Autism ID Cards Proposed for New York

ALBANY — Cases of autism can vary in severity, and in more pronounced cases, communication is difficult if not impossible.

To help autistic people who may find themselves in situations where an inability to communicate could jeopardize health and safety, Democratic Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, of District 111, is proposing autism identification cards for New York residents that would help them interact with law enforcement and rescue personnel.

Experts say that Autism Training for Law Enforcement in NJ Often Leads to Better Outcomes

With statistics indicating that one of every 49 children born in New Jersey develops some form of autism, prosecutors say it’s inevitable that law enforcement officers will come in contact with someone with the neurological disorder.

Whether it’s a child who wandered off or an adult implicated in a crime, law enforcement officers need to learn the special techniques to handle a person with autism to prevent the escalation of what could potentially be a field of land mines in emergency situations, prosecutors say.

To familiarize emergency responders with those techniques, the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey is holding a two-day statewide seminar prosecutors hope will go a long way toward changing how law enforcement officers deal with people with autism.

How to Enforce Law and Recognize Autism

SAN MARCOS, Calif. -- The news clip that trainer Brian Herritt played for his class Thursday began with grainy surveillance footage of an autistic 11-year-old boy handcuffed in the back of a squad car, screaming and beating his head on the Plexiglas divider until officers restrained him by buckling his seat belt.
Then, a clip of his mother alleging that police in Levonia, Mich., had mistreated her severely autistic son.
"What did those officers do wrong?" Herritt asked the approximately 25 regional law enforcement officers taking his three-hour course on recognizing and responding to people with autism.
The officers ---- from agencies that included the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and the Carlsbad and Escondido police departments ---- pondered the question for a few seconds.