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"Lost": A Lesson for Parents and First Responders
05/31/2022

Tommy was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. He was verbal and considered "high-functioning," but he was sensory-seeking and a RUNNER. At every opportunity, and with little warning, he would dart from his parents and explore. Elopement quickly shot to the top of Tommy's parents' list of fe

Autism and First Responders: The Top 3 Dangerous Assumptions We Make
04/28/2022

We take a lot for granted. As social creatures, we rely on hundreds of unwritten rules and expectations during our daily interactions with other people. Understandably, most of these unwritten rules become subconscious and burned into our lives as ASSUMPTIONS about how each social encounter will/sho

8 Autism-Related Terms Every Police Officer Should Know
04/26/2022

(and why you have a vested interest in learning them)You WILL meet people with autism during your next shift. Are you prepared? Is your police academy training adequate to navigate these challenging situations? Are you sure?According to the CDC, there are 5.4 million ADULTS (2.2% of the populatio

Building Bridges: My TOP 5 Autism/First Responder Community Events
04/24/2022

Far too often, the first introductions between autistic individuals and first responders come during a crisis. It doesn't have to be this way. Autistic individuals are seven times more likely to have a police encounter than their neurotypical peers. According to the Children's Hospital of Pennsylv

Autistic Individuals RARELY "Wander": 4 Questions to Jumpstart Your Search
04/21/2022

I have lost my son five times. I have lost him out my front door, back door, in a shopping mall, in the desert of Palm Springs, and in a water park 3,000 miles from my home. Each of these events has two things in common: 1) It buckled me to the point of complete panic and shutdown. 2) He didn't "

Missing: Surviving the Special Needs Parent's Worst Nightmare
03/25/2022

It is unthinkable. It is every parent’s worst fear. For a special needs parent or caregiver, the mere thought of it can be crippling. You let your guard down for a moment. You turn your attention away from your loved one for an instant.He is gone.As a police officer, I have seen that desperate look