Survey on Interactions between Law Enforcement, Autistic Individuals, and Their Families

The purpose of this survey is to gather information about the experiences of autistic individuals and families of individuals on the autism spectrum during interactions with law enforcement. We ask that you answer the following questions based on your personal experiences and perspectives. Your responses will help identify areas of improvement and inform the development of autism-friendly practices for law enforcement agencies.

In addition to filling out this survey, if you have a specific question or request related to our law enforcement initiative please reach out to our 800.4.AUTISM Helpline.

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* 1. Frequency of Contact: How frequently have you (as an autistic individual) or your family member with autism come into contact with law enforcement officers?

No contact with law enforcement

Rarely (once a year or less)

Occasionally (2-3 times a year)

Often (multiple times a year)

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* 2. Level of Understanding: In your experiences, how would you rate the level of knowledge and understanding of law enforcement officers about autism spectrum disorders (ASD)?

Very knowledgeable/understanding

Somewhat knowledgeable/understanding

Not knowledgeable or understanding at all

Not sure

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* 3. Positive Experiences: Please describe any positive experiences or examples of law enforcement officers effectively interacting with you (as an autistic individual) or your family member with autism.

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* 4. Challenges: Please describe any negative experiences or challenges you (as an autistic individual) or your family member with autism has faced during interactions with law enforcement.

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* 5. Specific Difficulties: What autism-specific difficulties or behaviors do you think law enforcement officers should be aware of during interactions?

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* 6. Autism-friendly Practices: Have you come across any law enforcement agencies/departments that have implemented autism-friendly practices? If yes, please provide details on both the autism-friendly practices as well as the agencies/departments that are implementing those practices.

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* 7. Advice for Law Enforcement: If you could give one piece of advice to law enforcement officers regarding interactions with autistic individuals, what would it be?

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* 8. Are you a(n):

Parent/Guardian of an individual with autism

Autistic individual

Other (please specify)

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* 9. How old are the individual(s) with autism you are primarily referring to in this survey?

Under 18 years old

18-30 years old

31-50 years old

older than 50

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* 10. Please feel free to add any additional comments/experiences that you’d like to share

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* 11. Contact: Please feel free to include your contact information so we can stay in touch. As always, you can reach us via our 800.4.AUTISM Helpline or information@autismnj.org. Also consider signing up for our Law Enforcement email list.

Name

City/Town

County

Email Address

Phone Number