office,
4. The office is upstairs/downstairs/on the walk-in level so we may/may not need to take an elevator ride; or we may or may not take the stairs,
5. When we get to the Dentist’s office we’ll open the door and walk in,
6. There is a lady sitting behind a desk to say hello to us when we walk in,
7. After we say hello, we’ll tell her my name,
8. The lady behind the desk may ask us to sit down and watch a movie, or play one of the games until it’s my turn,
9. When it’s my turn the hygienist will call my name,
10. We’ll all walk together to a room with a few special chairs that look like Daddy’s recliner chair,
11. The hygienist will ask me to sit down in the chair,
12. The hygienist will tell me that this chair is special because it moves up and down and reclines back almost like a bed, but I don’t have to take a nap,
13. The hygienist will tell me that the chair moves back so she and the Dentist can look at all my teeth even my teeth all the way in the back,
14. The hygienist will also tell me that when I’m lying back on the chair I can hold my Mom’s hand and put my legs straight out in front of me,
15. The hygienist will ask me how big I can open my mouth, and we will count how long I can stay open wide,
16. The hygienist will show me the big light she and the Dentist use so they can see all my teeth,
17. Before she turns the light on, the hygienist will ask me if I want to wear sunglasses because the light is bright or if I want to close my eyes,
18. The hygienist will show my the special mirror she and the Dentist use to look at my teeth. She’ll let me touch the mirror will also show me what the mirror feels like on my lips and tongue and cheeks,
19. Then the hygienist will show me the tooth counter she and the Dentist use to count and check my teeth,
20. The hygienist will show me the special floss string she uses to clean in-between my teeth, she’ll let me touch the floss and she’ll show me how it feels in-between my fingers and then she’ll floss my teeth,
21. The hygienist will show me the special power toothbrush and special toothpaste she uses to clean my teeth, then she will let me touch this special toothbrush and she’ll show me what the brush feels like on my finger and then on my teeth; the best part is that the hygienist says I will get to pick the flavor of the toothpaste,
22. The Dentist may want to take special photos of my teeth, the hygienist explains that these photos are called x-rays and I get to wear a super special emoji apron to take the x-rays, and my Mom gets to watch me,
23. When I’m all finished the hygienist will give me a fun bag filled with a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste, and I’ll get to choose a super special prize.

What To Remember

Preparing your children with ASD for their Dentist’s appointment and dental care in advance can be helpful for having a calm and successful visit.

Ask your child’s Pediatric Dentist about scheduling a pre-visit introductory walk about, or if you can take pictures of the office to help you put together your own social story.

Your child’s needs always come first, so if you feel doing everything at one appointment is too much, ask about breaking up the visit into smaller steps and introduce the appointment more gradually. This way your child will become more familiar and feel more comfortable.

Most important, praise and reward your child and you for a job well done!

How did you prepare your child for their first dental appointment? How did it go? How have your subsequent dental visits been? Have you heard of social stories? Have your read social stories or created your own? Tell us, We’d really like to know! Send us an email at kidstoothhotline@proton.me Like Us or Chat with us on Facebook at facebook.com/kidstoothhotline

More tips? We have lots. We’re here just for kids!