Today the Police station near our home had a “Police and Autism” picnic. We went with our 5 kids. The police station puts on this event to help people with autism to get to know and feel more comfortable around police officers.
I found meat to eat at the picnic!
See, when a child has autism and tends to wander, or is having a mental health crisis, Police Dispatch is often called. If the child is afraid of the police officers … well, it can make the situation a lot more dangerous, and in some heartbreaking situations, deadly.
This is why it is so critical for police officers to be trained on how to handle those kind of situations. My local police department has made a consistent effort to train officers, understand the complexieties, and reach out to the autistic community.
How do I know?
I’m a mom of one of those wanderers.
I have called dispatch I don’t know how many times. They always ask me if there something they should know about my son. I tell them he has Autism and ADHD. Then they ask how he handles people he doesn’t know and how he handles police officers. I have been informed that some kids with autism are terrified of the police and so police dispatch will ask the firefighters for help. And sometimes, my son has hidden from the police when they were called in to look for him.
So today was a big day. My son told me, “Usually, I have a hard time talking to people I don’t know, but with police officers, I can easily just start talking to them.” Now, I’ve watched my son. He does have communication problems, but he is also very extroverted.
When he was little and he met people he didn’t know he used to hug them, because he knew that a hello gesture is needed, and he likes hugs and so they must like hugs. Now he likes to know them a bit longer and has learned to ask permission (but not always). He will still strike up a conversation with you whether you want to or not. He has a hard time reading the signals. The more people who respond with understanding, the more successful he is.
So I am grateful, that my community put on this event. It takes one more worry off my plate, and helps me to focus on other areas of wellbeing for me and my family.