Prior to starting my capstone experience, a needs assessment was completed in order to determine the current status of autism awareness programs for First Responders.
The founder of Ben's Blue Bags stated that following the implementation of the program, First Responders have reported successful translation of the knowledge and resources during emergencies that involve an individual with autism.
Consulting with occupational therapist Alicia Lutman on strategies that she has found helpful throughout her experiences with providing First Responders with autism awareness training and the research she has conducted, provided a clearer picture that this type of training is still needed and is a growing area of need.
A literature review was also completed prior to starting, to assess how occupational therapists can assist in providing education and advocacy for the population.
In 2010, Indiana mandated that all First Responders partake in yearly autism awareness training (Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, n.d.).
A survey conducted in New Jersey indicated that although there is a mandate in place, 23% of the law enforcement officers still were not provided any autism awareness training (Kelly & Hassett-Walker, 2016).
Early identification of overstimulation can change and support the way in which First Responders adapt their care, while still ensuring quality care is being provided (Wachob & Pesci, 2017).
Through the research, it has been implied that training does assist in increasing self-confidence when responding to calls that involve individuals with ASD and self-monitoring of performance (Gardner & Campbell, 2020; Love et al., 2020; Lutman, 2017).
Throughout the capstone experience, I was given education on the First Responder side of emergencies which opened up more opportunities to provide education to clients with autism to improve safety awareness skills.
Incorporating safety awareness interventions supported one of my deliverables, a visual emergency plan board to be utilized during emergencies.
I completed a fundraiser event with the clinic that I utilized as one of my sites to generate funds for the Ben's Blue Bags program. As there are still available t-shirts, the fundraiser is currently ongoing with the potential to generate $684 for the Ben's Blue Bags program.
Various marketing materials were created in order to spread awareness of the program's benefits and utilized as handouts during in-person meetings.
A program implementation manual was created for the program to reference for communication chains and outline the goals for the future!
Additional deliverables and artifacts can be viewed in the two links below!
Advocating for various populations is so valuable in ensuring that their voices are heard and adequately cared for in all situations and settings. While advocating is an important aspect of the profession, being able to provide the proper education and resources to further support the client's continued growth in independence across various environments.
I plan on continuing my personal and professional growth in the profession as a pediatric occupational therapists!
Contact Information: costelloe@huntington.edu
References
Carter, J., Broder-Fingert, S., Neumeyer, A., Giauque, A., Kao, A., & Iyasere, C. (2017). Brief report: Meeting the needs of medically hospitalized adults with autism: A provider and patient toolkit. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 47(5), 1510-1529. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3040-5
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
Chun, T. H. & Berrior-Candelaria, R. (2012). Caring for children with autism in emergency situations. Contemporary Pediatrics, 29(9), 56-65. https://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=24&sid=374ca67b-558b-4b47-8ef0-d9412c224c3e%40sessionmgr101
Gardner, L., & Campbell, J. M. (2020). Law enforcement officers' preparation for calls involving autism: Prior experiences and response to training. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 50(12), 4221-4229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04485-5
Gardner, L., Campbell, J. M., & Westdal, J. (2019). Brief report: Descriptive analysis of law enforcement officers' experiences with and knowledge of autism. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 49(3), 1278-1283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3794-4
Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. (n.d.). Mandated in-service training. https://www.in.gov/ilea/2525.htm
Jensen, E. J., Geisthardt, C., & Sarigiani, P. A. (2020). Working with children with autism spectrum disorder in a medical setting: Insights from certified child life specialists. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 50(1), 189-198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04245-0
Kelly, E., & Hassett-Walker, C. (2016). The training of New Jersey emergency service first responders in autism awareness. Police Practice & Research, 17(6), 543-554. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2015.1121390
Love, A. M. A., Railey, K. S., Campbell, J. M., Cooley-Cook, H. A., & Taylor, R. L. (2020). Preliminary evidence for training improving first responder knowledge and confidence to work with individuals with autism. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities & Offending Behaviour, 11(4), 211-219. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIDOB-04-2020-0007
Lutman, A. (2017). Autism awareness for first responders. EMS World, 46(11), 38-41. https://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=22&sid=6a2a1bc8-f691-4eee-9487-54f5987362fb%40sessionmgr102
Railey, K. S., Bowers-Campbell, J., Love, A. M. A., & Campbell, J. M. (2020). An exploration of law enforcement officers' training needs and interactions with individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 50(1), 101-117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04227-2
Salerno-Ferraro, A. C., & Schuller, R. A. (2020). Perspectives from the ASD community on police interaction: Challenges & recommendations. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103732
Swami, P. R., & Vaidya, P. M. (2015). Correlation of self-injurious behaviour, stereotyped movements and aggressive/destructive behaviour with sensory processing disorder in children with autism and mental retardation. Indian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 47(3), 81-88. https://www.aiota.org/temp/ijotpdf/ibat15i3p81.pdf
Tint, A., Palucka, A., Bradley, E., Weiss, J., & Lunsky, Y. (2017). Correlates of police involvement among adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 47(9), 2639-2647. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3182-5
Wachob, D., & Pesci, L. (2017). Brief report: Knowledge and confidence of emergency medical service personnel involving treatment of an individual with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 47(3), 887-891. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2957-4
Zwaigenbaum, L., Nicholas, D. B., Muskat, B., Kilmer, C., Newton, A. S., Craig, W. R., Ratnapalan, S., Cohen-Silver, J., Greenblatt, A., Roberts, W., & Sharon, R. (2016). Perspectives of health care providers regarding emergency department care of children and youth with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(5), 1725-1736. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2703-y
Credits:
Created with images by puttipong1v - "colorful watercolor background. vector background" • Rawpixel.com - "Injured boy getting help from paramedics" • Pixel-Shot - "African-American police officer in the street" • sewcream - "puzzle ribbon for autism awareness" • Tierney - "Completed concept with notebook" • Africa Studio - "Female psychologist working with boy suffering from autistic disorder"