Arrest For Seizure-Related Behavior 

AUTISM & AIRPORT TRAVEL SAFETY TIPS by Dennis Debbaudt

Autism requires that police 'think outside the box' / Seminars teach law enforcers how to diffuse tense situations. - "It's important they understand how to approach (people with autism)," Murphy said. The seminar, hosted by the Macomb Intermediate School District and the Law Enforcement Awareness Network, featured Dennis Debbaudt, a former Detroit News reporter and father of a 21-year-old son with autism. Debbaudt has written several books and articles on the subject, and he brought his experience and expertise to Macomb County on Monday. "When you hear autism is involved, you have to think outside the box a little bit," Debbaudt told his audience," by Frank DeFrank

Autism training for emergency workers urged - "With reports of autism on the rise nationally, a new coalition wants to train area police officers, firefighters, and other emergency responders on how to deal with people who have the disorder," by John Laidler

Autistic Man Dies After Police Use Taser Gun - An autopsy on an autistic man who died after police used a Taser gun in an attempt to subdue him did not reveal a cause of death, authorities said Monday. The man had just bitten his caregiver at a group home in Des Plaines. CBS 2's Mike Parker reports the Taser was just one way the officers tried to get the victim under control. Police around the country are now using Taser guns to subdue suspects with electric shocks. By Mike Parker

Autistic man dies in police struggle / Des Plaines officers used stun gun twice - An autistic man who died after Des Plaines police shocked him twice with a stun gun over the weekend was not known to be violent, the director of the agency that ran the man's group home said Monday. Police fired a Taser at Hansel Cunningham, 30, after they arrived at the home Sunday afternoon after receiving a distress call from a caregiver who reported that Cunningham had severely bitten him on his hands and arms while he attempted to restrain the resident, officials said.

Beyond Guilt or Innocence about youth with autism spectrum conditions and their contacts with the juvenile justice system--a journal article for the 2004 spring issue of Leadership Perspectives in Developmental Disability by Dennis Debbaudt. The Forum is a project of the UCE at the Shriver Center, a division of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Technical Support is provided by New England INDEX. This is an Official Page/Publication of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The DD Leadership Forum is funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, federal Department of Health and Human Services.

Caretakers, Officers Held Liable in Death 

County Plans To Put Autistic Kids On Emergency Registry - Police Officers, Firefighters Undergo Specialized Training by the Indychannel.com 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / MENTAL HEALTH CONSENSUS PROJECT - The Media Coverage page houses links to articles on issues relevant to people with mental illness involved in the criminal justice system. To find an article, visit the media coverage page and search by title. We encourage you to send information about any articles that you think would be interesting or useful to other visitors to editors@consensusproject.org

Dealing with autism: Area police departments develop profiles for for special needs residents - A police officer's harrowing rescue last week of Jack Glidden, a 7-year-old autistic child who ended up on the roof of his family's home in his underwear, was a good lesson for everyone involved.  Autistic children don't process information the same way as other kids, and that can sometimes create problems during tense situations. Had police come roaring to Old Cart Path last week with sirens on, Jack might have gotten spooked, by D. Craig MacCormack

EMERGENCY ALERT WINDOW DECALS 

EMERGENCY RESPONSE INFO FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ASD 

Experts: Cops too often lack training on mental illness Death of man shot by deputies in Morgan County reflects larger problem, mental health officials say by John O'Neill and Tammy Webber

Good People Behaving Badly / Bad Behavior No Matter What - The following post is a modified, later edited version of a response first sent to a listserv specializing in adult Asperger Syndrome issues.  It was sparked by a lively discussion concerning AS adults caught in criminal entanglements, and the rush to their defense of some individuals in the disability support community by Roger N. Meyer

Helen Childs tells of day her son was slain / Teen's mother testifies she pleaded with cop before he opened fire - Helen Childs and Denver police officer James Turney sat feet apart Friday, facing each other, but they never made eye contact. As Childs testified about the day Turney shot and killed her 15-year-old, developmentally disabled son, Paul, she stared into space or glanced down at her lap by Sarah Langbein

