Group to offer autism safety training at University of Maine at Presque Isle

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Aroostook Autism Support group will be hosting free training sessions on autism safety and education on Thursday, June 26, at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
“Matt Brown is coming up from Portland to attend the training. We have invited first responders, school staff and case managers in The County,” said Maeghan Swanson, spokesperson for AAS, who’s helping organize Thursday’s training.
Brown is a U.S. probation officer and autism information specialist with the Autism Society of Maine, whose teenage son is on the autism spectrum. He’s the founder of the Law Enforcement Program and has been educating first responders about autism for over 10 years. Brown educates all police cadets at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy about how to appropriately interact with individuals with autism.
Two sessions will be held at UMPI,  at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Training will take place at the Campus Center. The program is free.
Swanson said the morning session is full but a few spots remained open in the afternoon as of presstime Tuesday.
For more information, visit the Aroostook Autism Support page or the Autism Society of Maine page on Facebook.
If a police department would like to have officers receive training, call the ASM at 800-273-5200. The program has been approved by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. For more information, visit www.asmonline.org/prgrams_law.asp.