• Hats Off To Columbus Area Support Group and Bartholomew Community School Corporation: Partnership
• Hats Off To Hamilton-Boone-Madison Special Services Cooperative: Movie Day
• Hats Off To South LaPorte County Special Education Cooperative and Autism Society of Central Indiana: Start a Walk in Your Community
• Hats Off To M.S.D. of Wayne Township: Creating Building Level Autism Teams
• Hats Off To Johnson County Special Services
• Hats Off To Switzerland County Middle School Autism Team
• Hats Off To MSD of Lawrence Township: Training via District Website
• Hats Off To MSD of Warren Township: S.A.F.E. Supporting Autism for Everyone
• Hats Off To MSD of Martinsville: Camp Discovery: A Place for Kids to Have Fun!
• Hats Off To An Autism Team Working in Indiana: First Responder Training
• Autism Teams: Building Capacity Across Indiana
• Hats Off to Noblesville Schools for Creating Training Classrooms: Using Evidence-Based Practices of Visual Supports and Work Systems
• Hats Off To Asperger Autism Group of Goshen
• Hats Off to East Centeral Indiana Autism Society of America Chapter: Interlock
• Hats Off To Greater Lafayette Area Special Services Autism Team

Hats Off To An Autism Team Working in Indiana: First Responder Training

Contributed by Melissa Dubie

In this Reporter, we are focusing on the HAMILTON-BOONE-MADISON SPECIAL SERVICES COOPERATIVE autism team. This team has provided training to over two hundred police officers in Hamilton County, Arcadia, Carmel and Fishers. For the training, a power point presentation, a video for first responder training, and a small card (available in Spanish) of facts about autism are presented. The goal of the training is to inform police officers of the common characteristics of individuals across the autism spectrum, and strategies to help when interacting with these individuals. In addition, the parents of individuals on the autism spectrum are sent information to register their son or daughter with the 911 registry. Once the individual is registered, a computer system will automatically flag that the family has a child with an autism spectrum disorder when a 911 call is made. The Fire Department and Emergency Medical Team (EMT) from Fishers has recently contacted this autism team to provide specific training to their employees as well.

For those interested in training first responders in your area, below are references that can assist in the process.

References

Atlantic Film & Video (Producer). (2003). First responder training video [video]. (Available from the Autism Alliance.org or www.autism-society.org).

Autism Society of America (2005). Understanding autism awareness card [Brochure]. Web site: http://www.autism-society.org.

Debbaudt, D. (2002). Autism, advocates, and law enforcement professionals: Recognizing and reducing risk situations for people with autism spectrum disorders. Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Debbaudt, D., & Legacy, D. (2004). Autism & law enforcement: Roll call briefing video [video]. (Available from http://www.autismriskmanagement.com/).

Law Enforcement Awareness Network (2004). L.E.A.N. on us child safety id card [Brochure]. Web site, http://www.leanonus.org.

Dubie, M. (2005) Hats off to an autism team working in Indiana: First responder training. The Reporter, 10(2), 2.