Autism society wants first responders to be trained to deal with autistic people

The Autism News | English

By Chris Shannon | The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The Autism Society of Cape Breton is calling on first responders to be trained to deal with a person with autism during a crisis situation.

Michelle Gardiner, the society’s executive director, said special skills are needed because people that fall under the autism spectrum respond to the environment in a myriad of ways. “It’s a bigger picture than just helping the (first responders). It’s about learning for all components so that those who are making decisions in a crisis situation have all they need to be able to ask the right questions,” Gardiner told the Cape Breton Post in a telephone interview Wednesday.

There has been an increased focus in the last week on how people with autism react to stimuli, particularly how they interact with first responders as search-and-rescue teams spent two days in early December searching the woods in South Bar for seven-year-old autistic boy James Delorey, who could not speak. He was found huddled in the fetal position in brush about one kilometre from home on Dec. 7, but he died of hypothermia several hours later at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.

His funeral Monday was attended by several hundred mourners in Whitney Pier. At the time of a crisis, it’s an unrealistic expectation for first responders such as police officers, firefighters, paramedics and search-and-rescue teams to diagnose autism in the field, Gardiner said. She said parents and caregivers have a very important role to play. “We may have a sheet that we fill out that says ‘These are all the things you need to know about my child.’ We can just hand it to someone so in a time of distress we’re not trying to explain things.”

In the case of James Delorey, search teams had to change tactics. A mother of another autistic boy assisted police in understanding the disorder. They used key phrases like, “James, let’s go see mummy, we’re going to go for pizza,” to possibly attract his attention. Gardiner said it’s unfortunate that the issue of autism training has gained traction due to the death of the little boy. Autism rates have skyrocketed in the past decade from one in 5,000 to the most recent accepted rate of one in 94, she said.

Cape Breton Regional Police Chief Myles Burke said talks with the Autism Society of Cape Breton on possible training sessions for officers actually began several weeks before Delorey went missing. Burke said training dealing specifically with autism will become essential for officers on regular patrol. He said police officials will meet with the society in the new year to follow through with those plans. “The men and women that are out there 24-7, they would be our priority,” Burke said. “Meanwhile, we’re doing a scan across North America of training for police and first responders from autism societies and seeing what really is best suited for our needs.”

There are about 28 officers who have completed unrelated mental health training through the Cape Breton Regional Health Authority. Professional investigator and law enforcement trainer Dennis Debbaudt has been training first responders across North America how to handle people with autism since the early 1990s. Debbaudt, whose son has autism, said using a cautious, slow approach and speaking in a low voice can bring calm to a situation.

He said people with autism can show varying degrees of hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity, which means they have a higher threshold to sensations. “Being aware of that allows the first responder to not overact when someone is either attracted to or overly sensitive. If they can safely make those adjustments in the field, it’s a darn good thing,” he said from St. Lucie, Fla., Wednesday. There are many conditions to consider, he said. Seizure disorder caused by a person’s sensory environment can affect up to 40 per cent of people living with autism.

Others may have such low muscle tone that if they are restrained improperly, the trunk muscles may not fully support their airway. Figuring out which stimuli put a person at ease can be a guessing game for the first responder. “If you dimmed your lights, turned off your sirens and the person wants more of that stimulation, now you’ve got a clue to what that person needs at the time.” Debbaudt has been talking with Gardiner to possibly train emergency officials in Cape Breton. Gardiner said those plans haven’t been finalized.

Source: http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=311422&sc=145

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