Abstract
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may interact with law enforcement officers (LEOs) as victims of crime, witnesses to crime, or suspects of crime. Interactions between LEOs and those with ASD may go awry which raises questions about levels of training, experiences, and knowledge acquired by LEOs. Seventy-two LEOs reported on their experiences and training related to ASD and completed a survey of autism knowledge. The majority (72.2%) of LEOs reported no formal training for interacting with individuals with ASD. For LEOs responding to calls involving ASD, officers with prior training reported better preparation. Officers’ responses to the knowledge survey varied considerably. Results support the need for formalized training in ASD for LEOs.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th edn.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Baio, J., Wiggins, L., Christensen, D. L., Maenner, M. J., Daniels, J., Warren, Z., & Dowling, N. F. (2018). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years—autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 11 sites, United States, 2014. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 67(6), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6706a1.
Eadens, D. M., Cranston-Gingras, A., Dupoux, E., & Eadens, D. W. (2016). Police officer perspectives on intellectual disability. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 39, 222–235.
Heidgerken, A. D., Geffken, G., Modi, A., & Frakey, L. (2005). A survey of autism knowledge in a health care setting. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35, 323–330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-005-3298-x.
King, C., & Murphy, G. H. (2014). A systematic review of people with autism spectrum disorder and the criminal justice system. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44, 2717–2733. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2046-5.
Laan, J. M., Ingram, R. V., & Glidden, M. D. (2013). Law enforcement training on mental disorders and autism spectrum disorders in the southeastern United States. Journal of Global Intelligence & Policy, 6(10), 51–67.
Modell, S. J., & Mak, S. (2008). A preliminary assessment of police officers’ knowledge and perceptions of persons with disabilities. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 46, 183–189. https://doi.org/10.1352/2008.46.
Petersilia, J. R. (2001). Crime victims with developmental disabilities: A review essay. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 28, 655–694. https://doi.org/10.1177/009385480102800601.
Rava, J., Shattuck, P., Rast, J., & Roux, A. (2017). The prevalence and correlates of involvement in the criminal justice system among youth on the autism spectrum. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47, 340–346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2958-3.
Stone, W. L. (1987). Cross-disciplinary perspectives on autism. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 12, 615–630.
Teagardin, J., Dixon, D. R., Smith, M. N., & Granpeesheh, D. (2012). Randomized trial of law enforcement training on autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 6, 1113–1118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2012.02.002.
Tint, A., Palucka, A. M., Bradley, E., Weiss, J. A., & Lunsky, Y. (2017). Correlates of police involvement among adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47, 2639–2647. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3182-5.
Tipton, L. A., & Blacher, J. (2014). Brief report: Autism awareness: Views from a campus community. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44, 477–483. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1893-9.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
LG conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination and drafted the manuscript; JMC participated in the design and interpretation of the data; JW participated in the design and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
All the author declares that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gardner, L., Campbell, J.M. & Westdal, J. Brief Report: Descriptive Analysis of Law Enforcement Officers’ Experiences with and Knowledge of Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 49, 1278–1283 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3794-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3794-4