Seminar teaches autism safety risks

When Dennis Debbaudt took his son Brad to the toy store one day he didn't expect to have a run-in with the law.

Brad has autism and while they were in the store he had an episode during which he fell to the floor, arched his back and screamed.

Dennis carried him out of the store over his shoulder and when he was putting Brad in the car mall security drove up behind his car.

They asked Brad who he was, but he couldn't respond.

Dennis couldn't leave because the security car was in his way so he asked what was going on.

"I'm responding to a possible child abduction from the mall," the security guard said.

The incident sparked Dennis to start autism training for first responders in 1991.

"That was my first law enforcement training session."

Dennis was the speaker at an autism risk and safety management workshop held yesterday at the Rodd Miramichi River Hotel.

Members of School District 16, New Brunswick Community College students and first responders from across the province attended the seminar to learn about some of the issues surrounding safety and risk for people with autism.

One of Dennis' goals with the seminar was to help responders identify behaviours associated with autism and learn response options.

He said scenes like the one with him in the toy store are common enough that he wanted to do something about it.

"It surprised and shocked me to the point I wanted to get information to the police."

Autism is a developmental disability that affects normal brain development of social and communication skills.

During the morning session, Dennis showed a video of a girl with autism who liked to run away from home.

She was so determined to get out of the house she checked every door until she eventually managed to climb up and undo the chain on one of them.

A neighbour called 911 when she saw the girl running through her backyard naked, but she didn't know the girl had autism.

Police found the girl in a neighbour's pool and called her panicked mother.

Dennis said the girl was an example of someone with autism who needs supervision.

"She would be at risk without that care provider."

People with autism can wander away, in the same way someone with Alzheimer's disease or dementia might, he said.

"It's life threatening."

Dennis said people see incidents and call 911 because they don't understand what they are seeing.

"They can make poor judgments."

People with autism are seven times more likely to have contact with law enforcement than someone who doesn't have autism, he said.

"That's significant."

Dennis said he heard a lot of personal accounts from people when he first started to research the subject.

"There was more than I expected."

Autism Resources Miramichi director Debby MacGregor said because people with autism have decreased social skills, they can wander and are more at risk of being victimized.

"They're at higher risk of drowning because of their attraction to water."

About one in 150 children are diagnosed with autism every year and in District 16 it's as high as one in 75, she said. "It's definitely on the rise."