Local autism mom Melanie Young recently conducted a presentation for The Pas Fire Department about autism.

 

One of the things that Young told the fire department is that if a child lacks eye contact with another person, that could be a sign off autism and it does not mean they are being evasive.

 

Young is currently working towards having a sensory friendly fire hall visit for children and adults with autism and to give them an opportunity to meet people that can help them in an emergency.

 

It would give people on the autism spectrum an opportunity to learn about the fire department with limited lighting and noise as certain sights and sounds can be overwhelming for people on the spectrum.  

 

The sirens and lights will be left off until the very end so families can leave ahead of time if they wanted, as these elements can sometimes be overwhelming for autistic people.

 

If you would like to work with Young to organize a sensory friendly fire hall visit call her at 204-623-3187.