April is Autism Awareness Month. The Fairhaven Police Department has officers trained in response to persons with disabilities who may be in crisis.
For the month of April the Fairhaven Police officers change out their uniform department patch for the Autism Awareness patch in support of persons in the community we serve.
Additionally, the Fairhaven Police Union sells the patches to the community with all proceeds from the sales being donated to a program that supports persons with Autism. If you’re interested in supporting this initiative, contact the Fairhaven Police Department at (508) 997-7421.
Supporting persons and families with Autism starts with education. We are committed to training our officers in response to and advocating for resolution of issues within the community.
Watch this quick video by FairhavenTV on Autism Awareness.
The “Known to Wander” program was initiated in 2020. This program includes a form that a family member with a person who may wander from home completes so that when that person goes missing, the responding officers have information on where the person may go and the best places to look… immediately. Any person who may be at risk to wander (with ailments such as Alzheimer’s and dementia or frequent runaways, etc.) is welcome in the program. The information is only used when the Police are called upon to respond to the missing person and includes a photo of the person. We ask that the information is updated annually or whenever important changes need to be noted. Known to Wander forms can be found on our website or at the station.
Fireworks are a significantly traumatizing event for those with severe reactions to loud or disruptive noises. Families with a member who has this sensitivity prepares for these events by leaving their homes or other preventative actions when a holiday approaches such as July 4 or New Years Eve. When a neighbor sets off fireworks on other (random) occasions, it can be incredibly traumatic for the person with the disability and frustrating for the family. This leads to hours of attempting to calm the child or person traumatized unnecessarily.
Fireworks don’t only affect families with Autistic members but also families with Combat Veterans. Persons who have served our country especially in this capacity do not deserve to be awoken to random fireworks being set off because of a football or hockey game outcome or other insignificant event. Please be conscientious of this effect on your neighbors in this small town and consider other less disruptive ways to celebrate.
Resources:
What is Autism?
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that causes issues with communication, social, verbal, and motor skills.
What are the effects of Autism?
The most important thing to know about autism is that it is a spectrum disorder, meaning its effects vary from person to person. No two people with autism have the same symptoms. Symptoms generally appear in the early stage of childhood before the age of three. Symptoms can vary from mild to severe.
Autism Facts:
- About 1 percent of the world population has autism spectrum disorder. (CDC, 2014)
- Prevalence in the United States is estimated at 1 in 54 births. (CDC, 2020)
- More than 3.5 million Americans live with an autism spectrum disorder. (Buescher et al., 2014)
- Prevalence of autism in U.S. children increased by 119.4 percent from 2000 (1 in 150) to 2010 (1 in 68). (CDC, 2014) Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability. (CDC, 2020)
- Prevalence has increased by 6-15 percent each year from 2002 to 2010. (Based on biennial numbers from the CDC)
- 35 percent of young adults (ages 19-23) with autism have not had a job or received postgraduate education after leaving high school. (Shattuck et al., 2012)
- In June 2014, only 19.3 percent of people with disabilities in the U.S. were participating in the labor force – working or seeking work. Of those, 12.9 percent were unemployed, meaning only 16.8 percent of the population with disabilities was employed. (By contrast, 69.3 percent of people without disabilities were in the labor force, and 65 percent of the population without disabilities was employed.) (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014)