Novel Coronavirus Resources

Every day there is new information coming out about the novel (new) coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Some of this information is science-based and factual, while some is rumor or fiction. When looking for information, it is best to be careful and to check your sources. The following is a list of reputable sources for information on a local, national, and global level.

Share this page with your colleagues, friends and family as it will continue to be updated with new highlights as they become available.

Indiana

The IN.gov Coronavirus Hub contains links to current press releases from Governor Holcomb, as well as a dashboard containing a county-level breakdown of the number of cases, deaths, and tests being counted in Indiana.

  • from IN.gov: “General questions from the public or healthcare provider inquiries about COVID-19 may be directed to the ISDH COVID-19 Call Center at the toll-free number: 877-826-0011 (8 a.m. to midnight, daily)” 

Be Well Indiana: “This site is an initiative of the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA). All external links have been provided by and vetted by DMHA leadership.Information on this website is up to date and subject to change.”

Be Well Crisis Hotline (Indiana 2-1-1): “Counselors and resources now available 24/7 at Indiana 211 – The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration today announced the launch of the Be Well Crisis Helpline, a confidential resource available through Indiana 211 that will allow Hoosiers to call and speak with a trained counselor 24/7. The free Be Well Crisis Helpline was established by FSSA’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction in direct response to the elevated levels of stress and anxiety Hoosiers are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

United States

The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) has a Coronavirus page which branches out into guidance for different situations and answers questions about staying safe and healthy.

The World

The World Health Organization (WHO) Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic page is compiling information about the disease from across the globe to better understand the situation.

Medical Journals & Articles

Resources for Individuals with ASD and More

Law Enforcement and First-Responder Considerations

Click on the icons below to explore other sections:

aboutASD_icon

lifespan_icon

aboutthediagnosis_icon

codisorders_icon

family_icon

diversity_icon

asd-and-law-t

safetyenforcement_icon

learnmore_icon

How to Inform Police and/or First Responders that an Individual Has Autism Spectrum Disorder?

There is a strong chance that individuals with ASD may encounter police in their lives. Statistics shows that:

  • Individuals with ASD are 7 times more likely to intersect with the criminal justice system, either as victims or offenders (Berryessa, 2014).
  • 19.5% of youth with ASD have been stopped and questioned by police by the time they reached their early 20s. Of them, nearly 5% were subsequently arrested (Rava, Shattuck, Rast, & Roux, 2017).
  • Yet, the prevalence of actual unlawful behavior of individuals with ASD is relatively low (Woodbury-Smith & Dein, 2014).
  • Socio-emotional challenges present in ASD do not allow individuals to have an intent to purposefully harm another person (Berryessa, 2014; Freckelton, 2013; Woodbury-Smith & Dein, 2014).
  • Presence of co-morbid psychiatric disorders can be a strong underlying reason for offensive behaviors.
  • 20% of children with autism have been physically or sexually abused. However, justice personnel is not sufficiently ready to interact and advocate for these victims (Mandell et al., 2005)

Individuals with ASD have higher risks of victimization due to the nature of autism and the social environment, namely:

  • Reduced privacy
  • Lack of experience with decision-making
  • Lack of education about sexuality
  • Reduced expectations
  • Rewards for rule-following
  • Limited socialization
  • Negative attitude of others towards disability (Autism Speaks, n.d.)

Call 911 in case of emergency!

Visit CRISIS page for more information on the hotlines to report abuse.

Steps that you can take:

  1. Build awareness in the community and among police and first responders that an individual has ASD and therefore may not respond in an expected way.
  2. If possible, contact your community’s 911 office to let them know that there is an individual with ASD living in this community.
  3. Teach individuals about inappropriate touching and how to avoid it in public.
  4. Police are often being called at school for behavioral issues of older individuals with ASD. Be sure to address the issue in the child’s IEP as a protection. Also, help educate school resource officers on what to do (see example tag from HANDS in Autism® below.)
  5. HANDS in Autism® developed a number of resources to help inform the police and first responders (see examples below). Go to HANDSinAutism.IUPUI.edu for more information.

This Individual has Autism
Card to share with community members or during outbursts in public places:

I Have Autism Spectrum Disorder card for first responders
Wallet card to present to police or first responders:

Strategies that work
Strategies that Work

Alert Magnet for first responders with information about individuals that live in the house
Include this magnet in your home to help first responders

People with ASD may: Card
Here is an example of a card with ideas of what a security officer might expect.

Additional Resources

Click on the icons below to explore other sections:

aboutASD_icon

lifespan_icon

aboutthediagnosis_icon

codisorders_icon

family_icon

diversity_icon

asd-and-law-t

safetyenforcement_icon

learnmore_icon

Iryna Ashby Advocacy, Innovation, Networking & Support, Research, Training & Learning

CRISIS? Read This

When an individual engages in negative behaviors, such as a tantrum or aggression, it is important to focus on the safety of the individual, those around them, and property.

In case of emergency, call 9-1-1!

Hotlines:

Indiana’s Adult Abuse Hotline: Report any types of adult (18+ y.o.) abuse (e.g., neglect, battery, or exploitation) who may be incapable due to mental illness or other physical or mental incapacity to Adult Protective Services. State hotline: 1-800-992-6978. For more information or to report online: www.in.gov/fssa/da/3479.htm

Indiana’s Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline: Call 1-800-800-5556 to report child abuse (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse) and neglect allegations. Help is available 24/7.

Suicide hotline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to a counselor at Lifeline crisis center near you. Help is available 24/7. For more information:  http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

SAMHSA’s National Helpline (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service):  Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Help available 24/7. For more information: http://www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

When to Ask for Help?

