By Michelle Lynch
Reading Eagle
BERKS COUNTY, Pa. — Training that helps first responders recognize autism-related behaviors and adjust their approach in the first critical minutes of an emergency could save lives. That was the message of a recent Autism for First Responders program in Berks County.
“We really, really want to get that information out there,” paramedic Jackie Ginther said while co-leading a training session at Penn-Bernville Elementary School in Penn Township. “There are ways that, as first responders, we can help mitigate these situations and try to get control before it gets out of hand.”
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About 100 firefighters and emergency medical responders from Berks and Schuylkill counties attended the session cohosted by the Bernville Community Fire Company and Tulpehocken School District and led by Ginther of Northern Berks EMS and Capt. Zach Kirsch of the Orwigsburg Fire Department.
The school district’s special education team offered strategies that can help responders communicate more effectively, prevent sensory overload and avoid the unnecessary escalation of a situation or behaviors.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a complex, lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that can affect how people communicate, interact and experience their surroundings, said Taylor Charles, Tulpehocken’s assistant to the superintendent for student services. It is characterized by symptoms that range widely in type and severity and usually include challenges in social skills, repetitive behaviors and restricted interests, he noted.
Kirsch, a fire service veteran with 18 years of experience, said his path into autism training began when his son Noah, 4, was diagnosed with Level 2 autism about two years ago. Noah faces significant challenges in communication and exhibits behaviors that can interfere with daily functioning.
The diagnosis was emotionally crushing at first but became a call to action.
“I thought, ‘Why am I sitting around when I can advocate for not only him, but others as well, in the event of an emergency?’” Kirsch said.
Ginther, too, has intimate experience with autism. Her son, 24, was diagnosed at age 5 with what she described as high-functioning autism that often goes unnoticed.
Autism’s frequent invisibility, she said, is part of what makes emergency scenes so risky.
Characteristic behaviors can be misread as defiance, intoxication or criminal intent, Ginther and Kirsch said. Restraint or aggressive commands can intensify an already overwhelming situation for someone who is struggling to process sensory input, they warned.
Presenters emphasized clear, simple communication and calm scene management.
Give one direction at a time, use literal phrasing, minimize noise and avoid multiple responders speaking at once, they advised.
They also discussed how typical emergency responses, such as sirens, flashing lights, radios, turnout gear and physical proximity can trigger sensory overload in sensitive individuals.
Kirsch and Ginther described how autism-awareness principles can apply to calls such as missing-person searches and medical emergencies.
Dispatchers and responders should ask targeted questions as early as possible, Kirsch advised. These include: whether the person is verbal, what calms them, what triggers them, what they’re most attracted to and where they typically go to feel safe.
For example, he said, if responders know a person with autism typically hides under a bed when frightened or overwhelmed, they can check there first when searching a home during a fire or other emergency.
Ginther told responders to lean on caregivers for information and support.
She advised limiting touch and nonessential procedures when a patient’s sensory issues are likely to cause distress and said emergency vehicles should be stocked with bins of inexpensive small toys and other items that can be used to distract people with autism and help them relax.
Ginther and Kirsch encouraged departments to host sensory-safe touch-a-truck events so children can explore firetrucks, police cars and ambulances without lights or sirens and so responders can get to know the community they serve.
The program ended with audience members describing how they might use their new skills when responding to situations such as a home fire, missing child and medical call involving a child with autism.
By putting some of the team’s recommendations into practice, Kirsch said, some injuries or fatalities might be prevented,
“I’m not saying anything I’m saying is going to change an outcome,” he said, “but we can maybe prevent one or two of those later down the road.”
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