May 15, 2006 By Jenny Susa 7 min read

FAYETTE CITY – Lenore Wossidlo suspected when her son was very young that he had autism, a neurological disorder that can be caused by a number of factors. Wossidlo said that once her and her husband’s suspicions were confirmed and her son grew older, she had a lot of questions about the many difficulties her son might face. Specifically, she wondered if there was ever an emergency involving her son, how would emergency responders know how do deal with him, and how would her son react to them? What if he hurt someone who was trying to help?

Wossidlo decided to do something to help her son and other autistic children stay safe in case of an emergency. She began working on safety programs for children with autism that lets law enforcement, firefighters and emergency management personnel know how to approach an autistic child.

“I wanted emergency contacts to know how they should handle my son and how they could calm him down,” said Wossidlo.

Since Capt. Ron Himich of the Fayette City Volunteer Fire Department knew there were a lot of children with disabilities in his area, including his own son with autism, he invited Wossidlo to speak to emergency responders in Fayette City recently.

Wossidlo informed her audience that autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning it has many different levels of severity. She pointed out that some autistic people can function better than others, and “no two individuals with autism are alike.”

Wossidlo said that while she was working with local police departments near her Pittsburgh home, they indicated that a visual aid would be helpful in teaching them what they could be dealing with. She made a video depicting scenarios where police needed to assist an autistic person, and she showed the tape to Fayette City’s emergency responders.

Wossidlo said it was important to know that since all individuals with autism are different, what works for one person may not work for another.

One scene in Wossidlo’s video showed a child throwing a tantrum in a grocery store because he was not allowed to have candy. The police approached to see if they could help. Wossidlo said in this situation, one must have patience while dealing with an autistic child, and it is best to stay behind them while trying to control them in order to avoid injury to both people.

“Autistic individuals have very little emotional range or control,” said Wossidlo, explaining that an autistic child can go from being calm to being highly upset very quickly.

Another scene showed a child who was by himself on a playground. Police were able to identify him with an ID bracelet he was wearing, but Wossidlo pointed out that not all autistic children can wear them because their senses do not work properly and the bracelet could be irritating or painful to them. She said that while many autistic people are non-verbal, they can usually still understand people who are talking to them. She also explained that you cannot identify an autistic person by appearance, as with some other disabilities, but they can only be identified by their behavior.

“Speak calmly to the child and know that they may run away if you try to touch them,” said Wossidlo. “These individuals must be handled with care.”

Wossidlo said that although her own son is non-verbal, he uses pictures and sign language to communicate, and he will understand everything that is said to him. She keeps a binder in her car so that in the event of an accident where she was unable to talk, responders would see that her son has autism and is non-verbal. Inside, they will find pictures that can be used to communicate with her son. She suggested that if an accident occurs, it would be best for one individual to calmly speak to the child and assure them that everything will be OK.

“Even if you know that their parent will not be OK, that is not the time to tell the child,” said Wossidlo.

Firefighters told Wossidlo that when they get to a scene, they might not see a binder like hers in the car, and they suggested placing a brightly colored sticker in a conspicuous place that informs emergency responders that there is an autistic child in the car.

Wossidlo agreed and said that all parents of autistic children should take that precaution.

She said that in case of an emergency at home, such as a fire, there should be notification for emergency responders that there is an autistic child in the house. Wossidlo has stickers on her doors to notify people about her son. She pointed out that a child with autism might hide or run away from the house in certain situations, and emergency responders who know there is an autistic child who lives there need to “think outside the box.”

“They will hide in places you never thought of,” said Wossidlo, pointing out that food is usually a great comfort to autistic children, and if they happen to run away, offering them candy will likely get them to come back.

In a chaotic situation, such as a car accident, Wossidlo said that music could also be a great comfort to an autistic child, as long as it isn’t loud rock music.

She also indicated that dogs used by police and search and rescue teams would likely be comforting to an autistic child.

“Most would probably have a favorable reaction to dogs,” said Wossidlo. “They are usually an enormous source of comfort to those with autism. In any case, when you are looking for them, expect the unexpected.”

Wossidlo said that firefighters, police officers and emergency management personnel never know what they will find when they respond to a call, but it is not unlikely that at some time, they will come across an autistic person.

“These people are living in your communities,” said Wossidlo, adding that they do not need to be institutionalized anymore, and many autistic people can live very productive lives.

Her research has shown that one in seven families will be touched by someone with autism.

Wossidlo believes it is important for all parents of autistic children to cooperate with local law enforcement and emergency responders by letting them know in advance about their child’s condition.

She said that when she has to contact medics because he son has been hurt, she repeatedly reminds them that her son has autism.

“If we have any problems, it is usually because someone doesn’t know,” said Wossidlo. “If you don’t know, you can’t be blamed.”

Wossidlo said her next step in teaching people about autism will be to try to reach the medical community, including the Pennsylvania Department of Health, because it is just as important for them to know how autistic children might act when they have been involved in any type of accident.

“Just like autism is a lifelong thing, this awareness program is lifelong for me,” said Wossidlo. “This is very near and dear to my heart. As I keep talking to groups, this is how the program grows.”

Wossidlo said it is tough for emergency personnel to know how to approach each autistic person because there is “nothing standard” about the disorder. But her goal is to help people understand some of the problems they could be facing.

For information on Wossidlo’s autism awareness program, call 412-480-7473.