10-24-2007, 01:18 AM
ID card helps autism victims
Quote:
ID card helps autism victims
23/10/2007
After being approached by a member of staff whose son has Aspergers Syndrome, which is an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Gwent Police has joined an initiative that will help them respond to the needs of people who have the disorder within the community.
Gwent Police, South Wales Police and Autism Cymru jointly launched the Emergency Services ASD Attention Card.The card is designed to alert emergency services to the fact that the holder has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Each card has a unique reference number, which is stored on a central database, managed by Autism Cymru, which will hold details of each card holder and who to contact in an emergency.
People with autism have a common set of characteristics known as the Triad of Impairments which means they have difficulties with social and emotional understanding, all aspects of communications regardless of their language level and a lack of flexibility in thinking and behaviour. In stressful situations they may become very anxious and react in a threatening and aggressive way which can lead to potential conflict if their disability is unknown.
Jim McSweeney, who works in Gwent Police Force Control Room, approached Gwent Police Community Safety Department about the card as his eight year old son Conor has Aspergers Syndrome. Jim is delighted that Conor was the first person in Gwent to have his details on the database and was presented with his card on Wednesday:
"This card is going to be extremely beneficial to a lot of people as there are over 2000 individuals with autism in Gwent. Each person has specific needs which could possibly be aggravated by some aspects of the emergency services, for example, the wailing sirens and bright lights of a vehicle responding to an incident could be intolerable to someone with autism.
"As a parent of a child with autism it also provides me with peace of mind that Conor won't be unnecessarily distressed if ever he is in contact with the emergency services," added Jim
Gwent Police Community Safety Sergeant, Neil O'Connell, attended the launch:
"When we were approached by Jim, we knew that this was something that would be beneficial in order to give the best service to all members of our community. The database of card holders means that we are able to find out very quickly whether someone has autism which is advantageous to both the officer and the individual. The card also enables the individual to better communicate his or her needs to the emergency services,"
"We held two training events before the launch and these were well attended by officers who now feel as though they have a better knowledge on how to manage a situation when someone with autism is involved," he added.
Birgit Villeneuve from Autism Cymru said:
"The card has already attracted a huge amount of attention. Even before the launch I was approached by parents and schools who wanted to obtain the card.
"One school's headteacher commented: 'I wish we had this card 3 years ago, I am so pleased that this excellent scheme is now available to us. It will make a big difference to our students'.
"So far we have handed out 105 cards for Gwent Police Force alone, to both individuals and organisations such as schools and health services," said Birgit.
The cards are available from Autism Cymru on 07778 503739 or by emailing buv@autismcymru.org.
23/10/2007
After being approached by a member of staff whose son has Aspergers Syndrome, which is an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Gwent Police has joined an initiative that will help them respond to the needs of people who have the disorder within the community.
Gwent Police, South Wales Police and Autism Cymru jointly launched the Emergency Services ASD Attention Card.The card is designed to alert emergency services to the fact that the holder has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Each card has a unique reference number, which is stored on a central database, managed by Autism Cymru, which will hold details of each card holder and who to contact in an emergency.
People with autism have a common set of characteristics known as the Triad of Impairments which means they have difficulties with social and emotional understanding, all aspects of communications regardless of their language level and a lack of flexibility in thinking and behaviour. In stressful situations they may become very anxious and react in a threatening and aggressive way which can lead to potential conflict if their disability is unknown.
Jim McSweeney, who works in Gwent Police Force Control Room, approached Gwent Police Community Safety Department about the card as his eight year old son Conor has Aspergers Syndrome. Jim is delighted that Conor was the first person in Gwent to have his details on the database and was presented with his card on Wednesday:
"This card is going to be extremely beneficial to a lot of people as there are over 2000 individuals with autism in Gwent. Each person has specific needs which could possibly be aggravated by some aspects of the emergency services, for example, the wailing sirens and bright lights of a vehicle responding to an incident could be intolerable to someone with autism.
"As a parent of a child with autism it also provides me with peace of mind that Conor won't be unnecessarily distressed if ever he is in contact with the emergency services," added Jim
Gwent Police Community Safety Sergeant, Neil O'Connell, attended the launch:
"When we were approached by Jim, we knew that this was something that would be beneficial in order to give the best service to all members of our community. The database of card holders means that we are able to find out very quickly whether someone has autism which is advantageous to both the officer and the individual. The card also enables the individual to better communicate his or her needs to the emergency services,"
"We held two training events before the launch and these were well attended by officers who now feel as though they have a better knowledge on how to manage a situation when someone with autism is involved," he added.
Birgit Villeneuve from Autism Cymru said:
"The card has already attracted a huge amount of attention. Even before the launch I was approached by parents and schools who wanted to obtain the card.
"One school's headteacher commented: 'I wish we had this card 3 years ago, I am so pleased that this excellent scheme is now available to us. It will make a big difference to our students'.
"So far we have handed out 105 cards for Gwent Police Force alone, to both individuals and organisations such as schools and health services," said Birgit.
The cards are available from Autism Cymru on 07778 503739 or by emailing buv@autismcymru.org.