News and Knowledge

Glenda Fuge is co-founder of Developmental Pathways for Kids, a private practice in Redwood City, Calif., where she specializes in Sensory Integration treatment and Integrated Play Groups for children with autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, behavioral dysfunction and other self-regulation problems. In addition to her professional career, she served on the Commission on Disabilities for San Mateo County where she co-wrote a FEMA grant to develop a comprehensive disabilities training program for first responders. She co-authored Pathways to Play!, a book that details a unique model combining sensory integration and integrated playgroups for children on the autism spectrum.

For Caregivers

Going on a fieldtrip to visit a neighborhood fire station is a good idea for all children, including those with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It can help familiarize children with the sights and sounds of emergency equipment and introduce them to people who can help them should an emergency arrive. For children with autism, this can be a particularly useful experience.

And…it’s fun. Children from pre-school to middle school enjoy the excitement of a place like a fire station, not to mention the chance for an outing. Unfortunately, for children with an ASD, the loud, unexpected environmental sights and sounds at the firehouse (fire alarms, walkie talkies, fire trucks revving their engines, heavy doors slamming shut or fire alarms going off) can cause an instant “fight or flight” response.

For a child with self-regulation problems, the fight or flight response may be far beyond the norm in intensity or duration. One of the markers of ASD is an extreme, negative reaction to normal, everyday stimulation resulting in the inability to achieve and maintain a state of well -being; it is called self-regulation. Self-regulation is a process that develops over time with normal growth and development for most children.

What You Can Do

There are a number of steps parents and other caregivers can take to minimize that fight or flight response:

Take your child to the firehouse: One of the ways to help young children with ASD participate fully and happily in a visit to the firehouse is to “meet and greet” your local fire station with your child well ahead of any group field trip and as often as possible. Since most fire stations have at least three rotating shifts, taking your child to meet the fire fighters on each shift would be the first step toward helping both the fire personnel and your child.

Provide emergency responders with information: Help fire fighters and other first responders understand autism and other disabilities “from the inside out” by providing them with accurate information. One way to do that would be to give them a handout with “Top Ten Things You Should Know About Autism,” adapted from the book, Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm.

The Woodside Fire Protection District, in Woodside, Calif., has created When Words Are Not Enough, a program that provides information for fire personnel. When Words Are Not Enough offers a video depicting firefighter-paramedics in action, 10 icons and signs with directions on how to make a pocket size flip chart, a manual with current information regarding ASD as well as other disabilities that may require help with communication, and two posters, all free of charge and available through the Web site.

According to Selena Brown, fire prevention officer for Woodside Fire Protection District, the purpose of When Words Are Not Enough is to provide basic information vital to helping first responders serve the community better. By understanding why individuals with disabilities engage in a particular behavior or why they prefer certain environments and experiences, firefighters can anticipate problems during stressful times such as emergencies, and pre-empt some of the negative behaviors making the event more positive and successful.

In this case, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Providing your child and the emergency responders you may need in an emergency with information is an ounce of prevention that will definitely pay off with a pound of cure if an emergency arises.