News and Knowledge

Geoff Crist is the proud parent of a beautiful, energetic, curious, daughter, Sydney (aka Beanie), 11, who was diagnosed with moderate/severe autism when she was 18 months old. He is a career firefighter and nationally registered paramedic, has worked in the 911 system for the past 16 years, and is an Indiana State-approved autism awareness training instructor. He trains new EMTs and paramedic students, and offers training to police, career/volunteer firefighters, and EMS departments all over Northern Indiana. Crist was recognized by the State of Indiana in 2009 and received the EMS Excellence Award for his work in pediatric EMS education. He has promoted OAR and worked very hard over the past four years to raise autism awareness and donations in his local area.

For 911 Responders

In any emergency situation, we know the body is flooded with chemicals, as the body prepares to respond to the emergency at hand. These chemicals can affect emotions, stress, and anxiety levels not only in the first responders but in family members of the person affected and caregivers as well.
As police, firefighters, and ambulance personnel, we are taught how to “slow down to speed up,” practice patience, and listen to people during emergencies. When we arrive at the emergency scene, we survey the situation, gather further information, and begin to formulate a care plan. As emergency personnel, we pride ourselves on being able to handle all types of emergencies with minimal information and only with the help of our normal team.

Prior to Arrival

The 911 emergency system has greatly improved over the years. The use of radios and mobile communication terminals (MCT) allows emergency responders to get valuable information prior to arriving on scene. Knowing what we are facing before we get there is great but that isn’t always possible.

Because we don’t always get all the information we need before we arrive, we need to be observant when we arrive at the call. We look for any possible clues that will help us deal with the emergency. Families with a person who has autism may put an Autism Awareness sticker on the front door or there may be vehicles that have bumper stickers on them that clue us in.

It’s also great if families can prepare emergency responders before there is an emergency. Caregivers can call the non-emergency dispatch number in their local area and inform the dispatcher of the fact that there is a person with autism living there and any other information about that person or anything else that may be helpful. The dispatcher enters that information into the system and flags it so that when the address is entered, it can be relayed to responders responding to an emergency.

Dealing with Autism

When it comes to dealing with autism, the two most important things we can do as emergency responders is:

• Reach out to allies
• Slow down to speed up

An Extension of the Team

The people who care for children with autism daily, including parents, siblings, teachers, and other caregivers – are our greatest allies in caring for any patient with autism. Consider them an extension of the emergency team. These new team members are the ones who can help us find the information we need to know. If necessary, they are also the ones who can advise us on the need to adjust our treatment plans and help us to carry out that plan, based on the child/young adult’s needs.

Since autism is a spectrum disorder that falls along a range of severity, not all patients with autism are the same nor can they all be cared for in the same manner. There is no simple protocol to fit these special children and the invaluable information provided by these caregivers has come from days or even years of trial and error.

Patience and Listening Make a Critical Difference

Even with the added help of these caregivers, those of us who are emergency responders need to remember that we must still practice our basic skill of “slowing down to speed up.” Using patience and careful listening are critical to successfully caring for people with autism spectrum disorders. They are most useful when asking questions and waiting for a response since some people with autism may need longer to understand a question and/or respond with an answer. If we have patience, we’ll get exactly the information we need to treat the person and we’ll be building rapport as we do.

Emotions naturally run high during an emergency so we all must remember to practice those skills, whether we are caregivers for children with autism or one of the professionals responding to the emergency. They will help all of us to manage the emergency in the best and most comprehensive way possible. For emergency responders, dealing with children with autism and their caregivers is an opportunity to advocate on their behalf, ensuring their comfort and security during a difficult time.