Positive Approaches Journal, Volume 13, Issue 3
Hooven | 12-15
Volume 13 ► Issue 3 ►December 2024
How WE Can Keep Our Autistic Loved Ones Safer
Kate Hooven, MS
The PA ASERT (Autism Services Education Resources and Training) began training law enforcement and justice system personnel ten years ago. In that time over 20,000 police officers, corrections officers, judges, attorneys, and other justice system personnel have learned how to safely interact with individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. As the Justice Project Coordinator for ASERT, I have conducted hundreds of trainings for law enforcement, as well as provided presentations for autistic individuals and their loved ones, on how to have safer interactions with law enforcement. Trainings for law enforcement include the common core traits and characteristics of autism, as well as tools and strategies on how to safely interact with individuals with autism. In ASERT’s trainings for individuals with autism and their family members, information on the role of police, what to do and what not to do if stopped by police, and practicing various role-play situations with a local police officer are shared. Both trainings are necessary for safer interactions between individuals with autism and law enforcement, as we all need better communication and understanding in order for everyone to be safer. However, at times, there appears to an “us vs them” mentality. “Us”, being the autism community, and “them”, being law enforcement, but when it comes to community safety, there should be no us or them, it should just be “we”.
Us
As the mother of a 23-year-old autistic son I want my son to feel safe and to be protected when he is out in the community. When he walks out the door of my home, or any door, I want him to walk back in that door in the same condition as when he left. I want law enforcement and other first responders (them) to keep my son safe when I am not present and to make them aware of his differences. I want “them” to understand the unique way my son communicates, thinks, and behaves. I want them to understand what autism looks like for my son. My son is unique with his own unique strengths and challenges and how can “they” keep him safe if my son or I don’t educate police on how to do so?
So why don’t “they” get all the training and why should our autistic loved ones, “us”, have to educate police? Because WE all need to do our part to keep everyone safer. I explain it to parents and caregivers who are upset that their loved one with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Intellectual Disability (ID) that we, as caregivers, should take on some responsibility when it comes to safety with law enforcement. We can’t continue to say “if you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism” and not want the police to understand how our “one person with autism” uniquely communicates, behaves, and interacts with the world.
Them
With my background as a former juvenile probation officer, who worked regularly with the Harrisburg Police Department, I know that in many instances, the police must act quickly for the safety of the individual, the community, and themselves. I am also aware that our law enforcement officers may not be educated about autism, intellectual disability, and other mental health struggles and they are not trained or expected to “diagnose” an individual on the street. Of course, a law enforcement officer’s job is to protect people and the community, and that means all people, so they most certainly should be made aware of how autism could impact an individual’s ability to communicate, follow commands, and respond appropriately. Police should at a minimum be made aware and able to recognize the characteristics and traits often associated with an autism spectrum disorder and be provided with tools and strategies on how to safely interact with an autistic individual. So yes, education plays a vital role for “them”.
We
If we want to keep our autistic loved ones safe, and if police and other first responders want to be safe when responding to calls, then WE need to all do our part. It’s always a game of finger pointing when something goes wrong, and in order to try and avoid that finger pointing, being proactive rather than reactive helps. Education and training for police is necessary, but so is making sure police are familiar with our autistic loved ones. Having a safety PLAN (Prepare Learn Advise Notify) in place for a possible interaction with law enforcement can make everyone safer.
Prepare an individual with autism on what they should do and not do when stopped by police.
Learn what a police officer may do for a traffic stop, or a mere encounter, and the safety strategies to keep an individual with autism safe.
Advise the police on how the individual with autism communicates, their sensory needs, behaviors they may have observed, or if they have eloped in the past and where to look.
Notify neighbors and other community members who may interact with an individual with autism of the behaviors they may not understand, so police aren’t called unnecessarily. Provide them with contact information for who they should call, rather than police, if the situation does not pose a threat to the individual or anyone else.
If we work together, if we all play our part, our individuals with autism and our law enforcement community will be safer, and at the end of the day, that is what we all want.
Biography
Kate Hooven, MS, is the Justice System Project Coordinator for ASERT (Autism Services, Education, Resources and Training) where she uses her background as a former juvenile probation officer to train justice system personnel, emergency responders, community agencies and providers. Kate is also the mother of three amazing children, including her 23-year-old son Ryan who was diagnosed with autism when he was four years of age. Ryan graciously allows Kate to share his experiences as an autistic individual, to personalize the ASERT trainings, as well as to raise awareness and promote acceptance for all autistic individuals.
Contact Information
Kate Hooven, MS
ASERT
Justice System Project Coordinator
Phone: 717-215-8364
Email: khooven3@gmail.com