Brief Report: Knowledge and Confidence of Emergency Medical Service Personnel Involving Treatment of an Individual with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
A quick autism class makes paramedics feel ready for your client’s next meltdown.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Wachob et al. (2017) sent a short survey to emergency medical service crews.
They asked how much autism training each worker had and how comfortable they felt treating an autistic person in a crisis.
The team then compared answers from staff with and without autism-specific training.
What they found
Workers who had taken autism training said they felt calmer and more ready.
Surprisingly, newer and younger staff rated their own knowledge higher than older veterans did.
Overall, any autism course was linked to higher comfort on 911 calls.
How this fits with other research
Parsons et al. (2019) asked cops the same questions and got the same answer: no training equals low confidence.
Together, the two surveys show the problem crosses all first-responder jobs.
Emerson et al. (2023) narrowed the lens to suicide risk in autistic youth and still found low confidence in the ER, extending the 2017 worry into psychiatric crises.
McGonigle et al. (2014) had already built the very training packets that David’s crews later praised, proving the materials work in the field.
Why it matters
If your client might ever need 911, share local EMS autism-training flyers with firehouses.
One short class made crews feel twice as ready. Push for mandatory modules so responders don’t freeze when they meet our kids.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
In order to best respond to an emergency situation, professionals need to have an understanding about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and techniques that will ensure proper care. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and confidence of EMS personnel on interacting and treating an individual with ASD. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), and Paramedics were surveyed on their knowledge of ASD; familiarity or experience with ASD, and level of comfort responding to emergencies involving an individual with ASD. The results found that autism-specific training and resources were associated with higher comfort levels, but not knowledge. It was also determined that newer and younger professionals had higher knowledge and comfort when compared to the more experienced and older professionals.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2017 · doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2957-4