Presenter: William Cannata, Jr, Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition      

This session will provide fire and life safety educators and first responders with an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Growth rates, theories, common characteristics, effective communication methods, and some practical skills on how to effectively interact and teach this audience will be discussed. Capt. Bill Cannata will provide information on how first responders and educators can recognize an individual with ASD and discuss how actual incidents were handled. Bill will also discuss the unique learning styles of children with ASD, common components of effective teaching programs, and how to use these techniques to teach safety skills to children and adults with ASD.