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In this webinar, Jennifer Repella of the Autism Society of America, Sergeant Jimmy Donohoe of the Pensacola Police Department and Captain Bill Cannata of the Westwood Massachusetts Fire Department discuss emergency prevention and preparedness for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities.
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Improving the Lives of all Affected by Autism.
Safe & Sound Jennifer Repella | Director of Programs
Marguerite Colston I Vice President of Constituent Relations
Autism NOW webinar
May 29, 2012
Jennifer Repella, Autism Society VP Programs
Sergeant Jimmy Donohoe, Pensacola Police Department
Captain Bill Cannata, Westwood Mass. Fire Department
Safe & SoundTM
Who is the Autism Society?
Founded in 1965 by psychologist Dr. Bernard Rimland
Oldest, largest membership
organization dedicated to
Autism Spectrum Disorders
200,000+ members
and supporters
130 chapters throughout
the United States
The Autism Society works to improve quality of life,
create opportunities, and maximize potential.
Safe and Sound™ works to alleviate fear and
misunderstanding by offering preparedness training,
broadly distributed information, and resources to help
people weather any storm.
Our vision is to improve the quality of life of individuals
with ASD by ensuring their awareness
and preparedness related to safety and
creating community supports to keep
them safe.
The Safe & SoundTM Initiative
Launched in 2005 to provide much-needed resources on topics
such as general safety, emergency prevention and preparedness,
and risk management utilizing a multi-pronged approach :
First Response Professionals – trained by first response
professional in the field who have a close connection to autism
Parents/Caregivers & Community Providers – trained by
Autism Society Chapters, who are often parents, living in the areas
where they train.
Individuals on the Autism Spectrum – trained by others with
ASD who can speak from experience—those who are first on the
scene in an emergency situation.
Safe and Sound Experts
The Autism Society has worked collaboratively, since the late 1990s, with Dennis Debbaudt, a law enforcement trainer with more than 15 years of experience presenting autism-related training sessions. Dennis’s book, Avoiding Unfortunate Situations, released in 2001 was the first resource to address the interactions between law enforcement professionals and people on the autism spectrum, and his training materials are in use by law enforcement agencies around the world. His website provides a wealth of invaluable information. http://autismriskmanagement.com/
Safe & Sound Experts continued Judge Kimberly Taylor – North Carolina Superior
Court Judge, Retired
Sergeant Jimmy Donohoe – Pensacola Police
Department, creator of the Take Me Home Program
Captain William Cannata – Firefighter for 30
years, statewide coordinator for the Massachusetts
Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition
Greg Adams – Associate Director of Emergency
Medical Education for MedicAlert Foundation.
What is the Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition?
All trainers affiliated with the Autism and Law
Enforcement Education Coalition, commonly
called the ALEC Program, are First
Responders/Professionals (Fire Fighters, Police
Officers, EMTs) who are family members of an
individual diagnosed with ASD. The audience
hears from a colleague with an extraordinary
investment in the program.
What is the Take Me Home Program?
A database developed by Sgt. Jimmy Donohoe of the
Pensacola Police Department for those who need special
assistance because they are unable to speak, properly
identify themselves, become disoriented or act in a manner
that could be misinterpreted by first responders. The system
includes a current digital picture, demographic information
and caregiver contacts. An officer in the
field can query the system, searching by
name or by a physical description. Once
the individual’s record is located in the
system, the officer has critical
information at hand.
Some of the Realities of Autism
•Communication delays or deficits
• Little or no eye contact
• Repetitive movements or mannerisms
• Inflexible adherence to specific routines
• Impacts on social interaction and communication skills
• Senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing) can be
hyper- or hypo- sensitive.
Proprioception (body’s position in space) & vestibular
system (sense of movement) can also be affected.
Now Consider a Different Perspective:
• Non-Communicative = resisting arrest
• Lack of eye contact = lying or hiding something
• Odd mannerisms = potential drug user
• Unusual social interaction (echolalia) = a “wise-guy”
• Standing too close = threat to officer safety
• Not understanding social cues = perpetrator/criminal
•Placing hands in pockets = going for a weapon
•Attempt to touch (maybe a shiny badge) = lethal force
Issue’s most LEO will not know
• Officers are trained not to let anyone in their comfort
area. If an individual with autism were to reach for
his badge because he/she likes shiny objects, the
officer may act aggressively.
• Officers who are not properly trained, may become
upset with an individual who is repeating his/her
questions back to him/her. Unless the officer is
trained, he/she may not be familiar with Echolalia.
He/she will not be aware of the different sensory
issues a person with ASD may have.
