ECMC Leads Autism Training for Law Enforcement and First Responders
May 19, 2016 / News & Media
A parent rushes off with a kicking and screaming young child and observers believe the scene is child abduction. An individual displaying unusual behavior in a residential neighborhood is observed looking into homes and police are notified that a burglar is threatening homes. A teenager keeps moving products around on shelves in a department store and security determines that the person is in the act of shoplifting. While all of those situations may be true, it may also be as true that the persons engaged in the specific cited activities have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the people that they first encounter, usually law enforcement or another first responder do not know that they are encountering a person with autism.