FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING

Individuals with autism may struggle to communicate, make appropriate eye contact, or even respond to someone asking them their name. The behaviors that children, teens and adults with ASD display vary greatly. However, parents and professionals agree that safety is a huge concern for everyone in this population as they may easily be distracted, lost, or even elope from their school or surroundings. Autism training for First Responders will enable police and first responders to recognize the signs of ASD and react accordingly to minimize their own risk and that of the individuals with autism.

Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) and Institute for Behavioral Training (IBT) are partnering to train first responders on how to approach and interact with individuals with autism spectrum disorder in the month of April for Autism Awareness Month. IBT has trained over 3,000 people across the United States and various countries since 2013. The free training titled, “Autism for First Responders,” will be presented in the month of April in Larchmont, N.Y.; Fairport, N.Y.; Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Austin, Texas; Phoenix, Ariz.; Washington, D.C.; and in the following California cities, Lafayette, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Garden Grove, Temecula, Riverside, San Diego and San Marcos