Abstract
This chapter is primarily focused on first response, and specifically first response by police officers, involving autistic children and adults. Included in this chapter are a review and analysis of the academic literature on first responder training in autism; information and advice for first responders interacting with an autistic person; a discussion of high-risk law enforcement contacts in the context of autism; and an analysis of the issue of drowning deaths involving autistic people in the USA in comparison to the UK. In conclusion, we explain why we believe that the risks faced by autistic people make ‘autism’ an imperative for the police and for researchers; argue that the heavy training demands on police officers require ‘autism’ to be fully embedded within existing national, regional (county/state), and force-level officer training initiatives; and recommend that autism training be delivered by police officers who fit certain profiles. As is the case with the autism community more generally, some people prefer identity-first language (autistic person) and others prefer person-first language (person with autism). We have used the former as this is the majority preference. On occasions we have used the term ‘neurotypical’ (This term was introduced by advocates of “neurodiversity” which is the position that autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, etc., can represent cognitive differences rather than cognitive disabilities in many cases. Strictly speaking, the term “neurotypical” refers to people who are not autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic, etc.) to refer to non-autistic individuals.
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Notes
- 1.
The 46 forces comprise the 43 English regional forces together with British Transport Police, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and Police Scotland.
- 2.
The seven states are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
- 3.
Laan, Ingram, and Glidden also compared the training delivered by the seven states against the guidance for mental disorder training issued by the Police Executive Research Forum.
- 4.
This video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFB48E_xeGg.
- 5.
Content from Beardon, L. et al. (2018). First responders and autism. In The Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders (F. Volkmar, Ed.). Springer-Verlag. Is used here with permission from Springer Nature.
- 6.
It is unethical and inappropriate to ask a person if they are autistic under normal circumstances.
- 7.
- 8.
- 9.
Signage relating to elopement and wandering can be a valuable risk management measure. However, the risks of elopement and wandering are not restricted to autism and most autistic people are no more likely to elope or wander than are neurotypical individuals. We therefore recommend that where there is a known high risk of elopement and wandering in a particular area a more generic form of signage be installed such as: ‘Please be aware that there may be vulnerable children in the area and slow down’.
- 10.
We do not believe that there has been a particularly noteworthy increase in autism over the years. In our view increases in the numbers of identified individuals is much more likely to be as a result of improving diagnostic practice rather than an actual increase of autism.
- 11.
Among other matters, this law amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to promote initiatives intended to reduce the risk of injury or death relating to the wandering or elopement of autistic children and adults, and those with other developmental disabilities or dementia.
- 12.
Although colloquially used in relation to running-off to get married, the definition of ‘elopement’ includes an act or instance of an individual putting themselves at risk by leaving a safe premises or other safe area. It is important to appreciate that autistic children and adults, and those with other developmental disabilities or dementia, may lack age-appropriate self-preservation and personal safety judgement skills.
- 13.
- 14.
By ‘high level’ of autism training we mean the equivalent of the Sheffield Hallam University/National Autistic Society Post Graduate Certificate in Autism and Asperger Syndrome.
- 15.
Peter Tosh was a member of the original Wailers alongside Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer (Neville O’Riley Livingston).
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Chown, N., Debbaudt, D., Beardon, L., Cossburn, K., Scott, J. (2021). Autism and Operational Policing. In: Volkmar, F.R., Loftin, R., Westphal, A., Woodbury-Smith, M. (eds) Handbook of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Law. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70913-6_23
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