Students write the book on autismBy Jeb Bobseine/Daily News staff
GHS
WALPOLE —Students at a local school for autistic children and young adults have published a booklet to help public safety officials communicate with nonverbal or non-English-speaking individuals during emergency situations.
In the run up to National Emergency Preparedness month in September, the Local Emergency Preparedness Committee - a group of local public health and safety officials - asked if students at the League School of Greater Boston could put such a book together.
The school's stated goal is "social and academic achievement with the child with autism."
The Autism Society of America defines autism as a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person's ability to communicate and interact with others.
The publishing effort by students at the Rte. 1 private school in Walpole coincided with the committee's distribution, to all town households, of a handbook for use in emergencies from flooding to a flu epidemic.
But while the committee's "Emergency Preparedness Handbook" is useful for many local residents, it is insufficient for all residents, Health Director Robin Chapell said.
In the event of an emergency, public safety officers must be able to communicate with all types of people, including nonverbal and non-English-speaking individuals, she said.
The League School "Communication Book" does precisely this; Chapell called the students' effort "perfect."
The book's laminated pages are filled with colorful images and symbols that assist police officers and firefighters in quickly learning information, or giving instructions. It offers a "huge array" of communication symbols, Principal Lisa Weedon said.
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