The East Haven Police Department is launching a new program to build relationships between emergency responders and members of the autism and special needs community. They are one of several departments in the state partnering with the Linked-Autism Safety Project.
Ashley McClain, of North Branford, was inspired to create Linked by her retired firefighter father, but really also by her young son Colton, who is diagnosed with autism.
It aims to inform first responders about the sensory and communication needs of special needs people in the communities they serve.
While Colton is reading out loud now, just one year ago, the 6-year-old was completely non-verbal. His mom said he has overcome so much after being diagnosed with autism more than two years ago.
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“It’s been an incredible journey, and he’s one of the toughest kids I know,” McClain said. “As scary as it was, it was actually a relief at the same time, because we were able to understand a little bit more about Cole and what his needs were.”
Colton’s needs were the first thing that came to mind when McClain and her son got into a car accident last year. East Haven police responded.
“When the officer came to my car, the first thing I said to him is, ‘you know, my son is on the spectrum. I can't take him out of the car,’” McClain said. “Without any question, he calmed me down immediately. He was very compassionate. He asked me to open the window to see my son, to make sure he was OK. He interacted with him, I think even gave him like high five or a fist bump.”
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It was that positive interaction with the police officer that prompted McClain to create Linked about six months ago.
So far, five police and fire departments have joined the program, including East Haven police.
“We have several families in the East Haven community who have individuals that are autistic and part of the special needs community,” East Haven Deputy Police Chief Patrick Tracy said. “We've had challenges in the past with being able to interact with someone, particularly someone's nonverbal, because communication is key in this job.”
The program includes voluntary registration, so families that fill out a form online or at the police department can create a record for first responders indicating someone has special needs. Dispatch will alert the officers, EMTs or firefighters of this when they are responding to a call at that registered person’s home.
“For instance, if we're going lights and sirens to a house and dispatch alerts us that an individual within the house is registered through Linked and is sensitive to sound, we're going to turn off our siren prior to arrival,” Tracy said.
In East Haven, 13 people have voluntarily registered on Linked in the one week since the program launched. On top of that, the program provides emergency planning folders to families.
McClain is also conducting classroom trainings to inform first responders about the behaviors of people with special needs.
“It's understanding some of the behaviors that might be presented from an individual that's on the spectrum, and also understanding what sensitivities that they might have,” McClain said. “How officers and first responders, firefighters can potentially enter into a home and use the resources that we have provided or the resources around them, as well as information to support the individual and to guide them and to comfort them in a high-stress situation.”
At the East Haven Police Department, each patrol vehicle is additionally equipped with a sensory kit. Items like a whiteboard and picture exchange cards can aid communication, while sensory objects like a fidget spinner can help with calming.
“Having this information available ahead of time when we're responding to a residence can put us in a position to be able to create a pre-arrival plan, and utilize the tools in the kit to make sure we have a successful interaction with our family,” Tracy said.
McClain knows firsthand how these tools can help someone living with autism, like her son. Beyond that, she hopes Linked also raises awareness about others like him.
“What is really most important is the relationship building and the trust that our community is building with a first responder community, to know that they're there to support us and help us, and we'll hopefully we can forge further relationships from there,” McClain said.
Caregivers of the East Haven autism and special needs community can register online by clicking here, by visiting the police department website at www.easthavenpolice.com, or in person at the East Haven Police Department.
In addition to East Haven, the other departments in Connecticut that have partnered with Linked include the Beacon Falls Police Department and EMS services, North Branford Police Department, Watertown Police Department and West Haven Fire Department.
McClain expects to partner with another five departments in Connecticut by the end of the year, and eventually plans to expand Linked out of state as well.
