AIA 2.0

The blog she is a'changing.  A little.

When I started writing four years ago, things were very different.  New developments or relevant media coverage was few and far between.  Now, even when I am spending hours a day reading, I can't keep up with all the developments.  Autism could have its own news channel.

So I am going to shift things a bit here, but wont change them dramatically.  I assume you have already noticed the new look.  I will be announcing my new sponsor soon, but I will only have one sponsor.  And I will start posting a round up of stories that you may be interested in with limited or no comments, but won't stop posting my usual commentary.

And as Age of Autism is becoming the "newspaper of record" for our community, I will consider my blog an adjunct to it.  My own personal editorial page if you will.

I hope the changes will be helpful to you.

Ginger

Calling All Florida Autism Parents

Your AG has taken note of what happened to Alex Barton and wants to hear your stories of mistreatment in Florida schools. Chances are you have a few. Give him a call. (866) 966-7226

After PSL autistic boy's case, Attorney General weighing more complaints from parents

TALLAHASSEE — Stemming from its investigation into a Port St. Lucie autistic boy voted out of kindergarten, the state Office of the Attorney General is looking at how children with autism are treated in Florida schools.

"We want to understand this issue on a more global scale," said Sandi Copes, press secretary for the Office of the Attorney General in Tallahassee. "To see if there is an underlying problem."

Since the office's initial investigation into the case of 5-year-old Alex Barton, several people with autistic children have come forward with their own complaints, Copes said.

Parents are expressing frustration their complaints haven't been heard, so the Attorney General's office wants to talk with them to see if there's any way to help, she said. Those discussions could take place in the coming weeks, she said.

The investigation began after Alex told his mother, Melissa Barton, he was voted out of his kindergarten class by his fellow students. Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo told police she wanted Alex to hear from his peers how his behavior affected others. She then took a poll as to whether Alex should be allowed to return to the classroom, according to reports.

Alex lost the vote, 14 to 2.

At the time, he was in the process of being tested for Asperger Syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. He since has been diagnosed with the disorder, Barton said.

The St. Lucie County School District continues to investigate the incident.

When the Attorney General's office investigated Alex's situation, Barton mentioned other parents who had contacted her regarding the treatment of their autistic children, Copes said.

Barton said she is glad parents finally have someone paying attention to them.

"Finally, things are getting done," she said. "There is some justice in it."

It's no longer just about Alex, she said.

"There are other children out there that have been waiting (for help) a very long time," she said. "No one has been listening forever."

The Attorney General's office is trying to compile a list of participants to meet and talk about their issues, Copes said. The investigation is statewide and not concentrating on one area in particular, she said.

Meanwhile, Barton said parents are trying to mobilize. She said now is the time for parents with complaints to come forward.

The Office of the Attorney General is interested in talking with parents of children with autism who have concerns about their child's treatment in schools. Parents with concerns can call the citizen services hotline at (866) 966-7226.

Our Children Change Us

Paul's tribute to his son:

"And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would
Like to say to you
But I don’t know how
Because maybe
You’re gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You’re my wonderwall

-Wonderwall by Noel Gallagher

Wonderwall is a lyrically fantastic, hauntingly sung song. I’m sure the lyrics above resonate with many people and for differing reasons.


When I hear Wonderwall on the radio I think of the current journey I’m on and the most influential person in shaping my life.

And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding

I never signed up for having an autistic child. I thought I signed up for a straight line path through life. Obviously, that isn’t the case. Lacking control and knowledge of the future has rocked me to the core, but has provided a real kick in the pants wake up call to live life. The unknown brings exciting potential, but also has anxiety riddled possibilities. I need to accept the unknown and do my best in the now to help my son. The now matters, the future will take care of itself.

There are many things that I would
Like to say to you
But I don’t know how

No single person has taught me more about life than my son. I don’t know if many 7 year olds hold this type of impact on their fathers. He has taught me (or maybe more correctly exposed my shortcomings) about faith, unconditional love, responsibility, critical thinking, friendship and patience. He holds the sweetest spirit and beautifully pure naive view of life.

It is doubtful that I’ll ever be able to adequately express my feelings to my son. I’m not sure how much understanding he will have about this part of his life or what lies ahead for him going forward. I have to accept doing my best for him and trying to minimize my failings of him.

