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Autism
Society of Los Angeles LAPD Autism Awareness Training Project
2009
Project Summary
By Emily
Iland, M.A., Project Manager
December
31, 2009
As of
today, ASLA chapter leaders and project volunteers have personally
provided autism awareness training for over 2,000 LAPD personnel,
including patrol officers, the Mental Evaluation Unit, the SMART Team,
the SWAT team, 911 operators, jail personnel, detectives and general
services police who you might meet at the zoo or in public libraries.
The response to the training has been very positive. Our project is
unique because as often as possible, a person with autism participates
in the training to bring the "face of autism" to the officers and help
them relate on a personal level to people of all ages and abilities on
the spectrum.
Looking
back at our original plan for the LAPD Autism Awareness project that
started in 2007, we anticipated having ASLA volunteers and their family
members go to LAPD roll call trainings at their local police stations.
The Valley Bureau (San Fernando Valley) was the first area of focus.
Dozens of volunteers for that area were contacted, and all stations were
served.
It became
clear, however, that this method was not efficient and was not the best
way to meet the needs of the department. LAPD officials decided it would
be more effective to integrate the Autism Awareness Training into
existing department trainings, whenever and wherever they are taking
place. This way, many more departments and staff can participate, rather
than only reaching patrol officers. The "integrated" method was used in
2009 to reach about 1,000 personnel.
Rather than
have a variety of volunteers, the department requested to have a single
lead trainer who is available 7 days a week for staff training. I was
asked to take on that role, which I accepted. Sometimes I train on my
own, but whenever possible a person with ASD and/or another volunteer is
part of the training. There have been many success stories related to
improved understanding, recognition and response.
Detective
III Gilbert Escontrias of the Mental Evaluation Unit (MEU), who
initiated the project with our chapter, continues as the Department
liaison for the project, providing response and safety information for
each training presentation. Officer Elizabeth Reyes and Officer Vivian
Chester coordinated the schedule and also supported the presentation in
the past year. They are all excellent and dedicated partners in this
effort and have contributed greatly to its success.
Project
volunteers also participated in a new training opportunity; a live
training day for the Mental Evaluation Unit in which volunteers with
autism and their parents played out various real-life scenarios in a
simulated town so that detectives could practice interacting with people
with autism and their families.
During the
various trainings, it became clear that many LAPD officers are
personally affected by autism. The Autism Society of Los Angeles helped
form the LAPD Autism Support Group. Led by LAPD personnel from
throughout the department, the group continues to grow and serve the
particular needs of LAPD families.
The public
outreach component of the Autism Awareness project has included
presentations at conferences in partnership with the LAPD to discuss
safe behaviors and prevention of problems for those with disabilities
(for TASH, Foothill Autism Alliance, and the Autism Society of Los
Angeles.) We (Emily and Detective Escontrias) will be presenting
together at the Autism Conference in Anaheim in February. Officer
Elizabeth Reyes of the Mental Evaluation Unit and I were interviewed
live in Spanish for the Telemundo news show. That same morning, Officer
Reyes and I had an unexpected chance to talk to Mayor Antonio
Villarigosa about the autism awareness project! He was very pleased to
hear about the project and its impact.
Due to past
experience with law enforcement training, involvement with the LAPD
project, and work with the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism,
I was invited to be one of the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to help
create the State of California Peace Officers Standards and Training
(POST) DVD on autism. The content of the LAPD training was integrated
into the POST material. The 2-hour DVD will be called Autism Spectrum
Disorders: Recognition and Response and will be provided free of charge
to all law enforcement agencies in the state in mid to late 2010.
The
creation of the POST training is the realization of a dream. Caroline
Wilson and I were two of the people who brought the need for statewide
law enforcement training to the California Blue Ribbon Commission on
Autism. Because the Commission recognized this key priority, the
Commission drafted legislation to create training materials, and the
bill was passed. The final version of the law did not mandate that
training must be done, just that the materials be created and provided
at no cost to all law enforcement agencies in the state. Now, we will
work with the Senate Select Committee on autism to facilitate/encourage
the use of the training materials locally and throughout the state.
The Autism
Society LAPD Autism Awareness Project is a source of pride both to the
LAPD and to our chapter because it is proactive, personal, and
effective. Looking ahead, there are many thousands more who need to be
trained and the project will continue.
The new materials from POST will bring more opportunities and we
will strategize how to best respond to the needs in our area, perhaps
adapting our plans again. We will keep our members and volunteers
informed about plans and progress, and any volunteer opportunities that
become available.
Respectfully submitted,
Emily Iland
August 3, 2008 The Los Angeles Police Commission honored the Autism Society of America Los Angeles Chapter for the LAPD Autism Awareness Project on May 13, 2008. Pictured left to right are: Commissioner Robert M. Saltzman, MEU Detective Gil Escontrias, Commission President Anthony Pacheco, ASA LA Project Manager Emily Iland, ASA LA President Caroline Wilson, Commisioner Andrea Ordin, and Commissioner Alan J. Skobin.
Tips for Families and Professionals Our interactions with hundreds of LAPD officers have brought some very important information into focus. Here are some ideas to act on now, to prepare for the future and improve outcomes.
. February 5, 2008 Los Angeles Police Department Thank you all for your continued interest and support for the ASA Los Angeles Autism Awareness Training for LAPD officers. To date 11 trainings have been held for approximately 550 total LAPD personnel, including officers at roll calls at West LA, Pacific, Van Nuys, Wilshire and North Hollywood Stations. SWAT team members, detectives, and an enthusiastic group of 911 operators have participated in a longer version of the training during their Crisis Intervention Trainings (CIT). Police Commissioner Anthony Pacheco led the well-attended training at the Wilshire District in December. Commissioner Pacheco confirmed the Department’s commitment to this autism education program and the partnership with ASA Los Angeles. The response to the content and format of the training has been very positive and the officers have been very receptive to the volunteers. We anticipate that roll call trainings will be scheduled more regularly February through April of 2008. The schedule is based on the availability of LAPD staff. We always have to be accompanied by a Detective who gives the tactical part of the presentation. Up to this point it was tied to Det. Escontrias’ work schedule and his many commitments and we are fortunate to have accomplished what we have with these understandable contraints. We expect to move ahead now because Detective Escontrias has assigned two more detectives from the Mental Evaluation Unit to go with us. As stations and times are selected by the LAPD, we will continue to contact volunteers based on the availability you have indicated on your volunteer form. Sometimes there will be short notice for a session, so please do not feel bad if you are not available when we call a day before an event! Also know that we are making lots of calls, but if the time or day we need to cover does not match your availability, you will not hear from us! We will be sure to give all our volunteers updates more regularly and keep you informed about our progress in the 19 stations. We are also planning a safety fair with the LAPD in May. There will be emergency vehicles available for our family members to get comfortable with the procedures and equipment involved in an emergency. We will need volunteers for the event and will keep you posted Best regards, Emily Iland and Caroline Wilson . |
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