Autism Speaks launches online Autism Safety Project for families, first-responders

June 11, 9:53 PMLA Special Needs Kids ExaminerTina Cruz

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Autism Speaks launches The Autism Safety Project to promote safe interactions with people who have autism.  The Autism Safety Project is an online tool kit aimed at those with autism, their families and first responders in the event of an emergency. Created to educate and inform emergency personnel about challenges faced by those with autism, it is available for download online.

The Autism Safety Project offers information and strategies for first responders such as police, firefighers, EMS personnel, teachers, hospital emergency workers, search and rescue and judicial system employees.  The goal is education and information about autism characteristics and strategies to facilitate safe and productive interactions. The kit also has materials to help families with emergency-preparedness in the event of a crisis situation, including information on an effective safety plan.

“The Autism Safety Project is an important tool that will benefit both individuals with autism and first responders, who are often taken aback when they encounter a person with autism in a crisis situation for the first time,” said Captain William A. Cannata, Jr., a 30-year veteran of the fire service and an officer with the Westwood, Massachusetts, Fire Department.  “We want to make first responders more familiar with some of the unique behaviors associated with autism and connect them with training programs that model positive interactions.”  Captain Cannata, who served on the professional approval committee for the Autism Safety Project, is the statewide coordinator of the Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition (ALEC), which educates first responders across the state of Massachusetts about autism spectrum disorder and how to better understand a person who is on the spectrum. He is also the parent of a child with ASD.
 
The tool kit is a collaborative effort with first responder organizations across the country, many of which already provide training for first responders and resources to their respective communities. The information in the Autism Safety Project was compiled by autism professionals in conjunction with First Responders and parents. An advisory committee reviewed the project and provided further input.

photo copyright, bmacsac1, flickr, cc

For more info:

The Autism Safety Project

Autism Speaks