In an effort to educate rescue workers and the public Passaic County Sheriff Jerry Speziale, on behalf of his Community Outreach Foundation, recently hosted a forum called “Autism and Law Enforcement: A Panel Discussion To Enhance Awareness and Support.”
The event was held on Jan. 15 at the Sheriff Department’s Community Policing Division where members of the Wayne Police Department, first responders, and other nearby police departments as well as school administrators from neighboring towns convened to discuss autism and related disorders.
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“A person with autism is known to retreat and not communicate. This is something that should not be mistaken as a sign of disrespect especially by someone trying to help them in an emergency,” D’Errico explained.
Education is key, says D’Errico, for police, emergency medical service workers, and teachers.
“We should all know how to handle someone with autism whether it be a child or an adult. It’s a known fact that someone with autism does not look you directly in the eye and do not like to be touched. And again they are not being rude. But to someone untrained in the field could take it that way so it’s extremely important for us to know how to spot the signs,” he said.
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Jani Sblendori, of Wayne, started the organization United With Autism (www.unitedbyautism.org), was also at the event and was pleased to see progress being made. Her interest is personal as her 14-year-old son is autistic. His situation at times has required the help police and rescue, which prompted her to urge authorities to further educate those handling people with this type of disorder.
Great article to help inform the community!
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