Lessons learned from ordeal / Family, police review actions in search for teen - "So when police cars and canine units searched for him after he vanished Aug. 24, he panicked and came running home with blood streaming out of cuts he got in the woods outside his Myrtle Street home in Millis. Two days later, he left again, but this time he went much farther, triggering a four-day search involving about 600 people. Ultimately, rescue workers walking on a gravel road in Norfolk found Andrew Monday night, laying on his back behind a stone wall," by Emma Stickgold

Mother, police officer lauded for nonverbal card program

Police: Autism ward workers should stand trial for abuse - Police are expected to recommend that 11 staff members of the Eitanim Mental Hospital in Jerusalem stand trial on charges of abusing patients in the hospital's now closed autism ward by Jonathan Lis and Ran Reznik, Haaretz Correspondents

Police helping parents keep special needs children safe - When Julie Harris heard police were searching for a missing autistic teen from Millis, she called authorities to make sure they would know how to find her own autistic son if he ever wanders away by Emelie Rutherford

Police: Therapist, caught on tape, charged with assaulting boy - Christine Mischenko, 23, was arrested Thursday at her home in Middletown in Monmouth County. She was fired Friday from her job as a behavioral therapist with New Horizons in Autism Incorporated, a nonprofit organization in Neptune.  Morris County authorities said the parents of the child Mischenko was hired to teach had suspected something was amiss when they noticed he had bruises and recently became especially agitated.

Police to collect info on special needs kids: Officials: Program will help find handicapped children who are lost by By Cathy Flynn

Police to decide mental health treatment - A diagnosis of mental illness could be made over the phone instead of in person, and involuntary psychiatric patients could lose the right to have their case reviewed by a magistrate, under proposed changes to NSW mental health laws. As well, police and nurses could order emergency medication for involuntary patients without a doctor being present, under options being considered to address a chronic shortage of psychiatrists and judicial officers outside major centres by Julie Robotham.

Police up to challenge: Develop profiles for special needs residents - Police officer's harrowing rescue earlier this month of Jack Glidden, a 7-year-old autistic child who ended up on the roof of his family's home in his underwear, was a good lesson for everyone involved. Autistic children don't process information the same way as other kids, and that can sometimes create problems during tense situations. Had police come roaring to Old Cart Path last week with sirens on, Jack might have gotten spooked. But in other cases, the sounds of police cars and colorful lights could be enough to attract a youngster's attention and make things easier to deal with. Such is life when dealing with autism, experts say, by By D. Craig MacCormack/

Police use Taser to subdue boy, 11 / Student ransacked classroom, threatened adults, authorities say Portland police used a Taser on an 11-year-old boy at Buckman Elementary School this week — the first time Rose City cops have used the nonlethal weapon on a child. The boy was one of three students in Terri Fullerton’s second-floor classroom when he grabbed a 5 1/2-inch-long metal compass around 9 a.m. Monday and started tearing up Room 214, according to the police report by Jacob Quinn Sanders

Ramapo cop saves autistic man on rooftop - Training he received as teen counselor for the developmentally disabled helped a Ramapo police sergeant save a young man on a rooftop yesterday. Sgt. Robert Lancia went to East Concord Drive just after 6:30 p.m. yesterday after police were told a 2-year-old was stuck on the roof of a house. What Lancia found instead was a 22-year-old man with autism who had climbed atop the Hamaspik of Rockland group home and refused to come down.

Shootings indict mental health care - The tragic deaths of two policemen and shootings of three others may have been prevented if Arizona had an adequate mental health system. The tragic deaths of two policemen and shootings of three others may have been prevented if Arizona had an adequate mental health system, by Jack G. Wiggins

Tracking Devices / Project Lifesaver quickly finds wandering relatives - Radio tracking systems are now available in the Detroit-area for people with autism, Alzheimer's or other conditions that make wandering away dangerous. Such devices can be a great comfort to families, but help is needed to increase their use. It's a cause worth supporting by Detroit Free Press

Understanding Autism - How to appropriately & safely approach, assess & manage autistic patients by Loralee Olejnik