Autism training mandatory for Florida law enforcement

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http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/autism-training-to-become-mandatory-for-florida-law-enforcement

With all due respect to the OP, it's become too popular to say that you have autism.

This should be mandatory in all states. . .

Agree. When dealing with someone likely to be overwhelmed by frenetic activity and sudden social pressures, they should be treated essentially the same as if LEOs were dealing with someone with Downs Syndrome.

Just because their vocabulary may give the illusion of competence, in sensory overload situations, autistic people are far too vulnerable to bullying and misinterpretation - and involuntary verbal shutdowns may be treated as refusal to cooperate, which with macho hammer-types pounding everything as a nail, will only result in more bullying.

With certain exceptions such as tumbler saying you are autistic is very problematic as post after poster after poster on this side have described. People will think you are rainman, a ret*d, a lazy non autistic person trying to make an excuse for bieng an as*hole, a non autistic person trying to be trendy, a non autistic person with a factitious disorder and on an on.

The widespread belief that there is a massive epidemic of autistic wannabes and overdiagnoses is one of the important impediments for autistics tring to make it.

On a personal note I feel very left out. Outside of autistic websites and support groups I have never had anybody say to me they are or think they are autistic. I have been told plenty of times a version of too many people are getting labels for bieng as*holes or failures in life.

Agree. And as part of Federal law enforcement training.

It's another twinky defense. No matter how libertarian I would like to be, in the perfect universe, If you're prone to endanger others, you should not be in public.

If you're not being erratic and scary, then, no, they shouldn't bother you.

It's not just a matter of communicating with autistic individuals who pose a threat though. It's also a matter of communicating with autistic individuals who are being threatened/harmed. And interacting with an autistic missing kid when you find them. And understanding that non-verbal signals given by autistic individuals during the course of an interview may simply indicate their autism, and not deceit. And so on.

I hate that it seems to have become the flavor of the week defense for violent crime lately, but I would be in favor of law enforcement officers having at least a basic understanding of how to deal with someone who is autistic and scared/overwhelmed.

I think it's nice to return a disoriented person to friends and well wishers and would prefer that police be used for peacable purposes.