Dispatch: 'Tsunami' of Autistic Adults Will Challenge Police; More Training Needed Say Experts
An autistic teen allegedly breaks a police officer's hand and is shocked with a Taser because he can't calm down in a movie theater. Experts predict more incidents because autism is increasing exponentially in America.
UPDATE, June 13: This story has been posted on the Huffington Post.
A 15-year-old autistic boy is shocked with a Taser by police at a Johnston movie theater because he can't calm down.
The police officer ends up with a broken hand, the Urbandale boy spends nearly a week in juvenile jail before being released to house arrest, unable to complete his freshman year at school.
The police were responding to a disagreement between the autistic 15-year old and another teen over a stolen wallet.But the situation quickly mushroomed into charges disorderly conduct, theft, and assault with injury on a police officer against the autistic boy, whose parents let him go with friends to watch "The Avengers" at the theater.
"You don't want to see me get mad," the boy told Police Officer Cale McClain after swearing at him, according to a videotape. (Patch does not identify juveniles accused of crimes.) The officer tells the boy to calm down or "it's going to be bad" and threatens to Tase him, according to DesMoinesRegister.com.
"The tsunami of autistic adults is beginning to arrive. We'd better be ready or we will continue to have tragic outcomes..."
Autism advocates and experts say the May incident illustrates the need for more training about autism for first-responders as the number of young people with autism increases exponentially in America.
"The tsunami of autistic adults is beginning to arrive. We'd better be ready or we will continue to have tragic outcomes in these situations," wrote Sherry Cook, a Lexington, KY, parent of an autistic child, in commenting on the Patch.com article.
Number of Autistic Children Continues to Climb
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, in late March, revised its statistics on the prevalence of autism in America. According to the agency's latest statistics, one in 88 American children is diagnosed on the autism spectrum, a 78 percent increase since 2002. The agency has consistently reported an increasing prevalence of the disorder, although it's unclear why.
Dennis Debbaudt recounts the growth of autism in America this way. When his now-28-year-old son, Brad, was diagnosed in 1987, experts believed autism affected 2 to 5 of every 10,000 children, he said.
Over the course of his son's life, that estimate has been revised to 1 in 2,000, then 1 in 1,000, then 1 in 150. And now, 1 in 88.
"You can say it's more children being diagnosed. You can call it a tsunami or an epidemic, but nobody is really questioning that the CDC is wrong in their prevalence rate," said Debbaudt, a Florida private investigator, whose son's diagnosis prompted him to form a company that specializes in training on autism.
"That's going to stress our social infrastructure, so that will include contacts with law enforcement, first responders, 911 telecommunication, etc.," said Debbaudt.
Autism spectrum disorders now affect more children than diabetes, AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Down syndrome – combined, according to AutismSpeaks.org, the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization.
It's a neurological intellectual disability that impairs how people gather and process information, causing them problems in social skills and communication. People who have been diagnosed with a disorder on the spectrum of autism can range from those who are unable to speak and will always need a caregiver to those who are intellectually gifted.
Do Police Need More Training?
As early as 2001, an article published in FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin said that people with developmental disabilities have up to seven times more contact with law enforcement officers than others.
In the case of kids with autism, many have a tendency to wander, which is a leading cause of death by drowning or traffic deaths, Debbaudt said. But autisic individuals also are often suspects in criminal investigations, in need of help because they've been in an accident or emergency, or have to interact with police because they are a victim or a witness to crime.
Urbandale Police Chief Ross McCarty said his department and the Johnston Police Department often train together and take a yearly course on how to deal with mentally ill or mentally disabled citizens. Although the departments' take more training in this area than they are required to, he said the officers haven't had specific training on autism.
Debbaudt's company trains police department's on how to deal effectively with people with autism. His website lists 25 field response tips for officers dealing with someone with autism.
They include keeping a safe distance from the person, keeping your voice low and calm and keeping your hands low, or waiting as much as 10 to 15 seconds for the person to respond.
But those tips and training aren't enough, Debbaudt said.
