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 Program
Teaches Police About Autism's Effects
by Christie Chapman, Lynchburg News & Advance, January
11, 2004
For more articles like this
visit
https://www.bridges4kids.org.
If you meet him,
Nick Proffitt's autistic son will likely avoid eye contact with
you. If you ask him a question, chances are he'll repeat the
question and direct it back at you. As is the case for many
people with autism, the 11-year-old is hypersensitive to light
and sound and doesn't like to be touched - he is even reluctant
to hug members of his family.
For now, the boy faces a litany of challenges as he goes about a
typical day at school, home or out in public.
But someday these mannerisms could also create a dangerous
situation if he's confronted by a police officer, even in a
fairly everyday scenario such as getting pulled over for
speeding.
"Police officers are trained to use our eyes," said Proffitt, a
U.S. deputy marshal who lives in Chesapeake. "When we see
someone with autism who looks normal to us, we might find it
hard to understand why that person is outside at 3 a.m. with no
clothes on in the freezing rain."
Proffitt conducted a seminar on autism and law enforcement in
Lynchburg Saturday morning that was attended by parents as well
as police officers. He has been educating police officers about
people with autism for about seven years and hopes to see autism
education become mandatory for police officers.
The goal of Saturday's session at the Arc of Central Virginia
was to help parents and police officers understand each other's
perspective better and avoid unfortunate situations that can
stem from not understanding the disorder.
Proffitt provided an overview of autism spectrum disorders,
which includes autism and similar disorders such as Asperger's
Syndrome, for police who were unfamiliar with the disability,
which affects a person's ability to communicate, reason and
interact with others. "It was good because I didn't really know
what autism was," said Officer E.W. Grubbs of the Bedford County
Sheriff's Office after the session.
While characteristics vary among individuals, common traits of
people with autism include avoiding eye contact, repetitive
movements - especially of the hands or fingers - the tendency to
take things literally, attachment to inanimate objects,
hypersensitivity to lights and sounds, reluctance to be touched
and tendency to make inappropriate contact with people.
However, many people with autism also have encyclopedic minds
that can remember details, facts and dates that seem
extraordinary to most people - as exhibited by Dustin Hoffman's
character in the movie, "Rain Man." An IQ test demonstrates that
Proffitt's son is highly intelligent in some ways, and he has a
remarkable memory, remembering things such as the exact number
of the hotel room in which the family stayed on a particular
vacation, Proffitt said.
One day recently the boy, whom Proffitt asked to remain unnamed
due to security concerns because he is a police officer, came
home from school with a less-than-glowing daily progress report
from his teacher. It turned out that the boy had cursed at
school that day. "I said, ŒWhere did you hear that word?'"
Proffitt said. "And he said, ŒHalloween, 1999, Dad dropped a
plate and said it.' I thought about it, and he was right. He'd
been watching TV when I said that, but he remembered it three
years later."
But some other traits common to people with autism can send up a
red flag for police officers unfamiliar with autism. The
officers might mistake an autistic person for being
uncooperative at best, and a threat to the safety of officers
and others at worst. Proffitt said that his son's behavior
sometimes appears similar to that of someone who is high on PCP
or has been taking heroin for an extended period of time.
A video shown at the session advises people to imagine that they
have been dropped onto another planet. The planet reverses what
is considered to be normal behavior and inappropriate behavior,
so people can understand what it feels like to have autism.
The video introduces viewers to five teenage boys - males are at
least four times more likely to have autism than females - who
have autism, but each have different symptoms.
For example, 22-year-old Michael is preoccupied with things
being orderly. At a grocery store, he will straighten and
rearrange items, which can make him appear to be shoplifting.
One 15-year-old profiled in the video went to live in a group
home after he became physically violent toward his mother.
Proffitt said that another characteristic of many people with
autism is unusual strength, which he said could possibly result
from all of the repetitive movements common to autistic people.
The teen also tends to stand closer to other people than normal.
When a police officer is dealing with someone who might be
autistic, Proffitt suggests trying to avoid making physical
contact with the person if possible. He also recommends using
simple, concrete language. "For example, if it's summer and you
say to my son, ŒFreeze!', he might say, ŒSilly police officer,
it's not freezing. Winter doesn't start until Dec. 21.' Or, if
it's winter, he might say, ŒYes, it is very cold.'"
There have been a number of unfortunate incidents involving
people with autism and police officers who did not understand or
recognize the disorder.
Proffitt said that an autistic man in California was seen
outside a house trying to get inside through a window using a
screwdriver. The man was mistaken for a burglar by police. When
he didn't respond to police and began running toward the
officers, two officers fired at him. He survived the shooting.
In an incident in Virginia, a truck was pulled over for speeding
and the two occupants ran off into the woods. The officer
suspected that the truck had been stolen. What had actually
happened was that an autistic occupant became frightened when
the officer pulled the truck over and he ran into the woods, and
the boy's father hurried after him, afraid to let the boy run
off alone.
Proffitt said that parents can help their autistic children by
trying to modify their behavior. For example, he has taught his
son not to reach for his father's badge - which is situated at
Proffitt's belt just inches from where he wears his gun - but
for the boy instead to keep his hands behind his back and ask to
see the badge. This lesson was crucial for his son because the
boy might one day reach for another police officer's badge and
the officer might think that Proffitt's son is trying to grab
the gun.
Other steps parents can take include introducing autistic
children to local police and firefighters and making sure that
officers understand autistic behavior.
Proffitt said that a photo of his son is posted at his local
police department and that his son is familiar with police
officers and has ridden in a police vehicle. Knowing the local
police makes his son more comfortable around officers and less
likely to panic if he encounters an officer during an emergency.
Parents can also help by placing a bumper sticker on their cars
that lets officers know that an autistic person might be in the
vehicle. Bumper stickers can be viewed and purchased at
http://www.buttonsandmore.com/bumper/ulthm.htm among other
vendors.
Capt. T.G. Carter of the Lynchburg Sheriff's Office also
informed parents at the session about Project Lifesaver, a
program in which people at risk of getting lost wear a tracking
device that resembles a watch. The nationwide program was
implemented in Lynchburg two years ago. Since then, 21 searches
for Project Lifesaver patients have all been successful, with
each person found in less than 30 minutes, Carter said.
More information about Project Lifesaver can be found at
www.projectlifesaver.org.
One parent who attended the session was Lynchburg resident Missy
Raines, who said her son has what is known as higher-functioning
Asperger's Syndrome and that his symptoms are less severe.
"I didn't know that law enforcement was spreading the word about
autism," she said. "I think it's fantastic."
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