Because maybe
You’re gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You’re my wonderwall"

12 Babies from Poor Families Die in Glaxo Vaccine Trials

"Buenos Aires, Jul 10, 2008 (EFE via COMTEX) -- At least 12 babies who were part of a clinical study to test the effectiveness of a vaccine against pneumonia have died over the past year in Argentina, the local press reported Thursday.

The study was sponsored by global drug giant GlaxoSmithKline and uses children from poor families, who are "pressured and forced into signing consent forms," the Argentine Federation of Health Professionals, or Fesprosa, said.
"This occurs without any type of state control" and "does not comply with minimum ethical requirements," Fesprosa said.

The vaccine trial is still ongoing despite the denunciations, and those in charge of the study were cited by the Critica newspaper as saying that the procedures are being carried out in a lawful manner."...

Glaxo Exec Resigns from Ofsted

From Pharmalot:

—– Original Message —–
From: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
To: fiddaman64
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 1:22 PM
Subject: Fw: Appointment of GSK Vice President to Ofsted

Dear Mr Fiddaman

Further to my email to you this morning, please be advised as follows:

Paul Blackburn resigned as a non executive member of the Ofsted Board on 5th July. His resignation follows public concerns about the activities of his employer GSK. Paul did not want any negative press interest to detract from the excellent work of Ofsted and therefore resigned. As far as Ofsted is concerned the matter is now concluded.

Should you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards,
Alan O’Neal
Customer Service Advisor
Ofsted - National Business Unit

Autism Speaks Supresses the Free Speech of People with Autism

Rather than listening to the legitimate criticism that Autism Speaks is being offered from the neurodiversity community (like the fact that people with autism are not allowed to speak at their events, even though their name is "Autism Speaks"), AS instead threatens to sue them.

Even for legal parodies, even for t-shirts that say, "Autism Speaks can go away. I have autism. I can speak for myself."

Pretty poor behavior for the org that refers to itself as Autism's "Big Tent".

(But really, if they don't listen to fellow parents like us who are looking for treatments and supposedly have the same goals as them, are we surprised that they don't listen to adults with autism who oppose "cures"?)

And its weird because, really, the point of all the of the stuff that we are doing to make our kids better is so that they CAN one day advocate for themselves, right?  I mean, I disagree whole heartedly with the idea that finding a "cure" for autism is wrong, and somehow devalues people with autism, but I earnestly pray that my son will be an adult who is healthy and functional enough to process complex abstract ideas like human value and have t-shirts printed up to espouse his thoughts on the matter should he get a hankerin' to do so.

I know this may sound odd, but the fact that there are people with autism out there that can use cogent arguments to tell me that they think that I am jerk is encouraging to me.  It means that it is possible that my son who wouldn't see danger coming if it was wearing a t-shirt that said, "I am danger" on it, might one day not only be able to comprehend and defend himself against concrete threats to his safety, but abstract, theoretical threats to his self image.

It gives me the hope that someday, Chandler could be a sixteen year old that borrows the car and stays out past curfew, yelling "I hate you, you have ruined my life" when he gets grounded and can't go to the foot ball game on Friday, just like most every other teen age boy has done at one time or another.  ... and the idea of loosing an arguement with him, and having to apologize to him, is just to beautiful a thought for me to hope for.

If AS first priority is squelching criticism of their organization by people with autism, there is a much cheaper way to do that.  Stop looking for a cure and don't teach people with autism how to talk.  That way, you save money on both ends, you don't have to spend it on research and speech therapy now, NOR do you have to spend it on lawyers to get them to shut up later!

When reaching your goals for autism means stepping on people with autism, it is time for you to get out of the autism game and just go back to being a corporation that just steps on the regular ol'e consumer.

UPDATE:  So it appears that in the case of the t-shirt, they did not threaten to sue over that specifically, but since they had contacted the tshirt company before about shirts with their name on it, said company decided to nix the one in qestion pre-emptively.

He jumped to the conclusion that AS did it.

But they still bullied a 14 year old over a parody site.

Amanda Peet Thinks Parents Who Don't Vaccinate Are "Parasites"

Vaccine patent holder Paul Offit, whose Rotateq vaccine has already generated more adverse reactions than the last Rota virus vaccines that was pulled from the market, whose Rotateq vaccine has already killed a child, who believes that it is safe to inject a baby with 100,000 vaccines at once, and who was reprimanded by congress for his ethics problems, has personally schooled Ms. Peet in vaccine safety.

