Over the past month I spent a significant portion of my time addressing Criminal Justice Reform. Many of my colleagues asked me why I was so passionate about this topic. Outside of my legal obligations and advocacy, I am just a mom who cares. I value a strong CONNECTED community of care. A community of care fills into to address challenges we cannot individually address.
So why now? My renewed interest came forth from the unfortunate death of Elijah McClain died last August in Aurora, Colorado. Elijah was placed in a chokehold and ulitmately died of cardiac arrest. He was only 23 and he was autistic. I began thinking about how misunderstood a person with Autism is. Many people cannot identify if a person is autistic. When they do, they generally do not understand the extent of the person’s cognitive strength or how to communicate with them. Most importantly, they often misunderstand the concept of processing. Depending on where the person with Autism lies on the spectrum and whether there are other diagnosis, along with the extent of support and exposure often determines their response time.
As Proud Aspy moms and extended family and friends, we have an obligation to ensure the public knows how to engage with our children and young adults. Wherever you live it is important to consider the following:
- Teach your child to identify as autistic when interacting with authorities;
- Give your child an identification bracelet and let local police agencies know your child is on the spectrum. Depending on your community there are many ways to achieve this;
- If your child is old enough, you may consider obtaining a State ID which identifies your child;
- Ask your community leaders if their officers are trained to identify, support and engage with the autistic community;
- Ask your neighbor and friends to help. When people know they can support you better; and
- Lastly, talk with your child. Repetition is key and it may save their lives. We can all do our part!
