Jun 14, 2022, Impact News: Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office introduces initiative to raise law enforcement awareness for autistic residents https://communityimpact.com/houston/the-woodlands/health-care/2022/06/14/montgomery-county-sheriffs-office-introduces-initiative-to-raise-law-enforcement-awareness-for-autistic-residents/
The Montgomery County’s Sheriff’s Office has launched an initiative to increase awareness for autism and train officers to better handle situations involving autistic residents.The initiative—which originally began in late 2020 but was delayed due to COVID-19—allows families with members who have autism to register and list their symptoms so law enforcement will be better equipped to mediate the interaction appropriately, MCSO Sgt. Jason Moore said.
The program was created by Moore, whose son was diagnosed with autism at 3 years old. Moore said he saw a need as his son approached driving age to consider how autism may influence interactions with law enforcement.
“They don’t know his diagnosis, or they may think that he is acting suspicious,’’ Moore told The Woodlands Township board of directors at an April 21 meeting.
Identifying the signs
Kelly Bivens, co-founder and behavior analyst for The Grove ABA, which provides Applied Behavior Analysis services to those with autism, said she believes the program is a good start to creating a safe environment for those living with autism.
“It’s a complicated, multifaceted spectrum; it is not enough to describe symptoms of autism, simply because it can look so different from just functioning level,” Bivens said. About 1 out of 44 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with autism, the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention found in a 2018 study conducted on 8-year-olds. That ratio has risen since 2000, when the rate was 1 in 150.
“Those numbers are growing,” Moore said at the meeting. “That gap is getting smaller every 10 years.”...