Poster - #VH-08718 - Keywords: Autism Neurodivergent Law Enforcement Police Training

Perspective Training in Forensic Psychology Contexts

Erika L. Liljedahl, Psy.D., The Chicago School (TCS); Kati Tshikalu-John, M.A. and Ph.D Student in International Psychology at TCS; Kylie Chisnell, Shetia Richardson, Kayla Schwartz, M.A. Forensic Psychology Students at TCS.
The Chicago School

ABSTRACT:
These researchers are proposing a framework for creating a safe environment for people on the autism spectrum by training others to increase their understanding of the experience of neurodivergence. Training usually focuses on the client, however, from our point of view, training non-neurodivergent people in perspective-taking can increase empathy, and thus more positive interactions. Historically, there are challenges in perspective taking since the autism spectrum may not be immediately visible, which has led to misinterpretations of behaviors, discrimination, emotional and physical maltreatment, arrests, and even death. This training will include strategies to increase empathetic understanding from an intersectionality perspective and will be applied to several forensic psychology populations, namely teachers, prison officers, and law enforcement.

The prevalence of people on the autism spectrum in the USA is currently a high 1 in 36 (CDC, 2024), which means they are in schools, the prison system, and surrounding communities. Given the difficulty of the law enforcement job in schools, prison system, and communities, there have been negative interactions against marginalized populations, including people with invisible disabilities. These researchers believe that perspective-taking training along
with education can assist with the earlier identification of people on the autism spectrum and thus create a different interaction dynamic, which will increase the safety of all community members.