This insightful webinar will provide paramedics with a better understanding of autism; what it is and what isn’t and strategies to manage a patient on the spectrum.

First you will hear first hand experience from David Birch, a father and paramedic. He will teach you to recognise the signs that a person is on the spectrum and provide techniques to use when responding to achieve better outcomes for the patient.

Then you will hear from Ambulance Victoria's Adrian Pace, who will present their pilot training in autism specific de-escalation skills for children with behaviours of concern . This presentation will discuss some of the early findings, challenges and experiences.

Presented by:

Adrian Pace - Adrian is an Acting Senior Team Manager with Ambulance Victoria. He has been a paramedic for 8 years. He has been involved with the de-escalation project for the last 6 months.

David Birch - David started with Queensland Ambulance Service in 2007 under the diploma system and graduated as an acute care paramedic in 2010. His son was born in 2011 and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2015. In 2018 David starting presenting on the topic of autism awareness with the aim to provide paramedics with valuable information on how to recognise and manage a patient with Autism.