From Cookie Magazine:

"...Peet's analytical urges are comical when she's talking about kids' gear, but not when she's discussing a subject she feels is among today's most pressing public-health issues: infant vaccinations. "As soon as I was pregnant, the neuroses kicked in," says Peet, 36, who is married to screenwriter David Benioff. She began calling her older sister's husband, a Philadelphia pediatrician, "every five minutes" with all kinds of questions, especially about shots. "I asked him, 'Why are all of these necessary? Why are some people staggering them?'?" Eventually her brother-in-law arranged a series of phone calls between Peet and his own mentor, Paul Offit, M.D., who is chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, and a board member of Every Child by Two, a pro-vaccine organization cofounded in 1991 by former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

"Once we had spoken, I was shocked at the amount of misinformation floating around, particularly in Hollywood," says Peet, who quickly boned up on the hot-button controversies surrounding the topic, including the unproven link between certain vaccines and autism; the safety of preservatives like mercury-based thimerosal; and the fear that the relatively high number of shots kids receive today can overwhelm young immune systems. Her conclusion? Well, not only is Frankie up-to-date on her vaccines (with no staggering), but her mom will soon appear in public-service announcements for Every Child by Two. "I buy 99 percent organic food for Frankie, and I don't like to give her medicine or put sunscreen on her," says Peet. "But now that I've done my research, vaccines do not concern me." What does concern her is the growing number of unvaccinated children who are benefiting from the "shield" created by the inoculated—we are protected from viruses only if everyone, or most everyone, is immunized: "Frankly, I feel that parents who don't vaccinate their children are parasites."

I am assume that when she makes her PSA, they will ask her to leave out the part where she calls non vaxing parents, "parasites".

Aluminum in Vaccines

AOA has a piece on Dr. Sears Mothering article.  He assumed aluminum had been safety tested before putting in vaccines.

Never assume that just because a toxin is being injected into babies at high levels, that it has been safety tested.

It appears that we have removed mercury, an adjuvant that causes autoimmune disorders, mitochondrial disorders and kills brain cells, and we have replaced it with aluminum, an adjuvant that causes autoimmune disorders, mitochondrial disorders and kills brain cells.

I should add that Heath Advocacy in the Public Interest randomly tested vaccines and found that one had 1,117 mcg of aluminum in it. (their site seems to be down right now)

UPDATE:  I stand corrected by Quantumerik and Boyd Haley.  I sent the question to Dr. Haley and this was his response:

"Thimerosal is not an adjuvant, it does not enhance the immune response to an antigen as does aluminum.  It is only added as a preservative.  The pharmaceutical companies and their supporters would like for thimerosal to be an adjuvant, then they could not be sued for adulterating their vaccines and all costs would have to fall on the government programs for vaccine injury.  -boyd"

Congressmen and 9/11 Responders Pissed at Bush/Gerberding for Firing John Howard

Congress Members, Responders Decry NIOSH Director’s Firing

... and if our Julie responds like usual, she will just ignore them.

"Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), accompanied by World Trade Center responders gathered Tuesday at Ground Zero to demand that the Bush administration reverse its decision to fire Dr. John Howard, Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. As NIOSH director, Howard administered federally funded health care programs for 9/11 first responders exposed to Ground Zero toxins.

Also yesterday, Maloney, Nadler, and Reps. Eliot Engel and Edolphus Towns sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Julie Gerberding demanding a meeting this week to discuss Howard’s firing. In a related effort, New York Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer also on Tuesday sent a letter to Leavitt urging him to reconsider the termination of Howard and calling for a detailed account of the reasons he was removed from his position.

“Only the Bush Administration would fire a respected public servant who has received near-universal praise for doing a good job,” Maloney said. “Dr. Howard is out of a job because he wanted to help the heroes of 9/11 and his superiors didn’t. We demand that the administration take back this outrageous slap at sick 9/11 responders and reappoint Dr. Howard to a well-deserved second term.”..."

Gerberding should have been fired years ago. I have lost track of all the things people have wanted her fired for.

Why does she still have a job?

Oh... because she does whatever the administration tells her to, even if it is completely unethical, constitutes lying to the American Public and endangers the health of those it is her job to protect.

Cheney's staff censored EPA, ex-official alleges

Has anyone noticed that there is a thread running through all her malfeasance?

All of it is in defense of toxins in one form or another.

The New Autism Dictionary

Last month and the Green Our Vaccines Rally, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mentioned a new term in his description of Paul Offit:

Biostitute - (by.AWS.tuh.toot) n. A biologist who supports a company or activity that is harmful to people, living creatures or the environment in exchange for pay, fame or career advancement.