What Police Are Trained to Look For • Not responding to a uniform, badge, or other
emergency response symbols.
• Autism may limit a person’s ability to recognize and
differentiate uniforms and other common symbols.
• Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms
(e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects)
• Difficulty making or maintaining eye contact.
First Responder Training 101 • May not provide ID when asked
• Be patient and speak slowly and calmly
• Keep questions simple
• Repeat or rephrase
• Unless the person is causing injury or damaging
property with repetitive motions, do not stop this
behavior.
• It may be the person’s means of securing comfort
• Beware of opportunities for the individual to
wandering into traffic.
First Responder Training about Anxiety
• Research has shown that a subset of people
with autism share a flat affect, high anxiety,
and poor control of attention.
• They may become upset at your sirens, lights
or merely at your presence
• They may be able to talk but because of their
anxiety level, choose not too.
Preparation Makes a Difference Countless situations might result in contact with first
responders. Any of these contacts are more risky when
first responders are insufficiently trained about the
autism spectrum - or worse yet, are not trained at all.
Situations also become more risky when the care
provider or person on the spectrum have not considered
emergency situations that might arise and are not
prepared, to the extent possible, for contact with law
enforcement or other first responders.
Be Prepared for What? Contact with first responders can result from many situations:
• Misinterpretation of sounds or behavior of a person with ASD
in the community;
• Observation of care providers’ efforts to comfort a person with
ASD in distress (911 calls from the general public);
• Accident and injury to care provider or person with ASD;
• Individual is missing, result of wandering or elopement;
• Escalated behavior occurs for any reason and a call for
assistance is made;
• Involvement in a situation where the individual on the
spectrum is a victim or a perpetrator of a crime.
When to Be Prepared? That’s the thing... We never know when. It’s easy to think,
“that’s the sort of thing that happens to other people” or
“that isn’t something we have to worry about yet”
Think and plan ahead, anticipate different scenarios, taken
action before the need arises.
Emergencies occur in daily life (car accidents/house fire) or
during a major crises or natural disaster (hurricane/flood).
Safe & Sound helps people identify potential public safety
or criminal justice situations and provide possible solutions
so that individuals with ASD can be prepared for, stay safe
during (and even better yet avoid) these situations.
Preventive Measures
• In home alarm systems
• Pensacola Village incident
• Take Me Home
• A Child is Missing
• Register with your local 911 center. Mark you house in their computer system
• Do not put your child’s name on the outside of clothing or backpacks.
• Register your loved one and provide a picture
• If your loved one is found wondering around, law
enforcement will be able to identify them without
them speaking or providing ID, by entering their
description into the data base.
• Law enforcement can then take them home!
• It also works in reverse, if your
loved one goes missing, you can
call law enforcement and they will
have a picture on hand.
• This software is free to all law
enforcement agencies.
• No one should ever be charged to
register.
• Provides peace of mind for parents
A Child is Missing
• Free to Law Enforcement
• A reverse 911 system that will call one or multiple
zip codes, with information about a missing child,
Alzheimer patient or to notify residents of sexual
predators that have moved into an area.
• 1000 phone calls a minute
• Business Contacts
Missing Child, what first?
• With any child that goes missing, search the
house well. Call or contact all neighbors or
friends the child may visit.
• CALL LAW ENFORCEMENT!!!
• Do not hesitate.
Why don’t parents call sooner?
• Fear of having a state family services
department involved.
• Fear of being arrested for child neglect or
abuse
Set the fears aside and call. Seconds count,
especially in these cases.
The Dangers of Drowning •Many people with autism are drawn to water. Be aware of surrounding water sources that may be an attractant or where the person might go to should they wander.
• Teach children with ASD how to swim
•91% of children with disabilities that drown individuals with autism!!!
•We have to act fast.
Child Pornography
• This is becoming a major problem for the disability community.
• We have to know what our children are doing on the computers. There is software available that can alert you when a computer goes on a prohibited site.
• These are offenses that carry harsh penalities
Officer Safety
• While through increased awareness officers
may have more compassion and work to
defuse any situation, we cannot drop our guard
even if the person we are dealing with is
disabled.
• Sometimes there is protocol that must be
followed in the interest of the safety of all
involved in an emergency situation.
Community Days
Community Days are a great
opportunity for local people
with ASD to familiarize
themselves with the fire, EMS,
and police departments
Community Days
ALEC can provide any
interested community
information on planning
and hosting their own
Community Day
Other Safety Options
There are other options commonly used by care
providers, individuals with ASD, and professionals:
iron-on labels in garments, temporary tattoos, or an
identification card paired with tips carried in a wallet or
fanny pack.
