N. Carolina: 18,000 students have ASD; school officers being trained to better serve

June 24, 2026, Spectrum Local: School officers train to serve students with autism in NC

N.C. schools report more kids with autism. School officers train to better serve those students

More than 18,000 students with autism, receive special education services across North Carolina’s public school districts, according to the North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction.

To better serve their students, school resource officers in Nash County are completing extra training with the Autism Society of North Carolina to help support students with autism.

The number of children diagnosed with autism is rising every year in the United States

Nash County Sheriff's Office school resource officers have partnered with the Autism Society to be better equipped to serve all students. . . .

 Last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released an updated report showing an increase in the number of children with autism. The report says with 8-year-olds, one in 31 are now diagnosed with autism. This is a rise from a report two years ago, which found one in 36 8-year-olds diagnosed with autism.

In North Carolina, public schools are also seeing a rise in the number of students with autism, according to the Autism Society of North Carolina.

“We partner with local partners where our SROs actually go through and do a rotation inside their facility to deal with individual special needs. So we know how to deal with people not just from online training, but actual in-person training with different individuals with special needs and issues from across the board,” Bissette said.

The Autism Society says the reason autism is being identified in more children could be because of more awareness of the signs of autism in the community, better screening tools and practices and more professionals trained to diagnose autism. . . .