Marquette mom spearheads autism safety training session for first responders
By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times
Central State Bank is sponsoring an Autism Safety Initiative First Responders Training at the Marquette Community Center on Thursday, Oct. 3, in an effort to help not only emergency personnel, but the public in general, better understand what autism is and how they can help keep individuals with the condition safe.
The idea was spearheaded by one of the bank’s Marquette employees, Abbigale Martin, a single mother of three boys—two of whom have autism.
According to the organization Autism Speaks, autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.
Martin first began learning more about autism when her two oldest sons—twins who are now in third grade—were younger. One of the boys, she recalled, “was lining up things, just doing things a little differently.” An evaluation revealed he had autism.
When Martin’s youngest son, now five, came along, “the older he got, I started to notice similarities,” she shared. He too was diagnosed.
“A lot of people don’t know what autism is. They think it’s kids misbehaving,” Martin said. “But they just register things differently. Like the lights, or an auditorium with echoes, can send their senses into overdrive.”
“And every kid on the spectrum is different,” she added.
Unfortunately, individuals with autism also tend to wander.
“You can watch them 24/7, have locks and alarms and take every precaution,” Martin said, “and they still get out. With me, being a single mom, I have a great support system, but sometimes it’s still not enough.”
Living in Marquette, she said it’s terrifying having the Mississippi River nearby, particularly when the boys are drawn to water.
Earlier this year, when Martin discovered the police department in West Liberty was holding an Autism Safety Initiative training for first responders, she reached out to learn how they organized the event and how she could bring something similar to her community. After all, she said, if one of her boys wanders, the first call will go to 911—to first responders.
“And they need to know what to do,” she said. “If you’ve never been around an autistic person and they can’t speak to you, how do you help? I think there’s a huge need for more information. But a lot of people don’t know who to contact or where to get training.”
Martin contacted Mar-Mac Police Chief Robert Millin, who didn’t hesitate to get involved. She also found support for the idea from the city of Marquette, Central State Bank and other local stakeholders.
“The feedback has been enormous,” she noted. “I think it’s going to be a huge turnout. I couldn’t be happier.”
Held at the Marquette Community Center, 100 North St., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the training will touch on what autism is, review the symptoms of autism, share personal and family perspectives and provide practical tips. There will also be a question and answer segment.
Presenters will include Mary Roberts, coordinator at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital Autism Center; Renee Speh, community advocate with the Iowa Regional Autism Assistance Program; Dina Bishara, community advocate with the Iowa City Autism Community; and Mike Dierdorff, an autistic self-advocate. Most of the speakers have previously conducted trainings like this together, Martin added.
Although the training is geared toward first responders like police officers, firefighters and EMTs, Martin said any member of the public is welcome to attend.
“Everyone is going to learn something,” she remarked. “I learn something new every day.”
Martin hopes this inspires others to seek additional training and education.
“It’s not going away,” Martin quipped, “but it’s still misunderstood. Knowledge is power.”
To learn more about the training, contact Martin at abbigale.martin@centralstate.bank.
