Children with autism may fear physical exams at the doctor’s office, and their fears may be reduced with behavioral therapy.

This study asked parents about their child’s reactions to specific medical instruments and office visit procedures. Most of the children with autism in this study (11 out of 18) were extremely upset during blood draws. Some (10 out of 23) were upset or extremely upset when someone examined their throat. Some children reacted when specific instruments were used (for example, a thermometer or stethoscope). To help children feel more comfortable, behavior therapy, such as applied behavior analysis (ABA), was performed for about 7 to 10 months. Children were very gradually introduced to the process of the physical exam, and given a reward when they did not show fear at each small step. The process continued until the child could go through the entire exam. After therapy, 10 out of 14 children who completed the process had no fears of medical exams, and 4 had fears of one piece of equipment.