Donated kits help police officers communicate with autistic people
Sam Astle fidgeted in the passenger seat and kept looking over his shoulders as the car he was riding in was pulled over on the 60 Freeway in Montebello last year, his mother Joy Astle recalled. That made the California Highway Patrol officer who was trying to speak to him nervous.
The 19-year-old diagnosed with autism placed his hands on the vehicle’s dashboard when instructed, his mother said, but kept shouting “what did I do?” The officer standing on his side of the car responded by speaking louder and more forcefully. That further overloaded the teen’s senses, exacerbating the meltdown he was going through.
“The police officer was also elevating the situation because Sam wasn’t cooperating,” Joy Astle said. “He looks very normal, he’s a big boy and he sounds normal. When you see a boy like Sam who isn’t answering your questions, his eyes are darting around, it looks suspicious.”
Interactions between law enforcement and people on the autism spectrum are common, said Lt. Annadennise Briz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Mental Evaluation Team. And they’re happening more frequently than ever, with the number of people diagnosed with some form of the disorder in California growing between 12% and 17% each year, said Kate Movius, founder of Autism Interaction Solutions.
Recently, the autism organization received 500 kits packed with tools to help bridge the gap between law enforcement and people with autism. The kits were donated by the City of Industry and will be distributed by Autism Interaction Solutions at training sessions for sheriff’s deputies and police.
The packages contain items including fidget spinners, stress-relieving balls and flash cards – all meant to help prevent misunderstandings.
Some of them can help autistic people vent emotions they’re struggling to express. Others, like dryerase boards and printouts of a keyboard, can give non-verbal people on the spectrum a means to communicate.
“Every single thing in that kit was familiar to me,” said City of Industry Mayor Cory Moss, mother of an autistic 14-year-old boy. “We want to give law enforcement the tools to be able to do their jobs to the best of their ability. I don’t think anyone here wants to have a bad outcome, ever.”
The organization hosts training courses twice a month designed to help members of law enforcement recognize and deescalate situations involving people on the spectrum.
About 20 deputies and officers attended a recent session. When Movius asked if any had encounters with people on the autistic spectrum, they all raised their hands.
“I was called to a facility that houses autistic kids once,” one deputy said. “When I got there, one ran right up to me, kissed my hand, and that was it. That taught me that I have to think about boundaries differently when dealing with this community.”
Every person with autism is unique, Movius
noted. There is no single method to calm them down. Even though some might be able to speak or write, people on the spectrum may still struggle to communicate or understand commands given to them in stressful situations.
“Looking at a lot of things that have happened nationwide between law
enforcement and people on the spectrum, or with any other mental disorder, the concern is always that they won’t understand,” said Shelly Andrews, a Long Beach resident whose son has non-verbal autism. “Or somebody else might come in in an attempt to help, but end up escalating the situation even more.”