Today, in a comment on the Age of Autism site Kim Stagliano found the term for Offit's religion.  I have taken the liberty of defining it:

Vaccinianity - (Vax.e.an.eh.te) n. The worship of Vaccination.  The belief that Vaccine is inherently Good and therefore cannot cause damage.  If damage does occur, it is not because Vaccine was bad, but because the injured party was a poor receptacle for the inherently Good Vaccine.  (ie.  hanna poling was hurt when she came into contact with Vaccine, not because the Vaccine was harmful, but because her DNA was not to par or because her mitochondrial disorder was to blame.)  Vaccine is presumed to have rights that supersede the rights of the individual, while the human person's rights must defer to Vaccine.

 That Paul Offit is one inspirational man.

The CDC to Study Vaccine Induced Encephalopathy!

Finally! The CDC's Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment Network is currently looking for subjects to "evaluate the association between viral vaccines and encephalopathy/encephalitis through a detailed evaluation of children with encephalopathy/encephalitis as well as control children".

Their message to doctors:

"If you have a patient who you think might be eligible for the study, please complete the following two questions and provide your contact information. We thank you for your help in this important study."

This is a HUGELY important subject, one we have been waiting for them to examine, and we want to make sure that they have all the subjects they need for this study, so please take a moment to see if your child might be a candidate.

Does your child have an encephalopathy?

According to HHS's Vaccine Injury Compensation Table symptoms are:

Loss of eye contact
Seizures
Not responding to external stimuli
Seems disconnected from the world around them

And the Merck Manual notes that these symptoms can be preceded by:

Nonspecific Gastrointestinal disorders.

If this sounds like your child, because boy howdy it sounds just like mine, call your pediatrician and let him know about the study to see if your child indeed has an encephalopathy and should be enrolled!

Oh wait... hold on a second... there are some exclusion criteria... Let me check them out...

Ok... so if your child has the above, but DOESN'T have:

A history of medical disease
A history of congenital problems
A history of developmental delay
Any immune system dysfunction
Any family history of immune dysfunction
Fevers and Seizures with in 72 hours

THEN they want to study them to see if their encephalopathy might have anything to do with their vaccines. You know, the HEALTHY kids with encephalitis.

So as long as the swelling in your child's brain that was caused by vaccines didn't cause or was not related to any of the above symptoms, CDC wants to get to know your child.

But that pretty much counts our all our kids... now doesn't it.

Never mind.


UPDATE:   The day this post went up, the site with the study on it went down.  Quite a coincidence.

I check the wayback machine and found that the call out for this study, which can be found here, was posted at the end of 2004.  Was it ever undertaken? 

Since the study has been there for almost four years, and went down the day that I wrote about it, I am just going to go ahead and assume that the correlation of these two events is likely more than just a temporal association.

Head's Up Everybody

The direction of all that CAA money is now at steak.  If we want it not to be wasted on the same old crap that does nothing for our kids, then we have to engage:

THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE COMBATING AUTISM ACT

Teaching Police How To Deal With Those With Autism

PoliceOne.com has a great article by the father of an older child with autism instructing law enforcement officials on how to handle people with ASD. 

Print it out, do a write up on your child with their picture, and walk it into your local police station!  We need to help first responders lean how to recognize and effectively help our loved ones.

Treatment, Care & Custody with Joel Lashley

The 'Autism tsunami'

'Autism tsunami': 1 in 150 births are currently on the autism spectrum; 3 out of 4 are male; half are nonverbal or profoundly verbally limited. They are seven times more likely to encounter the police than a person who is not diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Driven by the natural desire to connect with their sons and daughters with autism, parents work tirelessly to communicate, mostly through trial and error. When my autistic son was growing up, this trial and error was just about all we had to rely on. But now things are swiftly approaching a critical mass. Parents of "the first wave" are trying to pass on what we've learned to the next generation of mothers and fathers — as well as the police and corrections officers who will undoubtedly come into contact with autistic people, and for whom mental health and autism training is increasingly critical.

Autism is a Greek derivation meaning "state of being alone." (Pat Rogers, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin)

By "first wave" I am referring to the massive increase of young adults with autism; a statistical wave created by what appears to be a perfect storm scenario of concurrent contributing factors, including increased diagnoses, increased incidence of autism, over-taxed and drying up community resources and a maturing front-line demographic of individuals with autism.

