Responsibility of Public Security Officers for The Autistic Child Safety

Autism affects a lot of people and their children due to the negligence of the security officers. So, they are likely to encounter some problems on the autism spectrum. For the security officers, it is important to understand the Autism before they act as per their responsibility for the social benefits.

Image Credits : sunnyskyz.com

Understand the Autism

Autism is a developmental disability that affects the communication ability, the way of expression and develops the habit of living in isolation for the lifetime. Autistic people experience the things differently which will be there for the lifetime. This is basically a spectrum condition and the autistic people face difficulties in different areas such as learning, mental health issues, and other conditions.

Difficulties with Social Interaction

Autistic people have issues with the interpretation of both verbal and non-verbal language, facial expressions, voice tone and sarcasm or jokes. Some people can communicate very effectively whereas, some fail to understand anything. The social communication of autistic people completely depends upon the help and attention he gets from the family and society.

Responsibility for the Security to Control Meltdowns

This is an overwhelming situation and the autistic person can lose their behavioral control. They can shout, scream, cry or kick, lash out, bit etc to express their anger which should not be treated as a temper tantrum. They also may refuse to interact, withdraw from the situations or avoid both. 

Tips to react to a meltdown

• Avoid shouting or ordering. Low voice is better to control the situation.  
• When you see someone in a panic situation, it recommends giving the person some time. It will take to recover from the sensory burden.
• Ask for their family when they become normal and give them plenty of time to respond.
• Try to create a safe and quiet space to bring them to their normal condition. Ask people not to stare, turn off loud music, turn off headlights and move along to control the information overload.
• It's better you know how to recognize and approach an autistic victim, witness, and suspects. So you have to observe a person's behavior. 
• Be aware of the signs such as unusual eye contact, inappropriate behavior, struggle to understand things, difficulty to talk, rudeness or bluntness, unusual anxiousness, agitation and sensitivity to sound, light or touch.

Security Officers Do’s

• They should aim to keep the situation calm.
• It is important to know that your behavior and language can confuse an autistic person.
• It's better if you turn off the sirens and flashlights.
• A thorough inspection is a must as an autistic person may not tell you about the injuries by themselves.
• Explain the situation clearly where you are taking them and what you are going to do.
• Use pictures or photos to explain what's happening as they understand the visual information more ideally.
• Make sure you speak to them more clearly, concise and in simple words.
• Use their name before every sentence to make them understand that you are addressing them.

Being a concerned parent, you must be worried about the safety of your special needs child. You can take a good care of them at home with all the resources for special needs but public security officers should be responsible to ensure the safety of the wandering autistic kids or other people.