Some parents have also found it necessary to use
specially designed tracking devices, perimeter systems,
door & window alarms or service dogs for children on
the spectrum who are known to wander or elope.
Emergency Decal and Personal ID
One of the primary products associated with the Autism
Society’s Safe and Sound program was an Emergency
Decal that is intended to be placed on a door or
automobile window to alert First Responders. A
companion piece, the Personal Information Record,
provides information to help
primary caregivers in case
of emergency and gives
on-scene tips for
Emergency personnel.
Autism Awareness Card The Autism Society offers this
colorful two-sided card that
provides "helpful hints" for
interacting with someone on the
autism spectrum. The card
includes special information for
law enforcement or medical
emergency personnel.
Cards are available in
English or Spanish
Serving Victims of Crime series A 2007 Autism Society survey revealed that 35% of individuals
with ASD have been the victim of a crime - the Autism Society
is helping professionals provide crime victim assistance. As
part of a project funded by the Department of Justice Office for
Victims of Crime, the Autism Society created a series of fact
sheets and brochures to assist victim assistance professionals,
families, and individuals with autism. There are six fact sheets
on autism for police, paramedics,
child abuse counselors, domestic violence
and sexual assault counselors, attorneys,
and social workers.
*Available as free downloads from
the Autism Society website
Always Have an Eye on the Future • Young children grow up, get bigger and stronger
• Medications can result in weight gain which can make
an individual a formidable physical match
• Hormones surge in puberty, difficult behavior may result
• Adult services are not mandated and care requirements
may remain high
• Completing simple tasks of daily living can be an ordeal
• Variance from routines can lead to a melt-down
• Parents can not live and care for their children forever.
An ounce of prevention, worth a pound of cure
• Remember that you are not alone. There is support available;
you have to reach out to others and let them know what you are
going through. Make them aware of your fears and challenges
and accept help if and when it is available.
• If you see a dangerous situation address it, do not explain it
away or keep it to yourself.
• Teach responsible behavior and hold children accountable for
their behavior. The more responsibility we give our children the
more degrees of freedom they have throughout life.
• With that greater freedom comes greater expose to risk, this
must be anticipated and planned for.
• Always attempt to expect the unexpected.
Get Involved
• Think outside the box
• ACIM business contacts
• Volunteer to help get the Take Me Home
Program going in your community.
• Contact your state legislator to have a autism
training introduced in your state’s police and
fire academies.
Get Involved continued • Be familiar with C.I.T. / Crisis Intervention
Team’s Law enforcement officers trained to recognize and deal with people with a variety of disabilities.
• Encourage law enforcement agencies, fire companies, EMTs and other to get involved by hosting quality autism training for their agency (find an officer or other professional within the agency who has a relative with autism – they can be your best advocate.)
Things You Can Do - Starting Now 1) Get to know your neighbors and those who make up your
community (fire, police, grocers, etc.); be a resource so they
understand ASD and your child in particular.
2) Fill out the Personal ID Record, make various copies to keep
in key locations. Flag your address in the 911 system
3) Think about/anticipate issues that could arise and contemplate
solutions. When you need assistance reach out to others in the
autism community for ideas.
4) Ensure the individual with ASD has an effective
method of communication.
5) Practice providing personal information: name,
address, phone number in various situations
in a manner that can be understood.
Things You Can Do - Starting Now 6) Have concrete, detailed and frequent conversations with your
child about the rules (e.g. talking to strangers, staying in the
yard or with caregivers, etc.)
7) Talk with others about your concerns and rules. Establish a
phone tree and action plan that can be engaged if the worst
happens.
8) Listen, watch and learn. Try to understand why your child does
things, anticipate potential issues, and develop good solutions.
9) Address issues such as bullying at school - ensure policies are
in place and increase awareness of autism in students.
10) Enroll your child in swimming lessons if he or she does not
know how to swim. Stress water safety.
Attending this presentation and sharing the information
with others is a definite step to keep those you love
with ASD safe and sound.
www.autism-society.org/safeandsound
Take Me Home info, tips, links, and more
http://www.sncarc.org/ALEC/index.htm
http://autismriskmanagement.com
Join us on
Thank you!
Website: www.autismnow.org
Information & Referral Call Center: 1-855-828-8476 Next Webinar: Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 2:00-3:00 PM, EDT Autistic Workers Negotiating the World of Employment! PowerPoint/Recording: Email Phuong (pnguyen@autismnow.org ) to request materials!
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