Just last May, I was invited by NEMRT (North East Multi-Regional Training) to attend a police instructor certification training seminar called "Autism Awareness and Roll Call Briefing Trainer" in Chicago. The State of Illinois has wisely joined Indiana and Kentucky in requiring autism awareness and related subject control training for its sworn law enforcement personnel. The conference was well attended by academy instructors and police crisis intervention team members, of the Chicago Police Department and various other police instructors from throughout Illinois. The autism tsunami
The class was led by Dennis Debbaudt, the premier autism and law enforcement issues expert who authored the book, Autism, Advocates, and Law Enforcement Professionals; Recognizing and Reducing Risk Situations for People with Autism Spectrum Disorders. In my opinion, all first responders, parents of children with autism, and persons on the autism spectrum, should read his book. (For more information on classes, please visit Autism Risk & Safety Managment.)

Mr. Debbaudt’s co-presenter, Dr. Stephen Shore, is author of the book, Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, and co-author of the Dummies series book, Understanding Autism for Dummies. (Also visit www.autismasperger.net.) During his presentation, Dr. Shore referred to the first wave phenomenon as the "autism tsunami." He estimates the average age of these autism-boomers at somewhere between 17 and 19 years of age.

Consider this: the Center for Disease Control estimates 1 in 150 births currently are on the autism spectrum and possibly still rising. 3 out of 4 are male. Half are nonverbal or profoundly verbally limited. They are seven times more likely to encounter the police and at least three times more likely to be victims of violent and/or sexual crimes. 4 out of 5 police calls will involve unusual or dangerous, not criminal, behaviors that will often be difficult to manage or interpret. Two out of 5 will be prone to seizures, and a good deal of them will be hypotonic (low-muscle-tone), making them prone to positional asphyxia and musculoskeletal injuries. To top it all off, many of them will appear to be oblivious to pain, while others will shrink, as if in pain (perhaps real pain), to your slightest touch.
28 principles to guide you

In the previous article, I tried to build a picture of recognition for subjects who may have an intellectual or developmental disorder, including autism. Once you've encountered a subject who you think might have a cognitive impairment, here are a few principles to help you out.

1. First be safe. Use your Verbal Judo principles of SAFER® and make sure they are unarmed.
   
2. Persons with ASD are as diverse as neurotypical people are. People with autism are as varied in levels of intelligence, language ability, and personality as anyone else. Start out simple. Then find out how well they can communicate and adapt to that level.
   
3. Manage your back-up. Make sure you have back-up because you may need them just like on any other call. Have your back-up stay back a few extra feet and stay quiet. Their presence is added stimulation you don’t need right then! They should be alert, out of direct sight, and out of mind.
   
4. Don't interfere with "self-stimming." Everyone self-stimulates — we drum our fingers, tap our feet, and other quirky things when under stress or just bored. Since their sense of nonverbal communication is not like ours, persons with autism will exhibit what looks like bizarre self-stimulating behaviors, like hand flapping, twirling their body, rocking, jumping in place, handling an object and other things.
   

   Persons with autism and/or persons in crisis abhor strange voices and sounds. Only one responder should do the talking and don’t allow unnecessary talking around the subject. (Pat Rogers, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin)

   
   Stimming can also be auditory in the form of humming or other sounds by mouth, or repeating a single work in rapid succession, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes."  Stimming is a natural behavior we all do to calm ourselves down or focus our concentration. Let it go and keep talking. It's helping you out more than you know.
   
5. Move them away from the scene, or move the scene away from them. The point is to reduce outside stimulation. Give them less of everything — less sound, less light, fewer words, fewer voices, fewer people, fewer distractions. Radios, sirens, pagers, beeping medical equipment, flashing lights and all the trappings of public safety and emergency medicine are exactly what will send your subject with autism into crisis.
   
6. Allow for acclimation. Once you've moved them, allow them to acclimate. Everyone "acclimates" to new surroundings. We simply look around the room. People with autism will often walk around the room touching things. Just watch and make sure they are safe.
   
7. Don’t expect eye contact or other appropriate body language. Their lack of, or some might argue "unique" sense of, instinctive nonverbal communication will be unnerving. They usually won't look at you or wear an appropriate expression. They may spontaneously smile, frown, scowl, or wear a blank expression. Don’t look for too much meaning in what you see on the face.
   
8. Don't equate the inability to speak with deafness or illiteracy. Even if your subject is nonverbal, they are likely to hear and understand some or all of their own primary language (English/ Spanish/ etc.). In the case of nonverbal subjects with autism, your spoken commands may be your only means of communication. Most of them can probably read. Try short written notes if your spoken words aren't "getting through."
   
