Autism sensory kits available to sheriff’s deputies, thanks to local organization: ‘A game changer’

WARNER ROBINS — The Houston County Sheriff’s Office now has a tool in their belt to help the neurodivergent community, thanks to a gift from Operation Arresting Hunger. On Friday, the organization met with the sheriff to donate autism sensory kits.

According to Capt. Veronica Edens, Operation Arresting Hunger donated one bag for every deputy, traffic and juvenile vehicle, 57 bags total. Tthe bags are meant to be a calming kit for calls involving children with autism.

“Whenever [deputies] are dispatched to a call where an autistic individual is in crisis, they can get the bags out and de-escalate that situation,” Edens said. 

The bags go hand-in-hand with the 911 Center’s Residential Premise Form, a program that alerts law enforcement if a household has a neurodivergent family member.

Inside are a variety of hand-picked objects, including communication boards, fidget toys, noise cancelling headphones, sunglasses and a stuffed animal.

If a child is non-verbal or overwhelmed, they can use the boards to communicate by pointing to what they need.  

The fidget toys include a liquid timer, play-doh, a fidget spinner, a pop tube, a stress ball and a pop-it. These items provide tactile sensory input and ways to redirect nervous energy and self-regulate.

The headphones and sunglasses help to reduce sensitivity to bright lights or loud noises, while a stuffed animal provides comfort and reassurance.

Edens believes the bags will help bridge the gap in communication between law enforcement and those on the autism spectrum.

“It would be a game changer… [if] they need assistance calming down, sometimes it could just be somebody changing the subject, or something to help them de-escalate. These bags will provide that assistance,” Edens said.

The bags were a quarterly project. To raise money, the organization sold shirts promoting autism awareness, a passion project of Edens.

She pitched the idea to the organization, and they were fully on board.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for years and it popped up when we decided to do this. I’m glad we get to bless the sheriff’s office with our first contributions,” Edens said.

Sheriff Matt Moulton was excited to receive the donation, saying the bags can help when children are fearful of law enforcement. He also encourages parents to help reassure.

“Having these sensory bags is going to help formulate those relationships between us and the kids,” Moulton said. “When they’re scared, lost or hurt, we want them to come to us. So, I think this is a step in the right direction.”

Moulton said the bags hit home on multiple fronts, both to the sheriff’s office and community.

“There are a lot of autistic children in our community. We’ve got a lot of employees here that have a child with autism. … We would have loved to provide for our children when they needed it most, and we didn’t have that available. Now we do, thanks to Operation Arresting Hunger, and their generous contribution to the sheriff’s office,” Moulton said.

Stay up to date on Operation Arresting Hunger on their website or their Facebook.