A 2-year-old walking alone along a busy highway. A 5-year-old wandering outside in the middle of the night into a neighbor's house. A 4-year-old darting into traffic.

For local parents of autistic children, these situations are real and could potentially worsen if law enforcement and other emergency workers aren't familiar with autism.

On Wednesday, those in the law enforcement and medical professions as well as families affected by autism will have an opportunity to learn more about the risks associated with the disorder.

Dennis Debbaudt, a private investigator and autism advocate, will hold a free seminar called "Recognizing and Reducing Risk Situations for People with Autism Spectrum Disorders."

The seminar will discuss how typical behaviors associated with autism, including running away, unsteadiness, impulsive behavior and failure to respond, may be misunderstood by law enforcement.

"Those behaviors could be interpreted as drug use or resisting arrest," said Dr. David Crowe, a Cape Girardeau orthodontist whose son, Taylor, is autistic.

"There are a lot of nightmare stories out there," Crowe said.

The seminar will be broken down into three sessions -- 8 a.m. to noon for law enforcement; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. for medical professionals and anyone else interested and a 6 p.m. session for families.

The seminar is free and will be held at the Glenn Auditorium on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.

Debbaudt has been involved in training sessions for law enforcement agencies around the country. His son, Kelly, is autistic.

cmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128