First Responders Meet in Chicago at Major Autism Conference
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 12, 2015 -- Many parents are concerned that individuals with special needs -- especially those who are nonverbal or who exhibit atypical behaviors -- will be misunderstood by the public in situations involving safety. As a first responder, crime victim professional, or member of the community, are you prepared to meet the safety needs of individuals with autism?
Autism today affects 1 child in 50, 1 boy in 31, and 1 family in 25. There has been a staggering 10-fold increase in the past 17 years!
This comprehensive one-day training session provides the latest resources, materials, and information on the developmental disabilities known as autism, autism spectrum disorder, and Asperger’s syndrome. The unique challenges posed to police, fire, emergency medical, and crime victim professionals as well as other members of the community will be addressed. To learn more about this free training visit http://www.autismone.org/content/first-responder-training. To register, enter the code firstresponder at check-out: http://www.autismone.org/content/conference-membership-registration. Police persons should bring their first responder ID. All attendees must be registered and provide a photo ID upon check-in.
Public Act 95-0171 (50 ILCS 705/7) requires all new officers to have autism training as part of their basic academy learning. This training will help departments ensure that all officers have an opportunity to learn about this topic and have the tools to respond to and support individuals with autism appropriately. Research indicates that persons with autism and developmental disabilities are more likely to come in contact with law enforcement professionals and may pose particular challenges to those who have never experienced the unique social and communication challenges of this disability.
Andrew Gammicchia will be conducting this training. With 30 years in the field of law enforcement and as the father of an adult son with autism, he provides a unique combination of experience to share as a leading expert on this topic. Presenting with him will be disability advocate Carolyn Gammicchia and self-advocate Nicholas Gammicchia. If you have any questions, please contact Andrew at gammicca(at)comcast(dot)net.
The AutismOne/Focus for Health 2015 Conference will be held May 20-24, 2015, at the beautiful Loews Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL. Register at http://www.autismone.org.
Teri Arranga, AutismOne, http://www.autismone.org, +1 7147320704, [email protected]
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