According to the recently published Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (6/09) autism study, individuals with an autism spectrum disorder are more likely to have encounters with public safety personnel than the general public. The study also states that very few public safety personnel have had training specific to autism spectrum disorders.

For many years, Commonwealth Autism Service has delivered training for law enforcement personnel through Autism Action Group© activities. Prior to the release of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission study, we began working with several law enforcement officers, parents, and Project Lifesaver to begin to develop a curriculum to be approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Services. With this collaboration, our goal is to train a core group of trainers who can then train other law enforcement personnel. The trainers consist of law enforcement personnel and parents who are willing to share their personal experiences. We are hopeful that this training will be included as part of the mandated training required prior to becoming a law enforcement officer.

Because of the positive feedback we’ve received, we have expanded this project to include training modules for each of the following groups: