First responders partner with Louisville autism therapy center for Autism Awareness Month

By Megan Matthews

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — April is Autism Awareness Month, and to get ready, Hopebridge Autism Therapy Center partnered with Zoneton Fire to help firefighters learn about situations they may come in contact with.

Students at Hopebridge lined up Tuesday afternoon to get their turn to check out the fire truck, which is something many of them have never seen up close.

“There are so many things they can look at. We have the kids putting the jackets on, getting to be able to get inside the firetruck which is awesome. It’s just a great opportunity because a lot of our kids also love vehicles, and it’s just something they never would’ve gotten to see,” said Alayna Hazelwood, the center coordinator.

Loud noises and bright lights can be overwhelming for children, but especially for those with autism.

“You know, we have a lot of kids who can’t verbally express when they need help, so it’s just great to make our friendly firefighters aware of the signs that you can look for if you don’t know if a kid has autism right off the rip. You can utilize the information that’s been given to you,” said Brianna Kahl, the center manager.

Children were able to try on uniforms, check out the inside of the truck and listen to the noises it makes.

Firefighters like Steven Corbin were also given a list of tips to use when working with someone who has autism. A list they plan to incorporate into their daily routines.

“We want them to know that this is a friendly sound and the lights… you know we’re there to help them,” said Corbin.

For many kids, this event did just that. Smiles were seen and laughter was heard by all throughout the event.

“We absolutely love what we do; we are 100% here for the kids and days when we’re able to do things like this watching all of these kiddos reactions right now this is exactly why we do it,” said Kahl.

Hopebridge and Zoneton Fire hope to continue this partnership into the future.

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