I have two beautiful daughters, one of whom is 13 and has Autism. She has made so much progress over the last decade with us wrapping as many services around her as possible and with countless interventions. However, she continues to have significant deficits in her communication skills, social skills, and her anxiety heightens significantly when she is under stress.
This is why the Special Needs Registry is so important for my daughter and others with special needs.
Special Needs Registry Could Save Your Child’s Life
As a mother with a child on the autism spectrum, I believe this initiative is invaluable, not only for the well-being of the family, but also for first responders. If they are responding to an emergency call from a residence, they will be informed of circumstances and information that will help them better prepare in their response and prevent potentially devastating outcomes.
Communication Limitations In An Emergency Situation
Children and adults with autism are sometimes faced with communication limitations, social ineptness, high levels of anxiety, and behavioral issues, ranging from self-stimming, soothing behaviors, to high levels of aggression.
They may not understand commands given to them by a police officer and this could be mistaken as a threat to that officer. I applaud Chief Dugan for taking this very important step in helping to keep our children and adults with autism and intellectual disabilities safe in the City of Tampa.
