Autism Awareness Special-: Do the Emergency Services need better understanding of Autism?


You might have seen in The Observer this Sunday an article about how the police 'need more training' when it comes to their treatment of autistic people.

It's an issue like anything to do with Aspergers and indeed autism that I feel needs to be taken into consideration and although we are getting there slowly with public awareness of autism there is a point where we need to address the services we may need to rely on in the future. 

From what I understand from the article itself written by journalist Jamie Doward is that in order for autistic people to feel comfortable and have a better trust in the police, the police first need to understand what it is like to live with autism. 

I have in the past thought about this subject in depth before and have had instances where I have told a police officer that I am autistic and have received a confused look and a bad attitude to go with it. 

I am not in anyway saying that the police are in the wrong or that they are all bad, there just needs to be some adjustment to the way in which autistic people who maybe distressed or nervous are treated by the police force and the situations they are put into when interacting with the police.

Based on a study interviewing Autistic Adults about their experiences conducted by Bath University and  City University in London found that a shocking 69% of Autistic Adults were unhappy with the way in which they were treated by the police. 

Many recalled when interviewed that they feared they were being discriminated against due to their autism. Whilst other autistic adults raised that there was a lack of clarity over what was happening at the time and frustrated by the fact that police officers were not explaining the situation to them in an autistic friendly way. 
Not surprisingly 74% of adults of parents with autistic children were critical with the way in which the police dealt with their children. 

With more than 700,000 Autistic people in the UK, it's time to turn the tide and get more information out there about a condition that really is still a taboo or stigma in the UK. 

The excuse of not understanding or 'it's to complicated' does not work with autistic adults or their parents for that matter and neither does lack of compassion from professionals who provide protection and other services. It is no wonder that those interviewed that they confessed that they do not trust the police and neither do they like them. 

Also the way in which autistic people deal with the world around them is completely different to those who are not aware or even know what autism means. ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) is a massive overview of many of the different types of autism they may encounter, many with specific needs that need to be addressed and also the fact that every person with autism is unique. 

Other things to consider are also the other conditions that co-inside with autism, such as sensory processing disorder, mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder  as well as speech impediments, learning difficulties and ultimately confusion. 

In the 21st century it is shocking that we are only just beginning to break the stigma and misunderstanding of a condition that is so special and has so many advantages that in the main can benefit the country for the better. 

We also need to counteract negative connotations such as stubbornness, awkwardness, naughtiness and socially inept has to be turned into positives. The list is endless to the positive and natural talents that an autistic person possesses and I try and inform you guys at home what it means to be an autistic person who wants to make her way in the world.
Positive and natural abilities are the reason why autistic people need to be noticed for rather than the odd meltdown that tars them with a brush for the rest of their lives. I can't list them all but I can name a few that should be taken into consideration: 
  • Compassion and empathy 
  • Brilliant memory and quick learners 
  • Organisational skills 
The list is endless and yet still we are under valued and under rated. Stigmatism leads to fear of the a minority group and in this case it can also lead to isolation and prejudiced. 

To make matters worse the UK government are making things harder with budget cuts to local police forces and autistic/disabled services it is no wonder that the police are receiving little no resources or training to deal with encounters with autistic adults and teens.  The attitude towards those who in extreme anxious states cannot defend themselves from the threats around them. 

Simple and effective changes might help, like every autistic person having a identity card or  Bracelet that quickly can inform a professional from any emergency service to quickly understand what conditions you have like someone with epilepsy and diabetes so they can adjust the way they deal with that person in the act. 

Other things you can do yourself at home with your phone... if you have a iPhone 5 or later model you might have noticed the medical ID app on your phone... please fill it as if someone clicks on emergency call on your phone .. your information about what conditions you may have will pop up on the screen ( you don't even need to unlock it) including your emergency contact to be informed straight away. I have done this and hope that I will never need to use it. 

If you go on the National Autistic Website or to your local Autism group you might be able to get yourself a card that informs the people who might come in contact with you that you are on the Autistic Spectrum and that you need to be treated with care. 

Some of the cards in the UK have been issued in partnership with your local police force and their logo will also show up there. 

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you are involved with the police or an emergency for that matter with the tools above you will be able to non-verbally inform someone that you are autistic and get your emergency contact on the phone without even saying a word. 

Further information: 


National Autistic Society-: www.autism.org.uk 











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