In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between police and autistic people. When cops encounter autistic people, they may not respond in the same way as NT people, and things can get out of hand. Among other things, they may misinterpret autistic behavior as aggressive or defiant, and respond with tasers, batons, chokeholds, or worse. Training could help.
An Illinois family said they are still reeling weeks after their 14-year-old son who has autism was tased by police in what they contend was a case of mistaken identity.
The family told ABC Chicago station WLS that the teen -- Avarius Thompson -- suffered injuries including a fractured hip during an encounter with Dolton police on the morning of Nov. 20, 2023.
According to the Dolton Police Department's incident report, Dolton police were assisting police in the nearby village of Riverdale in the search for four Black males who had fled from a crashed, stolen vehicle -- two of whom were allegedly carrying rifles and a handgun.
