Hawaii Creates Disaster Preparedness Workbook

Dr. Maya Matheis, a clinical psychologist with the Center on Disability Studies at the University of Hawaii, recently created a workbook to help people with autism and other developmental disabilities better understand and cope with disaster. The workbook can be downloaded online and is also available in print with 600 copies distributed so far. Based on practices known to be effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder, the workbook uses “social stories” to explain complex situations, depicting in words and pictures the wildfire’s smoke and flames, people fleeing, and other impacts. It encourages people to “talk story” about their personal experience to bring deeper understanding and reduce stress.

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