Abstract
Providing Autism and communication training to facilitate better interactions in emergency situations between first responders and individuals with Autism is a critical need. Although trainings exist for first responders, “typical training already being provided on the job is not sufficient” (IBCCES). In addition, while resources—such as YouTube videos—are available, the process for viewing, discussing, and debriefing over the material along with the development of more effective conversational practices is an unexplored space. This case study describes the use of the Communication Complex (CC) perspective for training Volunteer Firefighters in Indiana, emphasizing the development of knowledge and skills necessary for effectively managing this often challenging context. It extends the body of CC research that relates to first responders and other health care providers. An elaboration of the theoretical framing is provided, followed by a brief introduction to Autism and a discussion of safety concerns in the community. Finally, a detailed analysis of the case study is presented. Reports from the participants indicate that Autism awareness training through a CC approach can enable more desirable interaction patterns in emergency situations involving first responders and those with Autism. The findings suggest that the CC approach is effective for enhancing understanding, which can positively impact future scenarios involving individuals with Autism and their families and increase feelings of safety.
Highlights
Given the large and growing number of people who might qualify as neuro-diverse, it is important, especially in a phronetic sense, that communication studies find ways to meaningfully take into account such differences
Training Volunteer Firefighters to interact with individuals with Autism is one step toward improving safety in emergency situations
Participants reported that the introduction to Autism awareness was a positive experience and many expressed belief in the necessity to continue on with more training in this area
Summary
We have become increasingly aware that communication is more than messages exchanged and the influence they may or may not have. The present study illustrates how engaging the CC approach can serve as a way to understand the nature of interaction between first responders and those with Autism and as a frame for developing and delivering training to improve communication resources and practices in emergencies. Will interventions that include mirroring improve the interactions of first responders when utilizing such practiced non-verbal behaviors, they have the potential to positively influence appropriate and helpful MNS activity for persons with Autism in an emergency situation (systemic effects). Interactions in emergency situations are challenging; emergency situations that include a person/persons with Autism adds another dimension to the difficulties faced by first responders If in these moments, the emergency service workers (e.g., Volunteer Firefighters) do not have the resources nor practices to communicate with neuro-diverse populations, their ability to provide a feeling of safety is challenged. It is worth noting that the responses to the question that mentioned discovering habits, actions, or reactions is vague; the intention of participants may be to receive answers to the more specific aforementioned question categories
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