Autism and the Police

Practical Advice for Officers and Other First Responders

Andrew Buchan

• Editorial: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
• Año: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781787752856
• Categoría: Psychology
• Categoría: Autism Spectrum Disorders

This is a practical guide for police officers and other first responders written by an autistic retired policeman, designed to demystify autistic behaviours and improve the treatment of autistic people caught up in the criminal justice system. Police officers and other emergency services are the first to arrive at the scene of an incident and it is vital they can recognise autistic behaviours and respond accordingly to avoid any escalation.

This book lays out how to identify whether someone could be autistic and how officers can interact with them effectively and sensitively. Based on the author's many years of experience as a police officer it covers common scenarios such as stop and search, restraint and transportation, interviews and detention. For each potential encounter the book provides strategies, examples and tips to assist police in interacting safely and fairly with autistic people. In addition to police interactions, the book explains how to best respond to and assist autistic people through the Criminal Justice System and beyond.

Chapter 1

A Guide to Autism

What is autism?

I will explain what autism is, why it is important that you understand all of the different aspects of it and how it will impact on your role as an officer.

Search for a definition of autism and you will more often than not come across something like this:

Autism is a lifelong condition, present from early childhood, characterised by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts with repetitive behaviour, narrow obsessional interests, resistance to change, motor-coordination difficulties and unusual sensitivity to the environment.

This stereotypical explanation is sadly lacking in depth for what is an incredibly complex neurodiversity. As an autistic person, I can state that autism is the way in which I experience the world around me, how every part of it impacts on every second in every hour of my day.

It can be from the small worries trying to prevent you from getting out of bed in the morning to deciding if you can physically face the world outside your own home. It can make me extremely anxious but can also bring a great deal of pleasure when I see the beautiful symmetry contained in the natural world around me.

I choose to classify myself as autistic rather than a person with autism because that’s what I prefer. However I leave it entirely up to the individual to decide if and what they wish to call themselves when it comes to autism. I was ‘given’ a diagnosis of Asperger’s but I feel that it has an aspect of superiority attached and with it comes a connotation that you are high functioning and therefore more able than other autistic people. For an autistic person, it can be the environment around them that causes the disabling elements in life and has nothing to do with intellectual ability. Throughout the book in using the term autism or autistic I include Asperger’s or Aspergic and neurodiverse.

In this book you will see I switch from using the term autistic to ‘person with autism’. I have deliberately chosen to use both, either or neither where appropriate as I feel comfortable with either of these terms. Please be assured that no disrespect is intended to anyone. For you as an officer, as a rule of thumb ask the autistic person you are dealing with what term they wish to use throughout your involvement with them.

Terms used in the autism world

These are some of the most used phrases and acronyms concerning autism you may encounter. It is important that you listen carefully for someone mentioning any of them as the person you are dealing with may prefer to use an alternative word to autism.

ASD – autism spectrum disorder.

ASC – autism spectrum condition. Alternative to ASD and sometimes seen as less controversial.

The spectrum – an umbrella term often used to describe someone who is autistic, further linked with the phrases low functioning or high functioning.

Asperger Syndrome (AS) – also termed as Asperger’s or Aspie. Derived from the name of the doctor, Hans Asperger who worked on autism in the 1940s.

Neurodiversity (ND) – an umbrella term created to refer to people who are autistic, dyspraxic, dyslexic, have AD(H)D or all of the other acronyms contained in this book.

Neurotypical (NT) – the majority of people in the world who think and act in a way which is considered usual, ‘normal’ and conforming to the confines of society.

SSB – self-stimulatory behaviour, better known as stimming or self-stimulation.

Meltdown(s) – a phrase used a lot in the autism world to describe the behaviour of an autistic person when they are overwhelmed by their environment. You may see this as outburst or as an extreme shutdown. Either is equally distressing to the autistic person.

These are a few more words used in and around the autism community. As with the ones above I have only laid out brief explanations but urge you to seek further information from local or national support organisations as they are the people who know best. As with any other situation mentioned in this book, treat everyone with respect and care.

ADD – attention deficit disorder.

ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

CD – conduct disorder.

Dyscalculia – a specific learning difficulty affecting numbers.

Dyslexia – a specific learning difficulty affecting reading.

Dyspraxia (DCD) – developmental coordination disorder. A lifelong condition affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination.

Echolalia – the repetition of words, phrases or noises made by an autistic person.

Learning disability – term used to describe a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities that is lifelong.

OCD – obsessive-compulsive disorder.

