• Make sure they know police are their friend and will help them.
• Take your child to the PD to meet the officers and hear the sirens, etc.
• Teach them to identify themselves, and the names and numbers of loved ones that can assist.
• If the child is non-verbal, make sure they have wear some type of identification.
• Explain that they should NEVER touch an officer’s weapon.
• Tell them that they should ALWAYS keep their hands visible to the officer at all times.
• If an officer wants to interview or interrogate them, they should advise that they want their parent-care giver present.
• Teach them to tell the officer if they have sensitivities to sound or lights, etc, and to let the officer know if they are uncomfortable, etc.

• Take your child to the fire station/rescue squad so that they can see what a fireman looks like with all of their gear on, including the oxygen mask, bulky coats and helmet.
• Make sure they know what it’s like to have a blood pressure cuff on; to feel a stethoscope on their chest and back, etc.
• Make sure you have working smoke detectors; practice escape routes.
• Assign one family member the specific duty to get the child w/ Autism out of the dwelling and stay with then to make sure they don’t re-enter to retrieve some object, pet, etc.

Please fill out the information sheet and give it to your local police, fire and rescue departments. If you live in a rural area, provide the info to your Sheriff’s Dept. And the Maine State Police. If your child tends to run off, contact your local Maine Warden Service as well.

Registration to Protect Persons with Developmental Disabilities for First Responders

By Matt Brown