Using heart rate to improve care for nonverbal autistic adults

This trial is testing whether measuring and paying attention to heart rate patterns can help caregivers provide better, more personalized support to autistic individuals who have difficulty communicating. The study will track heart rate over time and then use that information to guide care decisions. The goal is to see if this approach helps improve comfort and wellbeing for people who cannot easily tell others what they need.

Many autistic people and those with intellectual disabilities have trouble communicating their needs, feelings, or discomfort to caregivers. Heart rate changes can be a sign of stress, pain, or other important information that caregivers might otherwise miss, so this trial is exploring whether using this information could lead to better and more responsive care.