According to a Tuesday press release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the number of children with autism in the U.S. has risen from one in 36 children to one in 31 children. With this significant increase in diagnoses, keeping children with autism safe is more important than ever.

The Alpena County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the Alpena County Victim Services Unit, is launching a new program designed to make law enforcement interactions less stressful for individuals with autism and other special needs, according to a letter from the sheriff’s office received April 10.

Families who choose to participate in this program will provide basic information to receive a decal for their vehicle and home. These decals will be recognized by local law enforcement during traffic stops and home visits, allowing officers to be aware that they may need to approach the situation differently.

The initiative is called the Law Enforcement Autism Awareness Program. The beginning of this program coincides with Autism Awareness Month, which takes place every April.

News Photo by Reagan Voetberg Fireman Caleb Borchard’s helmet is seen detailed with a jigsaw puzzle and the words “For Elias” in support of his son during Autism Awareness Month.

Alpena County Victim Services Unit Director Diane Sims and Co-Coordinator Tasha Lockhart said that they are starting to post the press release to websites like the sheriff’s office and Alpena Public Schools, among others.

To receive the decals, parents fill out a form indicating the needs and distinctive traits of their child. Parents can specify a child’s communication abilities, sensitivities, medical needs, calming methods, atypical/stimming behavior(s), avoidances and dislikes, personal space preference, interests, pre-meltdown signs, meltdown behavior, and wandering behavior.

The forms will be given to central dispatch so they can inform first responders of a particular child’s needs should it be necessary, Lockhart said.

As an Alpena Fire Department fireman and a father to a child with autism, Caleb Borchard understands the impact of the new autism awareness program.

“For us working in the field, it would be good for us to know, whether it’s a medical call, we see the sticker in a car, or we see it in a home … for dispatch to be able to have this information and be able to relay it to us even before we arrive on scene will be really helpful,” Borchard said.

“Every autistic kid is different,” he said. “Some are afraid of everything, and some are not afraid of anything. For me, my son is not afraid of anything, which is almost worse, he has no concept of fear, he’ll run out into traffic. He’s not afraid of fire, sharp objects, animals, anything like that.

“On the other hand, it would also be good to know if there is a child who is afraid of everything, especially if we are doing a search and rescue. We may encounter a child who is resistant to us,” he said.

The stickers will also be used to inform law enforcement and first responders not to use flashing lights or sirens if a child is sensitive to that or if it may cause a seizure.

“I believe almost one in four kids, once they become adolescents, if they were diagnosed with autism younger, develop seizures,” Borchard said.

Borchard talked about Project Lifesaver, a program offered by some law enforcement agencies, although not any in Alpena, for people prone to wandering. The program has developed GPS monitoring systems so children with autism, or even older people with Alzheimer’s, can be tracked and found easily. Borchard shared how his son could be impacted by a program like that.

“He’s super smart, he just can’t speak,” he said. “But he figured out from a very young age how to unlock doors, and at the time, when I was a single dad, he escaped from the house.”

One time, Borchard lost track of his son on the Fourth of July at Starlite Beach.

“There were so many people, and it’s like, did he go for the water?” he said. “Did he go into traffic? Did someone pick him up? It’s hard to know where a kid like that is going to go, so to be able to have the GPS monitoring in a database just gives huge peace of mind to parents.”

Borchard shared the importance of autism awareness month for him and his son.

“With awareness comes acceptance,” he said. “It’s not this anomalous thing that people don’t understand anymore.”

In the past, kids with special needs were just shelved away into special-education classes, Borchard said.

“I think with autism awareness month, those kids are being seen more,” he said. “They’re being understood more. They’re being helped more. It gives them the opportunity to be in gen-ed classes and to function better in society. And I think the more that happens, the better off we’ll all be.”

Borchard said that his son, although non-verbal, is able to learn in a gen-ed classroom with the help of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication device and an Instructional Assistant.

“I know, especially for me, when you get that diagnosis, it’s a very lonely feeling, and it’s super hard to find resources and find community,” he said. “And I think, that’s today. I can’t imagine what people went through 20, 30 years ago.”

“Things are changing,” Sims said. “People have to be aware that times are changing. And it needs to be accepted.”

For more information about the Law Enforcement Autism Awareness Program, contact the Alpena County Victim Services Unit Co-Coordinator Tasha Lockhart at 989-657-4080.

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.