In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between police and autistic people. Police officers need training to respond appropriately. When they do not, things get out of hand.
In Belton, a family that knows the struggles of autism all too well, spent hours training both civilian and military police on how to be more effective if they are trying to help a family like theirs.
To avoid being drained powerpoint after powerpoint, the crucial mental health training course for law enforcement likes to get hands-on.
”To try and educate patrol officers, criminal investigation, defense attorneys, judges, and probation officers about autism,” said Anne Jackson, Central Texas prosecutor and mother of Tres, who has autism.
22-year-old Tres Jackson was diagnosed with Autism when he was 10 and now, he and his mother spend their spare time teaching criminal justice professionals how to interact with families like theirs.
”I help them with understanding why we do certain things like our stemming and why we do certain things. Or, why we respond to different things and how it may be perceived as something a little bit weird and that might be a little bit alienating,” said Tres Jackson.
It’s a passion that stems from his mother’s time as a prosecutor.