Educating Families and Autistic Children
"We can't leave it up to the police. Even if we train them for a month or a year, they would never have the ability to field diagnose someone with autism," Debbaudt said.
"We also need to help our families educate our young people for adulthood. We can help young people to learn about what to do when they come in contact with the police," Debbaudt said.
The problem with simply trying to train officers on dealing with autistic citizens, said Des Moines area autism expert Steve Muller, is that "Many of these individuals that don't wear a letter on their sweater that says 'Hi, I have autism'."
Muller, executive director of The Homestead, a Des Moines-area center that provides services for teens and young adults with autism, urges parents to contact police, emergency responders, and firefighters in their town, in advance, to let them know there is a person with autism living in the house.
Community Solutions
In Ottawa, Canada, police have computerized records of people with autism. Families can put decals with the autism ribbon symbol on their cars and their windows, said Debbaudt. There are specialized vehicle license plates that are connected to a computer registry of disabled people that police officers can instantly access from their police car.
People with autism, particularly those who are lower-functioning, can have temporary tatoos, wear a medic alert bracelet, or shoe tags.
The best solutions come from a community approach, where police, firefighters, city officials and other first-responders work with parents of autistic children and experts on the disorder, said Debbaudt, who does that kind of community training.
Preparedness will never completely prevent negative encounters. Johnston Police spokesman Lt. Lynn Aswegan said the police department has had a voluntary computer registry of Johnston residents with disabilities for several years.
However, the boy arrested at the movie theater lived in Urbandale.
You can find more articles from this ongoing series, “Dispatches: The Changing American Dream” from across the country at The Huffington Post.
Jeremy
1:34 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Wow, that's a tough issue. As a parent of an Aspie, I would hate to have my son publicly branded in any way. But at the same time, I suspect it would be difficult for the police to effectively deal with him. As parents we can try to teach our kids to respect police, and not quote "the Hulk" at them, but that leaves a lot of questions still for society as a whole.
Arthur Skargill
4:52 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Scaremongering, twisting of reality, attempt to create a false image of autism. I have never heard such emotionally-charged garbage based on caricatures in my life.
Jennifer Sargent
9:11 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Teenagers without autism act out and do stupid things. Why would those with special needs be any different?
Chris Peters
10:38 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Arthur, can I introduce you to my son....? This is the reality for many people with Autism and their families. Thanks to this Patch for covering this topic.
Chris Peters
10:46 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
To help convey this 'Tsunami': 1 in 88 children are now born with Autism compared to 1 in 691 children that are born with Downs Syndrome. In NJ, the Do No Harm law was passed 3 years ago that all first responders must have Autism Sensitivity training, as NJ has the highest rate of Autism in the US. I have found out that less than half of all first responders have taken this training. Currently 80% of all people with Autism in the US are UNDER the age of 18, so I fear that scenarios such as this one will become more frequent until more awareness and training is in place. And its not just Autistic teens, they will still be Autistic at 40, 50 and 60 years old, so we all have along road ahead of us.
Anne Carothers-Kay
8:16 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
Chris: Thanks for the information about New Jersey. Can you or anyone else tell me if other states have similar laws for training? I don't believe that Iowa does.
Mike Radinsky
2:32 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012
My question is: Are the numbers of children being born with Autism going up exponentially, or are the numbers the same as they were ten, twenty, a hundred years ago, but we did not properly classify those individuals as autistic? It doesn't diminish the problem, but does help clarify whether we are looking at an epidemic of new occurrences or not, and if so, what new factors must we look at that may have increased that causality.
Anne Carothers-Kay
3:54 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012
I'm not the best person to answer this Mike, but from what I've read, certainly, better diagnosis and new classifications play a part in the increased numbers, but it's hard to imagine that they could be solely responsible for such a dramatic increase. Anybody out there have more complete information on this?
