SALT LAKE CITY — Emergency medical technicians in Utah are hoping to better respond to autistic patients with special kits that are now in ambulances across the state.
John Wilson Autism Kits are now in every single Gold Cross ambulance in Utah. The kits are named after the son of a Payson paramedic who learned some crucial tips trying to calm his own autistic son during stressful situations.
Jeff Wilson learned a lot while training to be a paramedic but he said one thing he and many other EMTs were not prepared for is dealing with individuals who are on the autism spectrum.
“When you have that added layer of stress it gets really chaotic in behavior a lot of times," he explained. "It presents safety issues, on our end and on the children's or the adult's end who are on the spectrum.”
When Wilson's son, John, was diagnosed with autism, a new world of learning was opened to him.
Wilson and his wife began using American sign language and learned about tools, like colorful "popper" bracelets, that can help calm an individual on the spectrum.
So Wilson made a kit, named after his son, which also includes sound-reducing headphones and a sign language translation paper.
Then the idea was to try and get a kit into every Gold Cross ambulance.
“Sent a letter to my bosses here saying; I think we need to develop a program to teach other first responders how to handle stressful situations with autism," Wilson explained.
Utah EMS, which is federally funded, was able to gather enough money to make dozens and dozens of these John Wilson Autism kits.
"Because of it, he’s just changing the face of how EMS providers are providing care to children in Utah, which is huge," reflected Sarah Becker, Utah EMS for Children Medical Director and pediatric ER Physician at Primary Children’s Hospital.
Becker also added that Wilson's efforts are one way that responders can help children with different abilities as they navigate traumatic life events.
“They really just have very basic needs that we just have to shift our brains into a different mode of thinking when we’re taking care of them," she explained. "Jeff has helped usher us into that way of thinking for those kids by helping crews have the tools they need to take care of them.”
While the kits are targeted at those on the autism spectrum, Wilson also said the tools inside can help others who have anxiety, depression and other behavioral challenges.
