An effort is being launched in Florida to enhance the relationship between law enforcement and people with autism.
Sandra Worth, founder and executive director of My Autism Connection, is collaborating with the Florida Sheriffs Association to implement an autism identification program. For Worth, the initiative hits close to home.
"As the founder of My Autism Connection and mother of an adult son on the autism spectrum [and] also the wife of a retired law enforcement officer, it was my thought to always have both my husband and son come home safely every day," Worth said.
The program will issue lifetime-valid autism identification cards in sheriffs signature green color. Information about various behaviors that law enforcement personnel may come across, such as stimming, or the inability to communicate or approach too closely, will be included on the front of the card.
Stimming (short for self-stimulating behavior) includes repeated movements or actions such as tapping, pacing, gazing or repetitive blinks. It is believed to be a form of sensory stimulation in response to stress, fear, excitement, anger, loud or unfamiliar environments, and other triggers.
Worth described the card concept as straightforward.
"It's just saying, 'I'm autistic. This is how I communicate. I may behave differently, and here are some things that are helpful to you.' "
The back provides emergency contact information.
Worth's organization isn't stopping at state lines. It has partnered with the National Public Safety Alliance for Individuals with Disabilities to create a database families can use while traveling.
"This is a nationwide program that provides support to law enforcement [and] families when they're traveling out of state," Worth said. "They can enter their information into a database that would then get sent to the location they're going to visit. If, let's say, the individual has concerns such as elopement or just other questioning behaviors, law enforcement agencies in the local area can then respond appropriately using the tips and directives that the family has supplied them within [the] database."
Elopement is when an person with autism leaves a safe or supervised environment without permission, sometimes to escape a stressful or frightening situation. It can lead to dangerous situations such as getting lost, drownings or traffic accidents.
The program is a further development of Florida's 2024 statute requiring law enforcement personnel to receive autistic training. The database is operational, and ID cards will start to be distributed next month.
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