The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

If your child has autism, you may experience emergencies daily, so overwhelmed families ignore preparing for local/regional situations. Emergency Preparedness is small and simple things, done over time, that make the difference when the big stuff happens. Learn about true experiences, common-sense tools and tips to help you create peace. 1. Connect – Like David Thoreau, I believe the best way to teach is by example. First, I’ll introduce myself, creating a comfort level for audience, knowing I’m a parent who understands.  Share my story: Our life with Heidi and her Down syndrome andautism encompassed school meetings, variety of doctor appointments, therapy sessions, and more. Our lives were extremely full, yet I tried to not feel guilty about my “unfinished lists” like emergency preparedness.

2. Share - As parents of four daughters, my husband and I were determined to keep our family as safe and secure as possible, and learned that small and simple steps - done consistently - forge the way to any goal. We had to prioritize, become pro-active, produce back-up plans, prepare for the worst, pray for the best, and all this eventually brought more peace. Setting aside time, gathering focus, effort, and money eventually lead to our family’s protection and safety. We actually experienced several emergencies and managed quite well, including Miss Heidi. Examples will be provided.

3. Develop - Then I encouraged others to do the same. I purchased emergency preparedness books, took natural health classes, and spoke throughout my state regarding life balance techniques and stress management tools. I eventually joined the federal Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and became certified. Currently, I’ve started a neighborhood/church/family Emergency Preparedness group called “Neighbor to Neighbor and Heart to Heart.” Participants are welcome to do the same, creating shared preparedness.

4. Confirm – I know that homes affected by toddlers/children/teenagers/adults who are impacted with autism are often hourly scenarios of “personal emergency prevention” challenges. When these same parents/caregivers are admonished to also create Emergency Preparedness Plans for potential hazards for neighborhood/local/regional/national emergency situations—overwhelm occurs. Little actually changes, (but stress and worry assuredly escalate).

5. Educate - National statistics indicate these families are indeed unprepared and serious problems have happened during events-ranging from a man-made crisis to natural disasters like earthquakes. Evaluations on all levels indicate there needs to be encouragement and actual creating emergency preparedness at home through workshops, demonstrations and networking. I will emphasize parents are not alone; several programs will join with them, assisting them in a variety of ways to build a safety network.

6. Emphasize - There is too much to do in one day, one week or a month, and it’s puzzling, but we must consistently do what we can to get more Emergency Prepared. My key to Emergency Preparedness is not to give up, but Keep It UP! There is always more that can be done, but just begin where you are and build on it, in a personalized, common-sense manner.

7. Inspire – This family-friendly session is for participants needing a reasonable emergency preparedness class (designed for families with ASD) plus they’ll receive an informational paper of short, simple, strait-forward ideas, tips, tools and techniques. My presentation informs in bit-sized ways and inspires them to simply keep it up. You can eat an elephant… one bite at a time!

 

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