Acadian Ambulance on Friday unveiled a new first responder autism resource kit to improve emergency response for individuals who are nonverbal.
Officials said the initiative was strengthened by a January crash involving Cole Wofford, a nonverbal 14-year-old autistic teen who was traveling with his father when their vehicle wrecked and responders initially faced communication challenges.
That realization contributed to the development of a picture-based communication board that allows nonverbal patients and individuals with communication challenges to point to needs, symptoms and responses. The tool was launched on Acadian medics’ tablets 15 days after the crash and is now available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese…