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Autism Guide for Correctional Officers: A Must Read
Monday, November 23, 2009

Recent estimates state that the number of children with autism-related disorders has increased to one in 150. The chances are very likely that correction officers will encounter and have to deal with situations where a person with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is involved. Careful, thoughtful actions need to be taken to both protect people and enforce the law without incurring legal trouble and averting tragedy.

The Children's Hospital and Health System of Wisconsin, recently released a report and resource entitled   Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Special Needs Subject Response for Police Officers. The report, while geared toward police officers, presents useful information and tactics correctional officers can employ when dealing with inmates with other psychological, developmental and emotional disorders. 

While no person with ASD is exactly similar to another, the report details the common characteristics and behaviors of people with ASD in order to recognize the disorder. Those characteristics include:

• Stimming: self-stimulating motions
• Repetition: unusual repetitive behaviors
• Acclimation: in an unfamiliar environment they may need to wander around looking at and touching things or people to feel safe
• Delayed response or latency: delayed reaction to commands
• Dissociated speech: replying with seemingly meaningless answers
• Unusual tone of voice: inappropriately loud or soft-spoken tone of voice for situation and/or talking over others
• Lack of eye contact: appear to be ignoring or not paying attention
• Unusual or unbalanced gait: clumsy with difficulty balancing

After determining the disorder, correctional and police officers can adopt tactics presented in the report to handle situations effectively. These are clearly defined by what type of characteristic the person with ASD is exhibiting or to what level that person is able to communicate. The report provides relatable conversations and actions that make it easy for the correct responses to be taken.

Click here to obtain a copy of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Special Needs Subject Response for Police Officers.

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About This Blog

This blog is a collaborative effort of the Justice group at Performa Inc. It is a platform for dialogue and the exploration of issues impacting correctional facilities, detention centers, homeland security facilities and more. The group is led by David Robillard, President of the Performa Justice Team.