9. Don't read meaning into words alone. Gauge your success by their physical responses to your commands, not their words. If you ask them to sit, they might say the word "sit" before or after they physically comply. They might say, "Starbucks" because their mother always tells them to sit down during their daily trip to Starbucks. They may talk about something seemingly way off topic, like a TV show or their favorite restaurant.
   
   They may repeat what you say back to them. Immediate repetition of what another person has said or is saying — a behavior called "echolalia" — is a common autistic trait. Repeating is thought to be their way of attempting communication with others from behind the curtain of the profound loneliness many of them feel.
   
   They also might answer yes then no to the same question. Higher functioning individuals might quote the law to you when you are interfering, in their mind, with their right to move freely. Be prepared to read between, over, and under, the lines.
   
10. Use a normal volume of voice until you gauge their reaction. If your voice appears to startle or frighten them then decrease your volume. If your first attempts to communicate have failed, you can try increasing your volume slightly. Sensory input is often impaired. A low volume may be expectable, while a "normal" volume might hurt their ears. Or they might be hearing impaired, like my son, Colin. You’ll have to be adaptable until you get things rolling.
    
11. Keep your tone of voice soft and unthreatening. They will likely not be able to interpret emotion from your voice, but in case they can, you want to sound unthreatening. Slow your pace and speak clearly.
    
12. Use an economy of words. Keep your commands brief, clear, and literal (no figures of speech). Speech is a form of stimulus. Persons with autism and/or persons in crisis abhor strange voices and sound. Only one responder should do the talking and don’t allow unnecessary talking around the subject.
    
13. Give them extra time. The persons with autism will usually need more time to process your words and react to them. Silently give them up to 11 seconds to act or respond to your commands or questions. You can go onto the next thing once they’ve answered you.
    
14.  Dispel their fear. They don’t know what you want from them. All they know is that you are in their face. Tell them, "I am here to help you," "I will take care of you," or "I will take you home," depending on the situation. Anticipate the problem and alleviate their anxiety.
    
15. Say "good job" to kids and adults alike. This is something I learned from Clinical Nurse Specialist Norah Johnson, RN, in Education Services at, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, with whom I’ve partnered in developing behavior challenges training related to patients with autism spectrum disorders. It may sound odd to say “good job” to an adult, but it represents praise they likely to be familiar with from childhood and perhaps even in their current living situation. By praising them with the phrase “good job” you're building rapport and validating for them that they are doing what you want.
    
16. Use unthreatening body language. If they are able to interpret body language, and most will not be able too, they will not respond to your command presence. Most will not understand it and some will only feel threatened by it. Remember, you were trained to use a command presence as a means to gain compliance. Your command presence, or alpha posture, is not appropriate to use for persons with autism or anyone in crisis. It will most likely only backfire on you.
    
    Instead of a command presence, keep your hands at belt level, gesture slowly, and move slowly. Be relaxed but alert.
    
17. Model the behaviors you want to see. Persons with developmental disabilities may not understand the subtleties of most nonverbal communication, but they usually will respond to your mood and the gross-motor movements of your body — either negatively or positively.
    
    So, if you want them to be still, then be still. If you want them to be calm, then be calm. Want them to stay back then maintain an appropriate space from them and from your partners. If you want them to sit then try modeling sitting. Just as they might echo your words, they might echo your behaviors.
    
18. Personal space is relative. Stay out of tip-off or kicking range as trained. Proxemics is a form of nonverbal communication like any other body language. Since persons with autism spectrum disorders often do not have an instinctive sense of personal space, they might invade yours. Be ready for it. Guard your weapons. They can be attracted to shiny or otherwise interesting objects. If you have foreknowledge of what you’re getting into, then leave your badge, name tags, pens, and other non-essential items in your squad. Keep your hands empty — there will be time for notes later.
    
19. Look for a cause. In my experience I’ve met kids with autism who did things like put their head through a bus window because they couldn’t tell anyone they had a bad ear infection. I’ve met some who severely slapped their own bare skin, probably just because they were cold. When I covered them with a blanket the behavior stopped. I’ve seen kids who were combative just because they were hungry. A cup of applesauce can make acting-out behaviors disappear magically.
    

