Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities often face extreme stress and behavioral challenges in medical settings. This can delay or limit their care, increase the risk of injury, and lead to unnecessary restrictive practices. While some hospitals and clinics are trying new strategies, there’s no system to share what works and very little research to guide providers. At the same time, people with neurodevelopmental disabilities continue to face systemic barriers across the healthcare system, driving deep disparities in health outcomes.
Supporting Access for Everyone (SAFE) launched with three initial phases:
Call for Stakeholder Testimony
Community advocates, neurodivergent adults, family members, clinicians (physicians, advanced practice clinicians, nurses, child life specialists, rehab specialists, and more), researchers, and other stakeholders were invited to share their expertise and lived experience on how medical settings can provide SAFE care.
Public Forum
On October 6–7, 2022, stakeholders presented their testimony in a live virtual forum, expanding on their perspectives and answering questions from both the public and invited experts. This forum helped bring together and consolidate the knowledge shared throughout the testimony process.
Consensus Panel
A diverse panel of experts convened to integrate stakeholder testimony with published evidence and develop a Consensus Statement on best practices for SAFE Care for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. This statement lays the foundation for sharing and evaluating SAFE practices, with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes for all children.
SAFE Initiative 