ROCKINGHAM — Local first responders will have two opportunities next month to learn how to handle situations involving individuals on the autism spectrum.
The Autism Society of North Carolina is hosting training sessions the afternoon of June 2 and late morning of June 12 at the Robinette Building of Richmond Community College in downtown Rockingham.
The training is open to all first responders — including law enforcement, and fire and rescue personnel — and will be led by ASNC Autism Support Specialist Amy Perry.
Perry, who has a nonverbal daughter and two nephews on the spectrum, ran a local session at Hinson Lake in 2021.
Rockingham Police Chief George Gillenwater was among those who attended the 2021 session and said he found it “very beneficial.”
“Autism is often referred to as a ‘hidden’ disability due to many characteristics associated with it not being physically identifiable or significantly noticeable,” reads the abstract of a 2021 study published at the National Library of Medicine.
“Concern has been raised around the potential difficulties that autistic individuals experience when encountering police personnel and the criminal justice system,” the abstract continues. “Difficulties experienced have been reported by victims, witnesses, suspects and offending populations.“
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about “1 in 31 children were identified with autism spectrum disorder among a 2022 sample of 8-year-olds from 16 US communities” in the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring network.
Estimated prevalence among the ADDM network more than doubled in a decade, from 14.8 per 1,000 in 2012 to 32.2 per 1,000 in 2022.
According to the Autism Society, 1 in 5 young adults with autism have an encounter with law enforcement by the time they reach the age of 21.
“Too many of these events result in restraint, arrest, improper use of force, physical and emotional trauma, and tragic death,” reads the Autism Society’s website. “These devastating outcomes occur when police misinterpret benign (a)utistic behaviors as suspicious, evasive, or dangerous. This is largely because police are trained to respond to a crisis with a protocol that does not consider neurodivergence.”
Just a few tragic examples include when an off-duty officer in Chicago shot an autistic teen in late 2017 and the caretaker of an autistic man was shot by police in Florida in 2016 for trying to defuse the situation.
But not all interactions are negative.
In 2021, Gillenwater, who was a detective at the time, related a recent incident when the department responded to multiple calls regarding a child being irate towards a parent on the side of the road.
“Turns out, the child was autistic and the parent explained as much,” Gillenwater said. “It was a positive interaction and a learning experience.”
Both Gillenwater and Sheriff Mark Gulledge told the RO on Tuesday that they plan to send officers to the training in June.
Hamlet Police Chief James Carsto said he is making the training mandatory for the entire department, noting that he has a nephew who is on the spectrum.
During the previous training, Perry told first responders that autism varies among individuals: “If you’ve seen one person with autism, you’ve seen one person with autism.”
All participants will recieve a certificate of completion.
First responders planning to attend should fill out a Google form here.
For more information, contact Meghann Lambeth at visitrichmondcountync@gmail.com.
NOTE: This story has been updated to include the form and contact info. 9 p.m. 5-19-26.
