Our story

Welcome to our Page! We are the Snaith Family! We have officially started a business and are officially a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit. We have 4 children, with 2 of them having Autism, Gracie who is 13 and Christian who is 8. Tommy is 11 years old and Aiden is 3 years. Both Tommy and Aiden are Neurotypical. My family started the ASD Sensory Project at Medic EMS in Davenport, IA in 2019 as we saw the need in our community to have people understand Autism more especially when it came to healthcare and how to help prevent meltdowns and severe stimming when having to have EMS response or any healthcare interactions. We want to be able to provide more education from a Parents Perspective as well as Professional Expertise. My wife, Elizabeth is a Behavioral Health Specialist. Together We give presentations and also provide Sensory Kits to First Responders in the Tri-State Area. Having the background on both sides personal and professional we can help to make EMS response to ASD individuals less traumatizing.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that affects communication, behavior and sensory processing. People with autism experience the world very differently- especially in high-stress or overstimulating environments like an ambulance.

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is common in individuals with autism. It means the brain has a difficulty time receiving and responding appropriately to sensory input. This can result in:

Hypersensitivity (overreactive) to lights, sounds, textures, or touch
Hyposensitivity (underreactive), which may lead to seeking out intense sensory input (ex. rocking, spinning, etc.)

Ambulances can be sensory nightmares for individuals with ASD. Flashing lights, sirens, beeping monitors, smells, and bumpy motions are all potential triggers. Even light touch during assessments can feel threatening or overwhelming.

Common reactions in individuals with sensory overload can include:

meltdowns, loss of control, not willful behavior
withdrawal or shutting down
fight or flight response (may appear combative or uncooperative)
inability to communicate verbally

These symptoms can make treating these individuals extremely difficult.

Better understanding leads to better outcomes. When EMS providers know how to identify sensory needs and respond compassionately:

scenes are calmer
patients cooperation improves
safety increases for everyone
families feel supported- not fearful

REVIEWS

"This was an awesome presentation. Almost everything was new to me and I learn the most things in this presentation than I had all weekend long and some things were incredibly enlightening and shocking to know. Would totally take this course again, just because I know I missed things. We see so much autism in some adults and children, and it's finally nice to be prepared and know these things and to have some tools to work with even if it's not because you're going on a call, and it's just in passing by in the neighborhood for a walk or whatever."

"It was super awesome to see your children partaking and participating in the event with you. Please tell Gracie, thank you for her presentation as well. Thank you for coming and hope to her you again soon."

WEMSA Conference Attendee

"Personally, I think the sensory bags are a great addition to our ambulances. They are well organized. It helped out greatly when I used it on a 911 call. I was able to communicate with the kiddo a lot smoother than I would have been able to do without the bag and word flip book. Being in an ambulance is stressful enough for people, and 100x worse for autistic people, but using the bag definitely calmed some nerves down. I think they should be in places like daycares and schools, as I do believe they will make a positive impact in places where there are most likely going to be autistic kiddos and people."

Alianiz Rivera

MEDIC EMS of Scott County, EMT-B

"I learned more from your class today, than any other"

Attendee from IEMSA Conference

"These items were used on a 911 call. It was a child with autism, and they worked well according to the medics."

One of the Services we provide for!

"You guys did amazing, thanks so much for what you do. I really learned a lot. It was so nice to see the Specialized car seat and how to work with the locking chest clip"

Attendee from IEMSA Conference

"Very Good content and information on the things that aren't throught of when going to a scene"

Attendee from WEMSA Conference