    Persons with ASD are as diverse as neurotypical people are. People with autism are as varied in levels of intelligence, language ability, and personality as anyone else. (Pat Rogers, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin)

    
    Many teachers have talked about the "terrible hour" meaning that time in the afternoon when some kids with autism will act-up. Often when a brief nap was introduced, the behaviors ceased. First see to basic needs: pain, cold, heat, thirst, hunger, and fatigue, and then see what happens.
    
20. Striking out is communication. Facial expressions and other body language have limited or no meaning to persons with an ASD. If we get to close, or come up behind a person, we can expect to get a dirty look over the shoulder. The dirty look means “stay back” and is often an unconscious and instinctive, rather than learned, behavior. For persons with autism, that instinct will often translate into a backhand or choking movement. They can’t say it with their mouth, or show it on their face, so their instinct is to physically strike out with their hands.
    
21. Tell them the "rules." This is a tip I got from Dr. Steve and Dennis Debbaudt — when I did, it was like a light bulb went off over my head. People with autism are all about routine and the "rules." Law-abiding neurotypicals, like you and me, fear and/ or respect the law. Persons with ASD rely on and respect the rules. So for example, say, "Sir, the rules say I have to put these handcuffs on you."
    
22. Quiet hands and feet. "Quiet hands" is a common command used to manage children with ASD in the home and school setting. Its one many children and adults will be familiar with. If one is striking out or kicking, try the "quiet hands" or "quiet feet" command in a stern moderate tone.
    
23. Biting is a common defensive behavior — don't get bitten!  Biting is a common defensive behavior — don't get bitten! Biting is probably the most basic mammalian defensive reaction. When attempting to physically control persons on the autism spectrum, stay clear of the mouth. The human bite is very dangerous and I’ve seen persons with autism severely bite their own loved ones. The best defense against a bite is to prevent it by stabilizing the subject’s head before the subject’s teeth can make contact with your body. If you do get bitten, mandibular or hypoglossal pressure points are worth a try, but I’ve seen them fail on a subject with autism. In the event that they are severely biting someone, there are other passive techniques for breaking off a bite that are beyond the scope of this article. But considering that biting is a common behavior for autistic persons in crisis, it may be time for public safety people to learn additional passive bite releases.
    
24. They have an alternative sense of fear. People with autism may exhibit an irrational fear of, or be attracted to, glass. They are often attracted to bodies of water and have no fear of drowning (I taught my son to swim at a young age, and I suggest it to everyone. Work with his or her doctors and learn how to proceed).
    
    Certain sounds and sights may frighten them, perhaps even some odors or textures, but at the same time they might have no fear of opening a door in a moving car or darting into heavy traffic. Wandering off is a big problem with ASD kids and some adults. A lack of fear of strangers, places them in all sorts of dangerous situations.
    
25. They have an altered sense of pain. Many persons on the autism spectrum can be repulsed by certain textures and calmed by others. Irritation from certain fabrics has been described, by some persons with autism, as painful. They might have a broken arm or other severe wound and not exhibit a pain response, such as screaming, crying, or guarding. Some may be comforted by a bear hug, but the same person might shriek at a soft touch on the shoulder, as if in pain.
    
