(ABC 6 News) — The City of Austin is teaming up with the Hormel Historic Home to raise awareness about autism.

It impacts more than five million people here in the U.S., and one in 36 children are affected by autism according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Tuesday in Austin, first responders and law enforcement gathered to learn more about autism, and how sometimes communication can be impaired between them and someone with the disability.

“As long as we’re in a safe, secure, calm situation, just give things time. It doesn’t always mean the individual in uncompliant. It might mean they need a little bit longer time to process things,” said Todd Clennon, the Captain of the Austin Police Department.

“It’s a benefit for officers, it’s a benefit for the citizens, and that knowledge is just a really good thing to have,” Clennon continued.

Michelle Flink is a parent of a 21-year-old autistic child who was at the event. She said the first interaction between her son and law enforcement was different, but events like these have changed that over time.

“His last involvement with law enforcement was a lot smoother for him with them having more training on how to approach someone with autism,” Flink said.

That is thanks to the course sending the message that people with autism are just like anyone else.

“Each human being is different, we all have different needs and desires and hopes and dreams. So do autistic people. They’re more like us than not,” said Dennis Debbaudt, the autism safety and risk instructor.

The Hormel Historic Home will be hosting another autism risk and safety management course on Wednesday starting at 8 AM.

For more information, click here.