Tomorrow, the local organization Autism Involves Me, or AIM, will launch AIM 2 Respond, an initiative designed to help first responders better communicate with and support individuals with autism. The group, a locally based grassroots organization, will present the Bella Vista Police Department with specially designed kits. Paula George, executive director of Autism Involves Me, says tomorrow’s event furthers the group’s work to create a community of inclusion.
George: And we support and empower families across Northwest Arkansas who are impacted by autism. So, in essence, we meet the families where they are on their autism journey, whether it’s just receiving a diagnosis last week or moving into the Northwest Arkansas area with a diagnosis, you know, of a kid that’s 10 or 12.
So we meet them where they are and help them with the needs that they have currently, whether it’s finding local resources for occupational, OT, speech, you know, physical therapy, or the best physician for their kiddo, or looking for adult services. We help them connect with all of those resources across Northwest Arkansas.
Kellams: What can you tell me about the kits that you’ll be delivering to the Bella Vista Police Department?
George: So the kits that we’re delivering to the police department are called AIM 2 Respond sensory kits. And they are filled with items that will help any situation where a first responder comes into contact with someone on the autism spectrum.
So the autism spectrum, there’s no two individuals that are exactly alike. Some individuals may be nonspeaking or having difficulty verbally communicating, and others may avoid, like, eye contact or have sensory sensitivities or become overwhelmed by loud noises. And the components in these kits are meant to help with those situations.
So they’re filled with noise-canceling headphones and sunglasses to help with the bright lights and communication cards for the individuals that might be nonverbal.
Kellams: How did the connection between y’all and the Bella Vista Police Department develop?
George: So I actually know one of the ladies that works at the police department, one of the officers, and she reached out to me in the first part of September, I believe, after seeing a video from out West where an individual had had a confrontation with a caregiver and the police were called, and one of the officers that showed up on scene had a sensory kit and was able to de-escalate that situation.
So she called asking just my opinion on what she could do to create kits like that for her officers. And we just kind of took that and turned it into a new initiative for our organization. And we wanted to take that on and offer that to their first responders and, in hopes, are able to offer that across Northwest Arkansas to other departments soon.
Kellams: How many kits will the Bella Vista Police Department be receiving?
George: Fifty. We wanted to be able to supply a kit for every officer, whether from the chief all the way down to the officers that are on the beat, you know. So we wanted every cruiser to have one of these kits so that whoever comes into a situation, they’re prepared.
Kellams: Is Bella Vista the first police department in the region to have this connection?
George: They are. Yes.
Kellams: But you’d be open to others.
George: Absolutely. That is our hope, is to be able to spread this across the entire region and work with other law enforcement departments, other fire departments, first responders. We’d love to get the kits into every hand that we possibly can.
Kellams: Would these kits work for other entities other than just first responders?
George: Absolutely. We actually have some kits in some local restaurants across the region for families that come into a situation like, say, in a diner and they forgot their noise-canceling headphones for their kiddos. We have several restaurants that actually have some sensory kits that have headphones and fidget toys and our information to connect us to those families. And we’re still working on getting those into more public restaurants as well.
Kellams: I think, don’t let me put words in your mouth, but it seems as though part of the mission of Autism Involves Me is not just helping families who live and experience and know about autism, but people who do not as well.
George: Absolutely, absolutely. That’s one of the parts of our mission, is to make our community inclusive for everyone. So even bringing in those families that are impacted by autism, a lot of times those families recluse and don’t go out in public a lot because they’re misunderstood or they worry about their kids having a meltdown.
But one thing at AIM that we try to do is educate the community and give them the resources needed for these families to feel included and supported, no matter what situation they’re in.
Paula George is executive director of Autism Involves Me, a completely local organization working to foster a community of inclusion and acceptance. Our conversation took place Friday.
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