Hospital & Medical Appointments: Practical Support for Disabled Children

Hospital visits, GP appointments and medical procedures can be difficult for any child, but unfamiliar places, waiting, changes to routine, sensory differences and uncertainty about what will happen can make appointments particularly challenging for some disabled children and young people.

A little preparation can make the experience more predictable and help you communicate your child’s needs to the people caring for them.

Please note: This page provides general practical guidance for families and carers. Always follow instructions given by your child’s healthcare team, particularly around medication, eating and drinking before procedures.

Before the appointment

If the appointment has been planned in advance, find out as much as you can before you go.

Check:

  • The date, time and exact location of the appointment
  • How long you may need to be there
  • Whether your child can eat and drink normally beforehand
  • Whether medication should be taken as usual
  • What you need to bring with you
  • Whether tests, examinations or procedures are likely to take place

If you are unsure about anything in the appointment letter, contact the clinic or hospital rather than waiting until you arrive.

Help your child know what to expect

For children who find changes or unfamiliar situations difficult, knowing what is going to happen can help make an appointment feel less unpredictable.

Depending on your child’s understanding and communication needs, you could:

  • Talk through the visit beforehand
  • Look at photographs of the hospital or clinic
  • Use a simple visual timetable
  • Break the appointment into small steps
  • Use First/Then prompts
  • Practise parts of the appointment through play
  • Let them know what will happen afterwards

You do not necessarily need to explain everything days in advance. Some children benefit from plenty of preparation, while others cope better when information is introduced closer to the appointment.

Our TomTag Know What To Expect Mini Kits can be used to create simple visual routines and timelines. The range includes a My Vaccination kit specifically designed to help children prepare for a vaccination appointment.

Ask about reasonable adjustments

It can be helpful to contact the hospital, clinic or GP practice before the appointment and explain any additional support your child may need.

Reasonable adjustments will depend on your child and the service, but could include:

  • A quieter place to wait where available
  • Reducing waiting time
  • A longer appointment
  • Information provided visually or in an accessible format
  • Allowing additional time for your child to become comfortable with the room or equipment
  • Adjusting communication to suit your child
  • Avoiding unnecessary physical contact
  • Allowing a familiar comfort or sensory item during the appointment
  • Making staff aware of sensory triggers before the appointment

Not every adjustment will be possible in every setting, particularly during urgent or emergency care, but letting the team know what helps your child gives them the opportunity to plan.

Consider a health and care passport

A health and care passport, sometimes called a hospital passport, is a simple way of sharing important information about your child with healthcare professionals.

It can include things such as:

  • How your child communicates
  • How they show pain or discomfort
  • Sensory sensitivities
  • Things that may cause distress
  • Things that help them feel calmer
  • Eating and drinking needs
  • Mobility or positioning needs
  • Medication
  • Personal care needs
  • Likes and dislikes
  • Reasonable adjustments that may help

This can be particularly useful when your child finds it difficult to communicate their needs themselves or when you are seeing healthcare professionals who do not already know them.

If you already have a passport, check that the information is still current before the appointment.

What to take with you

Even a fairly routine appointment can involve more waiting than expected, so a small appointment bag can be useful.

Depending on your child’s needs, you might pack:

  • Appointment letter or details
  • Health and care passport
  • Current medication or medication list
  • Communication aid or AAC device
  • Ear defenders or headphones
  • A familiar sensory or comfort item
  • A small fidget
  • Favourite activity, book or tablet
  • Spare clothing
  • Continence products and wipes
  • Drinks and snacks, unless your child has been told not to eat or drink before the appointment
  • Any specialist feeding or personal-care equipment your child normally uses

For longer visits, think about what normally helps your child regulate when they are tired, worried or overwhelmed rather than trying to introduce something completely new on the day.

Managing sensory needs

Hospitals and medical environments can be busy sensory spaces. There may be bright lighting, unfamiliar smells, alarms, hand dryers, lots of people and unexpected physical contact.

If your child has sensory differences, consider which parts are likely to be hardest.

Sound

Ear defenders or headphones may help in waiting areas. If sudden noises are difficult, tell staff before equipment is used wherever possible.

Touch

Let staff know if your child dislikes unexpected touch. It can help if they explain what they are going to do before touching or examining them.

Visual environment

Busy waiting rooms and bright lighting can sometimes be overwhelming. Ask whether a quieter waiting area is available if your child needs one.

Movement and waiting

Some children find sitting still for long periods particularly difficult. A small fidget, movement break or short walk may help while you wait.

You can also read our guide to the 8 senses for more information about different types of sensory processing.

During the appointment

You know your child best, so share the information that healthcare professionals need to support them.

It can help to explain:

  • The best way to communicate with your child
  • Words, symbols or signs they understand
  • How they indicate yes and no
  • How they show pain
  • What might trigger distress
  • What usually helps them calm
  • Whether they need extra processing time
  • Whether you need staff to explain something differently

Do not worry about repeating important information. Staff may change during a visit and the person you spoke to when you arrived may not be the person carrying out a procedure.

Ask staff to explain what is happening

Where appropriate, ask healthcare professionals to explain things to your child rather than speaking only to the adults accompanying them.

Short, clear explanations are often easier to understand than lots of information at once.

For example, “First I am going to listen to your chest. Then I will stop.” may be easier to process than a long explanation of the whole examination.

Where possible, give your child time to process one instruction before moving to the next.

Play specialists and additional support

Some children’s hospitals and paediatric departments have Health Play Specialists or other staff who can help children prepare for and cope with medical procedures.

They may use play, preparation and distraction to help children understand what is happening and feel more comfortable.

Availability varies between hospitals, so if you think this could help your child, ask the hospital before your appointment.

Some hospitals also have specialist learning disability or autism teams who can help plan reasonable adjustments and support communication.

PALS – Patient Advice and Liaison Service

NHS hospitals usually have a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) which can provide information and help families raise concerns or find the right person to speak to.

If you are struggling to arrange appropriate support or reasonable adjustments for an appointment, your hospital’s PALS team may be able to help.

If your child becomes overwhelmed

Sometimes an appointment simply becomes too much.

If your child is becoming increasingly distressed, tell staff rather than trying to push through without support.

Depending on the urgency of the appointment and the procedure involved, staff may be able to:

  • Give your child a little more time
  • Pause between different parts of the examination
  • Reduce the number of people in the room
  • Change the order in which things are done
  • Move to a quieter space
  • Discuss another way of completing the appointment

For urgent medical treatment, choices may understandably be more limited, but explaining what usually helps your child can still be valuable.

After the appointment

Before leaving, make sure you know what happens next.

Check whether:

  • Another appointment will be arranged
  • You need to contact your GP
  • Medication has changed
  • You are waiting for test results
  • There are symptoms you need to watch for
  • You have been given instructions to follow at home

If you have been given a lot of information, it is reasonable to ask for important instructions to be written down.

You may also find it helpful to make a quick note afterwards about what worked particularly well, or what made the appointment harder. This can help when preparing for future visits.

Products that may help

You do not need a bag full of specialist equipment for every appointment. A few familiar items that meet your child’s particular needs are often more useful.

Choose items based on what your child already finds helpful rather than introducing an unfamiliar sensory strategy on the day of an appointment.

Need advice?

If you are preparing for a hospital stay or medical appointment and are unsure which products may be useful, email enquiries@fledglings.org.uk and tell us your child’s age and what they find most difficult – for example waiting, communication, noise, sensory overload or changes to routine.

We’ll help you look at practical options that suit their needs and your budget.

Last reviewed: September 2026