ODD – oppositional defiant disorder.

PDA – pathological demand avoidance.

Tourette’s syndrome – a neurological condition that causes involuntary sounds and movements, referred to as ‘tics’.

What autism is not

There are many explanations for what autism is and very few for what autism is not. It is important that myths and conjecture are dispelled in order that you have a greater understanding:

• It is not a disease and needs no cure.

• It is not something to be embarrassed about.

• Autism is not just another word for ‘naughty boys syndrome’.

• It isn’t used just to obtain a blue badge and free parking pass.

• Autism is not a ‘label’ or ‘a series of acronyms invented by pharmaceutical manufacturers as a way to sell its drugs’, as I was once told on an autism awareness course.

• It is not something only found in childhood and you do not grow out of it.

• Autism is not a mental illness.

• It is not a walking list of stereotypes.

• It is not just boys but also includes girls. It is not just men but women too.

• It is not full of ‘Rain Man’ types.

• Autistic people are not monsters who will attack you upon sight.

• No one ever has the right to abuse a person with autism, condemning them as a ‘second class’ citizen.

People who live with autism every day, those with it and those who care for or support them, work hard to secure their rights as defined by law to live a similar life to you. A lot of families rely on the diagnosis they were given to enable the person with autism to access what they are legally entitled to receive. The complex diagnoses many people receive gives them a clarity with which to understand how they have felt all of their lives and can be a way to explain their very challenging life.

With the correct support around an autistic person, they can achieve incredible feats, which can be a rewarding and positive experience for everyone involved. All they need is respect and understanding, something which all of you take for granted as part of your daily lives.

In this first example below, I set out a simple scenario that you as an officer could encounter every day. Imagine you have been called to a suspicious person at a railway station and how you may deal with them.

It is designed to show how devastating something simple, such as a change in circumstance, can be to a person with autism. Understanding how an autistic person can ‘freeze’ to the spot or fail to react to your speech is the first step in dealing with them effectively.

EXAMPLE 1

Eddie is 20 years old. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall, as thin as a bean pole and has a mop of thick black hair. He loves German heavy metal and listens to it on his MP3 player whenever he can. His coat has a large hood that he places up to shield him from the world around him. Both hands are rammed into the bottom of the pockets, where they will stay until he boards the train.

Standing on the platform at his local train station he eagerly awaits the 9.15 into the city to attend college. Another of Eddie’s passions is rail transport. He has always liked it, the way the massive engines draw the carriages and the smell of the stations add to the pleasant experience he receives from being around them.

What Eddie doesn’t like as much is inside the carriages. He really doesn’t want to share them with anyone else but knows he has to when travelling. The seats feel very rough, which is a strange mix of good and bad. The smells from the people around him are not so nice; they sometimes hit his nose and it stings sharply. He tries to block it out the best he can and concentrate on the trains.

His acute hearing suddenly tunes into the ‘fizz’ of the tannoy before the announcer speaks. Even over his music he can hear the man speak; unfortunately for him he can hear the people too.

‘Will passengers waiting to board the 9.15 to the city please relocate to platform 3B on the other side of the station. Due to a points change the train will now be arriving on platform 3B… I repeat…’

People charge off towards the staircase behind Eddie. They jostle and jockey for a better position, carrying luggage and coffee cups. Nothing seems to bother them; they swarm like ants to their mound.

Eddie stands perfectly still. He is standing in his favourite place, the one he uses every day. He likes this spot; it makes him feel comfortable and fits his body exactly. He can see the people running down the stairs to get to the edge of the other platform first, smug they have beaten the others to it. Eddie remains perfectly still.

He can see the train now pulling in. The announcer reports its arrival and yet he remains perfectly still. The train fills up with the snarling animals from the platform, the doors close and it begins to pull away. Eddie remains perfectly still watching it pull away.

After all around him calms, he blinks, sighs and slowly turns around. Tomorrow it might not happen, he might get on his train as he usually does, but today he will go home and lie on his bed in the dark. The fear inside him screams, yet on the outside he is silent. This is how his autism feels. He hates having to give in to it but he has no choice: his autism controls…him.

DEBRIEF

Something this simple, just changing location from one part of a train station to another, may seem inconsequential to a neurotypical person, but to a person with autism it may be enough to withdraw and not board the train they so long to be on. This illustrates how even the smallest day-to-day occurrences can be a challenge, stressful and draining for those who are autistic.

You should be now able to see how light, sound and smell all impact heavily on...