The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
First responders to speak ‘special needs’
Woman creates cards for non-verbal communication
While working with Willoughby and Mentor fire departments on special needs story hours, Mentor resident Jenna Newman learned that first responders receive no training on how to communicate with children with special needs.
So she came up with a way to help.
After talking with firefighters about ways to communicate with non-verbal people, she created icon cards for them. This type of system of communication — Picture Exchange Communication System — is used in many school and home settings.
Newman created these icon cards for the Willoughby and Mentor fire departments.
The cards are broken down into categories that will help first responders determine where the child is hurt.
The categories on the cards for the fire departments include pictures of people, body parts, commands/sign
language, objects, first responders, vehicles and medical supplies.
“By flipping through the cards with the person who needs help, hopefully it will help them to communicate with the first responders what might be hurting, who they might need or be missing from,” Newman said. “This also will hopefully ease any anxiety that the person might have if they are having a hard time processing what is going on. The first responder can find the card for, say, the ambulance if they need to go in the ambulance, or the needle
if they are trying to put an IV in.”
Lt. Mark Leisure said the Willoughby department has a set on every squad, in the command vehicle and in the public education bag for events.
“We keep them in our pediatric bag, but they can also be used for adults with special needs,” Leisure said.
Newman has been using the icon cards for about three years with her 7-yearold son who is autistic and non-verbal.
“We have them all around the house for things such as food, toys, clothes and TV shows.” Newman said. “I knew he needed a way to communicate with first responders if he ever needs to and by them carrying these
cards I hope it will help.”
Leisure says communicating with someone who
is non-verbal is still difficult but the cards make it a lot easier.
Ricky Stuart with the Willoughby Fire Department agrees, noting that a lot of kids are using the pictures and computers to communicate in school so this is just taking what the kids are familiar with and applying that method to this situation.
Stuart said he was amazed that what started out as an idea for a story
hour has turned into something so big. The story hour grew to a special needs story hour that grew to firefighters learning more about kids with special needs and finding ways to help them.
In addition to the icon cards, Willoughby Fire is looking into keeping small sensory boxes in the squads to help calm kids with special needs.
Newman is donating the icon cards to any first responders and/or departments that would like to have them.
“We keep them in our pediatric bag, but they can also be used for adults with special needs.”