Olivia Dobson Spotlight: Bridging Gaps - Supporting Autistic Children Through Needle Procedures
Olivia Dobson’s journey in research began with a desire to support children with autism and their families through challenging medical procedures. Her focus, honed through her master’s research, unveiled the pressing need for accessible resources to aid autistic children and their caregivers during needle procedures.
Needle procedures, vital in healthcare, pose unique challenges for autistic children and their families. Dobson’s passion for her work stems from her discovery of the lack of resources to help children with autism cope with needles, especially given that this population is at greater risk for experiencing difficulties with needles.
“Children with autism tend to have greater difficulty undergoing needle procedures due to their special needs including difficulties with communication, unfamiliar experiences, and sensory perception. Autistic children also often have high fear levels related to medical procedures. There are clinical guidelines for helping children undergo less painful and stressful needles, but it remains unclear how to best support children with autism.”
Driven by a mission to bridge this gap, Dobson's PhD research delves into developing a resource tailored to the needs of autistic children and their families. She embarked on her research journey by assessing an existing online tool, Social Stories, designed to facilitate learning for autistic individuals. This initial study serves as a foundation for subsequent endeavors aimed at developing a comprehensive resource through collaboration with autistic children and their caregivers. She will be presenting on the results from this first study at the Canadian Pain Society (CPS) conference this April. In her following two studies, Dobson plans to develop a Social Story resource, incorporating feedback from autistic children and their caregivers, and then examine the impact of this Social Story for families who use it to prepare for and cope with a real vaccination procedure.
Adjustments to the way services are delivered can make them more accessible. In 2018, Dobson had this concept in mind when she founded the first dance program in the Annapolis Valley region of Nova Scotia. It was designed to meet the needs of children and teens with developmental disabilities. This dance program continues to thrive, supporting approximately 30 dancers.
Since beginning as a student at the University of Guelph in the Pediatric Pain Health and Communication (PPHC) Lab, Dobson’s mentors and peers have helped to shape her approach to research and clinical work. Dobson has come to appreciate the importance of clinical work that is client-centered and research that is informed by, and engaged with, people with lived experience. In her PhD research, she will be working directly with autistic children and their parents to develop a resource to help them cope with needles. “It’s important to me to conduct research that is inclusive, and sensitive to the needs of the community that I am aiming to support! My motto is, “no one-size-fits-all,” when it comes to supporting families through my research and clinical work.”
Dobson's achievements, including top scholarships and impactful collaborations, underscore the supportive environment fostered at the University of Guelph. She previously received the Autism Scholars Award for her “leading edge scholarship into autism" and more recently, received the Brock Doctoral Scholarship – a $150, 000 award that is one of the most prestigious offered at the University of Guelph.
Dobson's journey epitomizes the intersection of academic rigor and compassionate advocacy. Through her pioneering research and clinical endeavors, she exemplifies a commitment to improving the quality of life for autistic children and their families, one needle procedure at a time.
See published work by Dobson and her supervisor, Dr. C. Meghan McMurtry, and infographics from the PPHC Lab.