Elyria police event furthers outreach to neurodivergent kids, families

ELYRIA — The Elyria Police Department invited local families and community partners to join in a sensory-friendly Connect with Elyria Police event on Saturday. All were welcome, but the event at the West Recreation Center was specifically focused on inviting kids with autism or other developmental disabilities and their families to meet and interact with police in a safe, fun space. Police Chief James Welsh said it was important for neurodivergent children to meet police in a "nonenforcement" situation so they could get comfortable around them. Families were also introduced to community resources and the department's Autism Alert Response Program. Pioneered in large part by officer Gage Hume, who has two sons on the autism spectrum, the program allows families to sign up to share their child's information with police. Hume said that having information about a child with autism before arriving on scene can prove crucial to forming a connection and having a positive outcome to the situation. "There was one kid, where I was able to pull up his information on my way to the call and realized that Fortnite (a popular videogame) is his thing," Hume said. "I had Fortnite up on my phone ready to go before I even went in the house. Knowing I am going into this with a kid who is already in sensory overload, having a meltdown, and I was able to make a connection with him over Fortnite. Which I know nothing about, you know, but I was able to pull up a YouTube video and that caught his attention enough to bring him out of that and we were able to work from there." The information provided in the Autism Alert Program can also help find or identify children who have eloped, a common phenomenon among young people with autism where they leave or flee their home or family. On top of the list portion of the program, Welsh said that the department is also emphasizing additional training to educate officers about autism and other neurological disorders, and better train them in how to work with neurotypical individuals. "It is personal for me, you know, how do I want the police to interact with my kid?" Hume said. "If he gets out, and he is doing something that might seem strange, how is that officer going to react? How is he going to treat him? So that was important. We are trying to take training to the next level in the department, to get our officers as trained as we can, because how else do you better serve your community?" Two of the attendees at the event on Saturday were Charity Anderson and her grandson, 4-year-old Lucas Anderson. Lucas has not been diagnosed with autism, but Charity teaches at a school for autistic children in Westlake and she said events like Connect with Elyria Police are important for kids on the spectrum. "Kids are always hearing 'I'm gonna call the cops' or some people will still point out the detention home or the county jail to their kids," Charity Anderson said. "And for children with disabilities, that can be really confusing and conflicting for them… For lots of children, especially those who are non-verbal, they can't express fear or joy in as many ways.This gives them an upfront, personal way to see police officers, smile at them and you can explain 'They are friends, they are here to help you.'" To learn more about the Autism Alert Program or sign up a family member, visit https://www.cityofelyria.org/department/police/autism-response/. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.