MERION STATION, PA (KYW Newsradio) — An expert at St. Joseph’s University applauds Pennsylvania’s new ID cards designed to improve interactions between officers and people with autism but says more education is needed.
In an effort to make communication between police officers and people with autism safer, Pennsylvania State Police issued informational cards last week for people on the spectrum to carry. The cards, which can be downloaded from the PSP website , read “I have autism,” and include statements like “Loud noises may bother me,” and “Please be patient with me.”
Katie Spilatore, a sophomore with autism at St. Joe’s, said the cards don’t cover every scenario.
“Not everybody has all of these. So my suggestion is that there would be a thing where each individual can circle the ones they have trouble with,” Spilatore said.
“Í may not respond to verbal commands — that’s a good one. But escape is definitely an impulse for some people. Like with me, I would say in stressful situations, I would want to run away.”
She says seeing someone running away may be a “big red flag” for police, so if they know it’s just because they are scared, it may be helpful.
Spilatore said she was concerned when she first heard about the autism cards.
“Because in my experience people could baby talk you, like, talk down to them because they think your intelligence level is lower.”
Dr. Joseph McCleery, the executive director of academic programs for the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support at St. Joe’s, says while more police training is needed, the card may help guide officers as they interact with people on the spectrum.
“If I had a nonverbal or minimally verbal autistic son, I’d probably really like to have this card,” he said. “To teach them to hand this over to a police officer would probably make me feel a lot better about the situation.”
McCleery said the cards, while a good first step, aren’t for everyone.
“Not all autistic people want to disclose their diagnosis to police officers,” McCleery said. “Sometimes they don’t want to disclose because they might be with other people and they don’t want the other people to know they have autism. Sometimes they don’t want to disclose because they’re worried that people won’t know what to do.”
McCleery has been studying how virtual reality simulations can prepare people with autism for possible encounters with police. He says officers may be suspicious of a lack of eye contact or fidgeting, and the VR exercises are helping autistic people keep themselves still and safer.
“I’m not a police training expert. I’m an autism expert,” McCleery said. “So we’re focusing on what autistic people can do to make sure that they get through those interactions safely and effectively.”
“I’m not a police training expert. I’m an autism expert,” McCleery said. “So we’re focusing on what autistic people can do to make sure that they get through those interactions safely and effectively.”
Spilatore, who is enrolled in the university’s ASPIRE program for autism support, says the cards are a good first step.
“It could work for some people but for others, it’s just offensive,” Spilatore said. “Education needs to be paired with this.”
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