Community Bridges, 2 Whitney Road, is holding an “Autism Awareness 911” registration on April 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Bagan Foundation.
This is an opportunity for families who have a member with an autism spectrum disorder to register their family member with the Concord Police Department as well as the Department of Safety 911 office. Families will be instructed on how to register with their local police department if they are not Concord residents.
For families who have a member with autism, safety is a constant concern. People with autism often lack an awareness about danger and are not able to follow rules about safety that neuro-typical people learn and follow with no effort. This can lead to situations where first responders need to become involved. Having them aware that a person with autism is involved can be critically important.
Children and teenagers with ASD should have repeated opportunities to meet and interact with law enforcement and other first responders. This is important so they can recognize a person in uniform and know they are safe to approach when help is required. The person with ASD also needs to be repeatedly taught appropriate behavior when interacting with law enforcers, as it is estimated that an inpidual with ASD is up to seven times more likely to have an encounter with a law enforcer than the neuro-typical population.
The 911 registration at Community Bridges will have police officers, firefighters and EMT's on hand to interact with the children while a family member fills out the registration forms. There will also be a safety packet for autism available to all of the families and a window decal for the family vehicle. There is no charge for this event.
For more information, contact Adra Darling at 225-4153, ext. 387 or adarling@communitybridgesnh.org.
Community Bridges
