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Autism and Law Enforcement

Autism and Law Enforcement produced by Dennis Debbaudt and directed by Dave Legacy, April 2004.

The video Autism and Law Enforcement provides a quick and engaging education in autism that can help increase safety for both officers and individuals with autism, as well as minimize the potential for litigation that could occur as a result of a misunderstanding. Interviews and vignettes involving people with autism concretely convey the reality of how challenging they can be to interact with and how vulnerable to crime and exploitation they are. Approximately 1 in every 250 children born will be affected by some form of autism, a developmental disability that usually appears before the age of 3. Each will have difficulty interacting socially and communicating, which will challenge police attempting to help them or investigate crimes.

The first challenge is recognizing that someone has autism. Only about 50 percent of people with autism speak, and they do so in non-conventional ways. In one segment of the video, a young woman speaks rapidly, stringing together her address and phone number as a result of rote memorization. People with autism typically lack social skills and an understanding of societal norms. Consequently, others may perceive them as belligerent. This is demonstrated in a segment with a young man who seems to mock an officer when he repeats back the officer’s exact words and commands due to an associated behavior called echolalia.

The video also illustrates how open to suggestion autistic individuals can be when interviewed. Four young adults are questioned individually about Miranda and their understanding of its meaning. When asked if they would “waive their rights,” all four, with tentative smiles on their faces, raise their right or left hand to wave at the interviewer. This literal interpretation, as well as the desire to please others, can create confusion for investigators. The segment on restraint and arrest highlights risks associated with physical control. People with autism typically lack the understanding that continued struggling may require officers to use a higher level of force to restrain them. Lights and sirens can create too much sensory input, causing even greater problems with communication and control. Approximately 40 percent of people with autism have seizures, which stress can trigger. Additionally, they may have underdeveloped trunk muscles making them unable to support their airways, which create a high potential for positional asphyxia.

The 21-minute video has a break to accommodate viewing at two roll calls. It provides an accurate start in broadening the understanding of autism, which can only serve to increase officers’ safety and that of people with autism. After viewing this video, officers will be better equipped to consider autism when assessing behavior during personal encounters. Officers who take the initiative to become acquainted with the people in their communities who have autism will be even more prepared. The video’s producer has an adult son with autism and is a committed advocate for people with autism and a friend of law enforcement. His realistic expectations, belief in police officers’ skills and well-meaning intentions, and interest in the safety of officers and people with autism come through with sincerity. To obtain ordering information, readers should call 772-398-9756.

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