Individuals with ASD experience many challenges. However, it is important for parents and caregivers to recognize when they need to seek help:

  • Aggression, self-injury or other changes in behavior, like irritability or anxiety, are recurrent, persistent, and have strong negative impact onto those around them
  • Dangerous or unsafe behaviors that are challenging to manage or contain (e.g., elopement and wandering)
  • Threats of suicide
  • Regression in skills

 

 

 

 

Professional Learning Community

Visual

A professional learning community (PLC) is a network of groups that enable sharing and integration of diverse knowledge, experiences, perspectives, attitudes and practices.  This networking enhances creative thinking, resource development and sharing, idea generation, and program improvement. Shared passion, interest, understanding and work towards common goals fosters greater inclusion, diversity, and capacity for implementation than working in isolation.

 

While members will all bring varying levels of knowledge and experience, the value of the PLC is a safe learning environment, thriving on diversity and inclusion, in which all contribute, grow and learn. In a productive PLC, members share common interests, engage in joint activities and discussions, and exchange, critically evaluate and reflect on information.  They further develop and share resources to support and act on shared goals by developing new knowledge and tools for building capacity through dissemination and implementation leading to meaningful outcomes and progress.

PLCs are flexible, dynamic, and inclusive. They embrace learning. As a result they can create a change within an organization or larger community through:

  • New opportunities through sharing and valuing multiple perspectives
  • New solutions as a result of the inclusive environment that fosters inquiry, innovation and knowledge generation
  • Ongoing support of members to help develop capacity, innovation, risk taking, and community transformation as well as connect people, ideas, and actions towards meaningful progress and outcomes for individuals and families.

Ask for More Info or Join

Access Community Site

To access the Community Site:

  1. Submit the request to join (above)
  2. Create an IU guest account at https://ams.iu.edu/guests/GuestHome.aspx
  3. Send an email to hands@iupui.edu with the email address used for the account.
  4. Once added to the site, you will receive an automatic email invitation

Community Norms

We operate around the following governance principles:

  • participation
  • transparency
  • responsiveness
  • consensus orientation
  • equity and inclusiveness
  • effectiveness and efficiency
  • accountability, and
  • rules of engagement.

As part of the PLC:

  • Be open to all with an interest and who abide by community norms
  • Encourage the ongoing education of members and the deepening of expertise among members

In CRISIS?

When an individual engages in negative behaviors, such as a tantrum or aggression, it is important to focus on the safety of the individual, those around them.

In case of emergency, call 9-1-1!

Hotlines:

Indiana’s Adult Abuse Hotline: Report any types of adult (18+ y.o.) abuse (e.g., neglect, battery, or exploitation) who may be incapable due to mental illness or other physical or mental incapacity to Adult Protective Services. State hotline: 1-800-992-6978. For more information or to report online: in.gov/fssa/da/3479.htm

Indiana’s Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline: Call 1-800-800-5556 to report child abuse (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse) and neglect allegations. Help is available 24/7. More Information here: in.gov/dcs/2971.htm

Suicide hotline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to a counselor at Lifeline crisis center near you. Help is available 24/7. For more information:  suicidepreventionlifeline.org

The Hotline: 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse. Contacts to The Hotline can expect highly-trained, expert advocates to offer free, confidential, and compassionate support, crisis intervention information, education, and referral services in over 200 languages. www.thehotline.org

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime. Crisis Text Line is here for any crisis. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, all from our secure online platform. The volunteer Crisis Counselor will help you move from a hot moment to a cool moment. www.crisistextline.org

SAMHSA’s National Helpline (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service):  Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Help available 24/7. For more information: www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline: Call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline

Trans Lifeline’s Hotline: a peer support phone service run by trans people for our trans and questioning peers. We believe that some of the best support that trans people can receive is from trans community members with shared lived experience. translifeline.org/hotline/

Postpartum Support International: For the 24hr helpline, call 1-800-944-4773, or text 503-894-9453. Options are available in English or Espanol. For more information: postpartum.net. For Indiana-specific resources: psichapters.com/in/

Autism Society National Hotline: “The Autism Society’s National Helpline welcomes your phone calls, emails and letters. Please keep in mind that our helpline does not provide direct services/assistance, such as treatment,  legal services, and case management. However, our trained Information & Referral (I&R) Specialists provide many resources to services and supports across the country. To speak to an I&R Specialist directly, call 800-3-AUTISM (800-328-8476).”  autism-society.org/about-the-autism-society/contact-us/ 

National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health Hotline Guide: “If you are in crisis and need help immediately, please consult one of the toll-free national hotlines listed below or contact your local police or emergency services. The following free, national hotlines and helplines can assist parents, caregivers, families and youth. They are organized by topic to help you find what you are looking for easily. “

A Guide to Safety from Organization for Autism Research: ” A Guide to Safety is an autism safety resource that covers a range of topics, including:

  • Safety network development
  • Prevention and management of wandering and elopement behaviors
  • Relationship, physical, and sexual safety discussions
  • Strategies to address bullying and online threats
  • Tips on money and workplace safety”

When to Ask for Help?

Individuals with ASD experience many challenges. However, it is important for parents and caregivers to recognize when they need to seek help:

  • Aggression, self-injury or other changes in behavior, like irritability or anxiety, are recurrent, persistent, and have strong negative impact onto those around them
  • Dangerous or unsafe behaviors that are challenging to manage or contain (e.g., elopement and wandering)
  • Threats of suicide
  • Regression in skills