Sensory-friendly vaccine clinic helps Madison families overcome health care barriers

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Getting vaccinated can be a stressful experience for children with autism or sensory sensitivities, but a special clinic in Madison Friday aimed to make the process easier.

The Autism Society of Wisconsin and SSM Health teamed up to host a sensory-friendly vaccine clinic at the Madison Children’s Museum, offering families a more comfortable alternative to traditional doctor’s appointments.

Megan Hufton, interim executive director of the Autism Society of Wisconsin and mother of two autistic children, said even arriving at a doctor’s office can be overwhelming.

“My children don’t handle waiting rooms well,” Hufton said. ”They have fear even when we just pull into the parking lot.”

The clinic offered comfort dogs, noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, private spaces and medical staff trained to accommodate different sensory and communication needs.

“We are able to individualize the care to the child,” said Sarah Breon, SSM Health’s mobile vaccine clinic program manager. “We take as much time as is necessary.”

Hufton said that while misinformation about vaccines causing autism persists, families surveyed by the organization identified traumatic medical experiences as a much greater barrier to vaccination.

“It was the trauma. It was the restraint and the PTSD,” Hufton said.

Hufton hopes clinics like this encourage more families to seek care without fear.

“These individuals, children, adults even, they have that same right to access healthcare,” Hufton said. “It just takes some accommodation.”

This marks the fourth year of the sensory-friendly vaccine clinic, which offered routine childhood and seasonal vaccinations, including flu shots.

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