How Police Learn to Work with People with Autism
Is there a lack of training among police?
The video footage of Connor’s altercation is truly hard to watch. It’s clear that he’s extremely confused, as he was doing nothing wrong. The experience of being pinned to the ground by police would be very stressful for anyone, but it is potentially traumatic for someone with autism.
It can be frustrating to hear about these situations, or perhaps experience them firsthand, and knowing that the main cause is a lack of knowledge. Both of the events described may have been avoided if the officers involved had a greater understanding of autism. The officer involved in Connor’s incident admitted that he knows nothing about autism.
However, police are taking action to better understand autism and other misunderstood conditions.