26. Pain compliance will not work reliably, either because they can’t feel it, or because they can’t make the causal connection between your actions and the pain. For instance, they likely won’t get the connection between their action (biting) and your action (pressure point). Rapid Multiple Officer Stabilization involving the manual control of the limbs, e.g., Star Tactic (biting caution) and the blanket-escort hold, is your best method of controlling the actively violent unarmed subject that you suspect might have autism. Wrist compression come-along tactics may injure the subject without ever achieving the desired result of compliance. When you “crank down” on the wrist, they might not wince or cry-out even if you break their wrist! They are also hypotonic making them more susceptible to injury from wrist compression. Children and elderly subjects are also very susceptible to this type of injury.
    A baton strike may be useful as a means of disarming or creating dysfunction, should such a level of force become necessary. Be prepared for a baton strike to fail as a method of pain compliance or psychological control. Be ready to change your method and/or level of force quickly, depending on the circumstances.
    An initial TASER® Probe Deployment will likely cause momentary incapacitation, creating a short window of opportunity in which officers can quickly move in and stabilize an autistic subject armed with an edged or blunt force weapon. Remember, one must presume that pain compliance resulting from a drive stun with the cartridge removed will be unsuccessful. Again, persons with autism may even feel the pain intensely without making the causal connection between his action (holding a weapon or potential weapon) and the pain created by your drive stun without the cartridge. They also may not understand that a TASER® is a weapon. If the subject with ASD fails to comply when you point a gun, TAZER®, OC canister or other weapon at them it could be for several reasons, such as: A.) They don’t understand what the weapon can do or even recognize it as a weapon. B.) They need several seconds (up to 11 or even 15 on average) for them to understand that you are pointing a weapon at them, C.) They don’t care that you are pointing a weapon at them because they are in crisis.
    If your subject has an altered sense of pain, OC Spray will also likely fail as a means of control. Remember that they are likely to be hypotonic and have respiratory problems already. Consider that before using pepper spray. As one firefighter/paramedic put it too me recently, “Once the cops pepper spray an autistic guy or maybe someone with a diabetic reaction, and nothing happens, they usually call us to handle it. No big deal.” Pardon me if I prefer that officers not use their pepper spray as an assessment tool. Take your time and be ready to “change gears” when you think you have a subject with special needs.
    An officer must always do what they must to protect themselves or others. By having a thorough knowledge of what you’re up against, your actions will have a better chance of a successful outcome for both you and your subject with autism. When responding to calls involving subjects with autism, 4 out of 5 times you’ll be handling a subject in crisis who is scared and/or lost, not a criminal. Questions regarding the use of pain compliance techniques, control devices like OC Spray, Electronic Control Devices, and impact weapons on special needs subjects should be discussed with your department experts on the use of force and the individual weapon systems involved.
27. Support and constantly monitor breathing. Because they are often hypotonic, they often have difficulty breathing under stress. Also, their chest muscles may be weak and have difficulty supporting even their own weight, in some positions. Position your handcuffed subject on their side in the lateral recumbent (low-level fetal) position, meaning slightly bent at the waist and knees. If it’s safe, sit them up.
    
    Consider transporting them in the lateral recumbent position in an ambulance. Every cop knows about positional asphyxia. Consider all your subjects with developmental disabilities to be at risk.
    
28. Adrenaline stays up. Whether for organic or behavioral reasons (and I’ve been told by experts that it’s one, the other, or both) persons with autism need lots of extra time to cool down. It’s just like any other person in crisis. If you’re sick of waiting, then get ready to fight. Then get ready to explain yourself.
    
    As public safety professionals, the academic evidence is against us. What we do next at the scene of a person in crisis, or potential crisis, will usually determine if the situation is resolved peacefully or not — not the subject.

The good news is, as a parent of a child with autism, and someone who’s worked and trained with street cops for most of my professional life, I know that cops are very good at sizing up these situations. Give them the tools and they’ll know what to do with them! If the pros can provide police, corrections, and healthcare security officers with the necessary tools to recognize and communicate with subjects likely to have ASD, then the situation will have a fighting chance to resolve peacefully.

A police and corrections officers' ability to influence the lives of others is enormous. Your proper handling and reporting of persons with ASD could have the power determine their destiny for the better — just as the improper handling will have the equal ability to injure them — even ruin their lives and your career. That, officers, is a tremendous responsibility. It is a responsibility as great as the responsibility for the proper execution of force, perhaps even lethal force. The power of a single police encounter has the ability to change a life forever. At no time is this more the case, then when dealing with persons in crisis, whether they have autism or not.
Special thanks to Lt. Dave Nickels awith the Appleton, WI Police Department and a TASER Senior Master Instructor.

How to 'speak' autism, Part 1

Senior Officer Joel Lashley is a a Crisis Intervention and Defensive Tactics Instructor who has worked as a public safety professional for 25 years, including 17 years of service in the healthcare setting. Joel leads the training program for hospital, clinical, and social outreach staff in Violence Awareness, Prevention, and Management at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, the only level-one pediatric trauma center in the region, serving critically injured and ill patients throughout the mid-west. He has trained hundreds of nursing, clinical, social work, psychiatric, and public safety professionals in the management and prevention of violence. He is a certified instructor for Interventions for Patients with Challenging Behaviors and Principles of Subject Control (POSC®) – Security Personnel, and Non-violent Crisis Intervention®, from the Crisis Prevention Institute. He is a member of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety and the International Association of Non-violent Crisis Intervention Certified Instructors. Joel has developed a program for managing the care of children, adolescents, and adults with autism and other cognitive disabilites. The fact that his son has autism has made him concerned about how this segment of our population is managed in the medical, security, and law enforcement arenas. Future articles deal with this and other issues facing our medical and mental health facilities as we search for ways to best treat their patients.