Local county sheriff creates seatbelt cover program to help first responders identify people with autism

NORWOOD, Mass. — For parents of children with autism, letting law enforcement know their child may need special assistance in an emergency on the road may be as easy as buckling up. In Norfolk County, police are giving out seatbelt covers in what may be a first-of-its-kind program in the U.S.

If Margaret Cole ever got into a car accident, she says she's unsure how her son Cameron would react.

"He absolutely would not know what to do and he would not respond appropriately if there [was] any emergency whatsoever,” she said. “If there was an accident he would not have any idea what to do […] he might react completely wrong."

When she heard about a project by the Norfolk County Sheriff's Department that offers seatbelt covers to let first responders know the person wearing it is on the spectrum, she stopped by the Norwood Police Department as soon as she could.

The sheriff says he got the idea from a program in the United Kingdom, but it’s the first he knows of in the U.S.

"It really became a front-burner issue for me when we had somebody come into our care and custody that we really didn't pick up that was on the autism spectrum,” said Sheriff Jerry McDermott of Norfolk County. “He was an older gentleman closer to his 40s."

And because of the simplicity of the seatbelt covers, they've been very popular. In Norwood they began the week with 30 and only had three left by Sunday.

"Not just police officers, but any first-responder, they happen upon a scene and the child in the car is on the autism spectrum, they may be nonverbal or their skills may not be such that they can discuss what is happening with that first responder," Sheriff McDermott said.

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Cole says she knows her son is safer with first responders knowing that he has autism.

"Let's say there is an accident on the highway and they are responding to me because he looks fine, he could run right into the road,” she said. “I've seen stuff like that happen."

And officers who spoke with Boston 25 News say the more information they have, the better.

"It could be an emergency or any encounter,” said Officer Sunyub Hwang of Norwood Police. “You can identify right away the party with autism doesn't speak or gets nervous. We identify that and could speak with the passenger to get assistance […] it just makes everything simpler for us, for fire, for any first responder."

"I think nowadays with the rise of autism and the awareness, which is huge, that anything we can do to let people know that there will be situations, absolutely,” Cole said. “And we need to be aware and make sure he is not harmed as a result of something like that."

The sheriff’s department is working with several organizations on the project, including the Flutie Foundation, the Arc of Massachusetts and Autism Speaks. They are available for free at police departments and the sheriff’s department in Norfolk County.

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