Chris Peters
6:31 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012
Anne - I am so consumed with all this in NJ, I haven't been able to check stats/laws in other states, unfortunately. and to answer Mike's question, from what I have read the increase in Autism seems to be due to both; better diagnosis and an increase in Autism itself. Besides having the highest rate of Autism, NJ also has the highest rate of cancer and infertility in the US..... so there must be something happening (environmentally?) that is the cause of all this.
mike nagengast
12:37 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
my son has autism. no one in either me or my wifes family history has had any sign or form of learning disability. i can tell everyone, without a doubt, i have never seen anyone around me (family, neighborhood, town, etc..) in my life growing up that was considered like my son. this is not better diagnosis, this is an epidemic of children being born with this new and devastating disorder. by the way, dont be fooled by the 1 in 88 number, that number is for children that are now 8 years old. so the number of 1 in 88 is for children that were born in 2004 !!! children being born today in hospitals is about 1 in 20 if its a boy ! crazy and scary !
David Witt
12:39 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Chris- You seem to be quoting old data. New Jersey having the highest rate of cancer was reported 34 years ago. According to the CDC, it is the 7th for cancer incident (yes high, but not the highest) and in infertility its ranked 14th, and is second in Autism, which some believe is because that New Jersey is being proactive : "The numbers are not higher here because there are more autistic children," said Walter Zahorodny, assistant professor of pediatrics at UMDNJ–New Jersey Medical School, who collected the New Jersey data. "We generally have better awareness and more sophisticated education services — that is probably why our estimates are higher." Maybe you want to research more and quote better facts? Just a thought
Chris Peters
12:58 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
ahhh it is so nice to be proven wrong sometimes ;-)
Vincent P. Taranto
8:30 am on Thursday, June 14, 2012
They will not only challenge the police they will challenge a parent. My brother was murdered by his 28 year old 6 foot plus obese son afflicted with asperger's. He shot him seven times while he was asleep in his recliner. He claimed self defense as a result of abuse and fear for his life due to an argument earlier in the evening. In reality my brother was the abused. His entire life was devoted to making a better life for his son. Unfortunately my brother could not defend himself at the trial and the "dead guy did it" theory prevailed. The son and my bother's wife of 30 years lied and vilified my defenseless brother, Mom undoubtedly being motivated by her need to justify her continued denial. Two weeks ago an upstate New York City Court judge rendered an irrational not guilty verdict in a 49 page sealed written decision. In essence the judge spared the son jail but sentenced Mom to a life sentence of caring for him. The problem she now faces whether she realizes it or not is she no longer will have my brother to defend her, particularly when her son refuses to take his meds. Unfortunately this story does not end here, there will be more tragedy. In New York Aspies now have a license to kill. Your concerns are real and should be addressed sooner rather than later.
Nora Baladerian
9:46 am on Thursday, June 14, 2012
The U,S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime supported the development of two law enforcement training DVD & Training Guide packages that are free. Entitled VICTIMS WITH DISABILITIES: The Forensic Interview and VICTIMS WITH DISABILITIES: Multidisciplinary, Collaborative First Response. Police officers participated in the development of these videos and demonstrate excellence in law enforcement response. Get information on how to obtain them from NCJRS or www.disabilityandabuse.org.
Carolyn Gammicchia
4:23 pm on Sunday, June 17, 2012
Please visit www.leanonus.org and obtain several free resources including fact sheets developed for a Office for Victims of Crime project to assist crime victim professionals in meeting the needs of individuals living with autism.
These situations also have to be addressed by both the autism community and first responders in 50/50 relationships. It's almost impossible for any officer, even those who themselves have a child with a disability to determine what may cause behavior of any individual. If an individual with a disability is able to be independent enough to be in their community, they should be able to be prepared for these types of situations as well.
Individuals with autism need to be able to have someone to turn to for assistance and in this incident this young man may have needed their help. If he did however not respond accordingly, and yes individuals with autism too can break the law and have the ability to know right from wrong and commit crimes, we have to ensure they are supported properly and it does not transpire again. Officers have been injured and killed by individuals with disabilities so we do have to realize this will happen and individuals with ASD will end up in jail if they do not have appropriate community and life skills training and if these programs don't allow for appropriate collaborative training that will build capacity across the board for all individuals with disabilities.