Interacting with Individuals with Autism During Emergencies
Know the signs of a person with ASD and how you can effectively respond to them.
When having a conversation with a student with autism spectrum disorder, it is important to remember that people with autism often struggle with seemingly basic interactions or communications.
Repetitive, Ritualistic Behaviors May Be Present
Individuals with ASD may repeat sounds, words or phrases out of context; repeat movements, such as tensing, touching, looking, etc. with no apparent purpose; be extremely rigid with routine and inflexible with any changes in schedule; have highly fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity, for instance talking only about specific topics or hoarding particular objects. Examples of these deficits are:
- Ben has a tantrum when his mom takes an alternate route home due to road construction.
- Tyler refuses to get in the car with his mom because he usually takes the bus home from school.
- Connor runs across the street to touch the numbers on a license plate of a parked car.
- Kevin repeatedly waves his fingers in front of his eyes and pulls grass from the yard to rub between his fingers and wave in the air.
- Preston spends many hours studying and memorizing all the train lines, times and stops for the local transit system.
- Jessica begins to yell and refuses to leave when not allowed to watch her favorite movie in its entirety.
These observable behaviors are possible signs of ASD and may intensify with increased stress or anxiety. Knowing how to identify an individual with ASD is extremely important, but once identified, how should you react?
How to Work with Individuals with ASD
The 15 tips below will help guide interactions with individuals with ASD.
- 1. Be patient.
- 2. Maintain a calm demeanor.
- 3. Do not interpret behavior as being disrespectful, noncompliant or threatening.
- 4. Avoid presenting loud noises, bright lights, etc.
- 5. Present one question at a time.
- 6. Simplify verbal instructions (e.g., do not use too many words; use “first/then” language;use gestures, pictures and objects to communicate if needed).
- 7. Allow the individual time to process the information and attempt to respond.
- 8. If an individual does not respond or is agitated, try offering choices or redirect his or her attention to something the individual finds interesting.
- 9. Try to use restricted topics of interest to redirect and gain attention (e.g., trains, numbers, wheels, etc.).
- 10. Provide as much comfortable distance as safety allows.
- 11. Consider writing or typing instructions using a tablet or phone.
- 12. Do not assume that an individual understands body language, facial expressions, sarcasm, joking or other social cues.
- 13. Try to use phrases, such as “Use your words,” “Tell me,” or “I don’t understand that” to facilitate communication.
- 14. If not in imminent danger, consider allowing the individual to complete a routine or activity before asking him or her to follow an instruction.
- 15. If possible, allow a familiar person to redirect the individual rather than an unfamiliar person.
It is important for safety personnel to know that individuals with ASD may display tantrums or aggressive behaviors. These behaviors are often directly related to the individual’s inability to effectively communicate and/or unexpected stressful changes in routines. When interacting with individuals with ASD, it is crucial for safety personnel
and police officers to be patient, maintain a calm demeanor and attempt to deescalate behaviors by redirecting the individual’s attention to something preferred.
Another aspect to keep in mind is that many individuals with ASD have difficulty with sensory input; this includes constantly manipulating or gazing at items and intolerance or avoidance of particular environmental sounds. Ordinary stimuli, including sounds, visuals and touches, may be experienced as painful or unpleasant to individuals with ASD. As such, safety personnel should try to avoid loud noises and bright lights, and try to give the individual some space when approaching and interacting. If relocating the individual is required, try to use redirection techniques. For instance, offer something for the individual to hold or come over to see. Offering choices is key!
It is important to know that an individual with ASD may not recognize the uniform of an authority figure, may not understand the role or recognize the authority of a professional, and may not understand rules or laws. To facilitate the interaction, safety personnel and law enforcement should use simple, clear language to identify themselves and their position, convey what the individual must do and why, and provide choices to the individual.
Cecilia H. Knight, MA, BCBA, the director of the Institute of Behavioral Training (IBT), has designed effective training programs for schools, first responders and various other groups on how they can effectively work with individuals with ASD. For more information, visit www.ibehavioraltraining.com.
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