600% increase in Autism over last 2 decades
Why & The Statistics
Over the last year, hundreds of ASD affected Australians found themselves in dangerous situations when confronted by Law Enforcement. Idiosyncratic behaviour consistent with Autism is often mistaken for drug use, aggression, insubordination or flight. In extreme cases this has lead to fatal consequences.
With a 600% increase in Autism over the last 2 decades it has become a priority for First Responders to be trained on managing interactions with ASD affected Australians, and to be able to recognise them.
In 2018 NSW Police responded to 42,570 mental health calls. That is 117 per day. 14,725 of those calls the individual was held under a Section 22. This is where in either a private or public circumstance the person is detained for the purpose a mental health assessment at a hospital or specialised clinic.
2018 also held an incredibly high amount of domestic violence calls. Of the 160,000 calls in NSW, 70% of incidents were attributed to one or both parties having a mental health illness, mental health disorder or mentally disturbed.
At this time it is extremely difficult for anyone to distinguish and recognise Autism within these statistics which is why the ASD Talisman is so incredibly important. Wearing the ASD Talisman will be a clear message to all that the wearer has an ASD, and as such will need to be treated appropriately. Our Project Eleos training module for First Responders ensures that all Police, Ambulance and Fire personnel know exactly how to manage and interact with ASD Australian in a safe and controlled manner.
THE FACTS
- 1 in 70 Australians are now diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorde
- Autism affects all ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
- Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average
- There is no medical detection or cure for Autism
- Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
- 31% of children with ASD have an intellectual disability
- For those that do not have a learning disability, suicide is the No. 1 cause of death in the Autism Community. This is overtaken only by the rate of death caused by Epilepsy in those that have a learning disability.
- Currently there is no federal law that prohibits the use of restraints that restrict breathing, and locked seclusion, in public and private schools.
- While there is no definitive study on the effects of caring for a child with Autism on marriage, there are very clear signs that it plays a dramatic part with a mean divorce rate of 66%. Many disagree strongly and maintain that the rate is more in the high 80% range. This is anecdotal so cannot be confirmed.