On Tuesday, South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs held its inaugural event called “Autism Connect 2024” at the University of South Carolina Alumni Center.
“Once you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism. No two of them are the same. So this gives officers kind of the view on the spectrum of autism, what their behaviors can look like in a crisis, and that it’s not necessarily malicious or the intent is to hurt themselves or others, but how can they de-escalate the situation on scene and help this person get to safety,” Turner says.
The South Carolina State Museum and the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs are teaming up to offer training to the museum’s Summer Camp Educators, hoping to better serve children with autism and other special needs.
