First few Article Sentences
A typical hospital environment's bright lights, beeping alarms, and strong disinfectant smells may especially distress a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, the fastest growing developmental disability in the nation.
"Such an atmosphere can overload the senses," said Shelly Reyes, a registered nurse in the day surgery unit at Valley Children's Hospital located in Central California. "Even a click of a metal door or a baby's cry can seem magnified to a child with ASD."