An autistic child can't tolerate the dental chair. What is the stepped approach? Desensitization visits first (familiarization), then protective stabilization/sedation if needed, then general anaesthesia for extensive disease - matched to the child's needs, not the clinic's convenience. Students learn SHCN's ethic: every child deserves complete care - the setting (chair, sedation suite, GA theatre) flexes to the child; and prevention is paramount because treatment under GA is precious and finite.