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Carolyn Gammicchia
As parents of a child with ASD we started the non-profit L.E.A.N. On Us in 2002. We felt there needed to be more for professionals in the field of first response, as well as other community members, to ensure appropriate response and appropriate preparedness for individuals with disabilities.
L.E.A.N. On Us has been involved in training thousands across the country and our website resources have been utilized around the world. We are very proud to say that L.E.A.N. On Us, an organization made up of first responder volunteers, has been involved in creating certified curriculum, resource materials via an DOJ/OVC grant, and offers many free resources on our website. Free downloads for materials specific to victims of crime that have ASD are also available here: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=shop_downloads
Please visit our website and pass on this information,
Andrew and Carolyn Gammicchia
Recent Activity
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Carolyn commented on the article |There have been many instances of this nature and as individuals within the autism community trying to effect change we need to learn from them and provide solutions.
Civil actions will affect change for one person, perhaps get some training implemented due to a mandate, however it's not something that will bring about overall change.
As professionals in the field of law enforcement my husband and I started the organization L.E.A.N. On Us. www.leanonus. We've been involved within awareness efforts and training nationally for many years. As parents of a young man with ASD we've lived through a period of where his assaultive behavior was something that was hard to work through, even as trained officers.
However the answer too is not to call 911, especially when trained professionals that have been working with a child cannot even assist in de-escalating the situation. It's an unwarranted expectation to think that an officer, generally untrained in such intervention, would be able to respond accordingly in such a situation.
That is where the autism community comes in. There needs to be an expectation that a student's emotional and social needs are met while in the educational setting so a crisis situation does not arise. Additionally if behavior does escalate there needs to be a behavior intervention plan that will assist that child that does not involve restraint or seclusion.
Finally if the police need to be called folks have to realize that the utilization of an EDM (electronic muscular disruption) device (Tasor is the commercial name of the product) is to contract muscles. Personally we've trained on this as a non-lethal force device that is a better option in many cases. Is it the right decision for responses in these situations? I would never second guess an officer and people shouldn't but on the force curriculum some departments use it even for verbal non-compliance.
I'd urge folks to look toward solutions on educating your first responder professionals and working with them to provide better outcomes. They don't want to hurt folks, but they need appropriate training in how to respond also.
Carolyn Gammicchia
Executive Director
L.E.A.N. On Us
www.leanonus.org
