Police cadet general and interactional knowledge of persons with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen Copenhaver ◽  
Andrew S. Denney ◽  
Victoria Rapp
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Autism Knowledge

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to ascertain law enforcement cadet general knowledge of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and practical knowledge in how to apply various aspects of their profession to persons with ASD.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 341 law enforcement cadet surveys administered across ten individual law enforcement cadet classes were analyzed via two individual ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models. These regression models were designed to predict changes in cadet scores on their (1) general knowledge of autism scale (i.e., general knowledge regarding autism spectrum disorder itself) and (2) interactional law enforcement knowledge of autism scale (i.e., how to apply various aspects of their job to persons with ASD).FindingsFindings show that cadets who had a stronger confidence in their ability to interact with persons who have ASD actually knew less than their counterparts with lower reported overall confidence. However, one's confidence in their ability to identify persons with ASD was associated with having better overall general knowledge of ASD itself. Similarly, the greater one's overall confidence in interacting with persons with ASD was associated with lower interactional knowledge. In each model, general autism knowledge and interactional knowledge were positively associated.Practical implicationsThe results of this study have implications for cadet and officer training on ASD as each need to be trained in both general knowledge of autism and interactional autism knowledge skills related to the job functions of being a LEO. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.Originality/valueThe literature is sparse on law enforcement knowledge of and interaction with persons who have ASD. As such, this study has the potential to make a strong impact on the literature regarding law enforcement and their knowledge and/or interactions with persons who have ASD.

scholarly journals Rare instances of individuals with autism supporting or engaging in terrorism

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lino Faccini ◽  
Clare S. Allely
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Connection ◽  
Group Interactions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lone Wolf

Purpose The prevalence of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) being associated with terroristic threats, lone wolf terrorism or affiliating with terroristic groups is rare. This paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach However, several cases are presented, where individuals with autism are involved in making a naïve, empty terroristic threat or uttering serious serial terroristic threats. Other cases are also presented of individuals being at risk for an abduction or being used by a terrorist group, and finally committing an act of domestic lone wolf terrorism. Findings Essential to the analysis was establishing a functional connection between autism-based deficits and the terroristic threats, terrorism, and when to not criminalize naïve, empty terroristic threats or acts. Originality/value Currently, tools available to law enforcement and prosecutors exploit the vulnerabilities and liabilities which arise as a result of group interactions, a “preventive” approach to terrorism that is not applicable to the solitary, “lone wolf” terrorist. There has been relatively little research (including case studies) examining individuals with ASD who engage in terrorism. For instance, when dealing with an individual with ASD who is charged with terrorism, it is crucial to consider how the diagnosis of autism may have presented as a contextual vulnerability, and to make sure that justice, rehabilitation and management, are informed by an understanding of the person’s diagnosis of ASD.

Examining the experiences and quality of life of patients with an autism spectrum disorder detained in high secure psychiatric care

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Murphy ◽  
Hannah Mullens
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Care ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Living Situation ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secure Psychiatric Care

Purpose Although individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represent a small proportion of forensic psychiatric patients as a group they present with specific difficulties and needs. There is also evidence that if detained individuals with an ASD experience particular difficulties within custodial environments as a result of a mismatch between the difficulties associated with their ASD and the environmental demands. The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of individuals with an ASD admitted to a high secure psychiatric care (HSPC) hospital. Design/methodology/approach Using both a semi-structured interview and a quality of life self-report measure (the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile) the experiences and views of seven patients with an ASD detained in one HSPC hospital were qualitatively explored. Findings Whilst a diverse range of negative and positive aspects of being within HSPC were identified by patients interviewed, those with prison experience thought HSPC was a less stressful environment with more therapeutic opportunities. As a group, patients with an ASD reported a similar or significantly better quality of life in many domains (global, leisure, financial and living situation) compared to other detained forensic patient groups. Practical implications Although most patients with an ASD interviewed reported positive experiences, there are a number of practical improvements that could be made within the hospital to reduce experienced stress levels and perhaps improve therapeutic outcomes. Originality/value Within the context of the Department of Health's autism strategy (2010) and subsequent update think autism (2014), the survey highlights continued ASD awareness training for staff as important. In responding to the risks and needs of individuals with an ASD in HSPC there is further support for the development of an ASD specialist service.

scholarly journals A systematic PRISMA review of individuals with autism spectrum disorder in secure psychiatric care: prevalence, treatment, risk assessment and other clinical considerations

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare S. Allely
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Care ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secure Psychiatric Care

Purpose Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with specific assessment, specific difficulties, needs and therapeutic issues and therefore are a challenging group for forensic services. Given the challenge that individuals with ASD present to forensic services, the suggested increase in the number of this group within this setting and the relatively little amount of research which suggests they face a number of difficulties within the prison environment, the purpose of this paper is to identify and review all the studies which have been carried out investigating any aspect of ASD in relation to secure hospital settings. Design/methodology/approach Seven internet-based bibliographic databases were used for the present review. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Findings A total of 12 studies were included in this review; 3 looked at the prevalence of ASD in secure psychiatric hospitals. One study evaluated the clinical utility of the AQ screening tool to assess self-reported autistic traits in secure psychiatric settings. Three explored any type of characteristics of patients with ASD detained in secure psychiatric hospitals. One study investigated the experiences or quality of life of patients with an ASD detained in secure psychiatric care. Two studies investigated awareness, knowledge and/or views regarding patients with ASD held by staff working within secure psychiatric hospitals. Lastly, three studies (one of which was also included in the prevalence category above) looked at the effectiveness of interventions or treatment of patients with ASD in secure psychiatric hospitals. Clinical recommendations and future research directions are discussed. Originality/value To the author’s knowledge, this is the first review to explore what research has been carried out looking specifically at patients with ASD in relation to secure forensic settings.

Attachment disorder in autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arvid Nikolai Kildahl ◽  
Maria Hagen Engebretsen ◽  
Sissel Berge Helverschou
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Exclusion Criterion ◽  
Challenging Behaviour ◽  
Attachment Disorders ◽  
Attachment Disorder ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type

PurposeAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an exclusion criterion for one of the two attachment disorders in the DSM 5. However, previous findings indicate that ASD and attachment disorder are unrelated conditions and may co-occur. The purpose of this paper is to explore the diagnostic assessment of an adolescent male with ASD, intellectual disability (ID), severe challenging behaviour and a suspected attachment disorder.Design/methodology/approachCase study methodology was chosen because of its suitability in the exploration of complex clinical phenomena where prior knowledge is sparse.FindingsIt was possible to identify symptoms of attachment disorder in a case involving ASD, ID, anxiety and severe challenging behaviour. The Disturbances of Attachment Interview was particularly useful in this assessment, as was assessment of ASD symptoms and developmental history. Differentiating the two attachment disorders proved challenging.Research limitations/implicationsThere is a need for further research in ASD and attachment disorders not limited by current diagnostic categories.Practical implicationsCo-occurring symptoms of attachment disorder may be identified in individuals with ASD and ID, and exploration of these symptoms in assessments of children and adolescents with ASD/ID and challenging behaviour may be beneficial.Originality/valueThe study adds to previous findings on attachment disorder in ASD, demonstrating that identification of attachment disorder is possible even in the presence of a highly complex clinical picture involving severe challenging behaviour. It may also assist other clinicians in identifying and making more accurate assessment of attachment disorder in ASD and ID.

scholarly journals Metacognitive monitoring and the hypercorrection effect in autism and the general population: Relation to autism(-like) traits and mindreading

Autism ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M Williams ◽  
Zara Bergström ◽  
Catherine Grainger
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Bayes Factor ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
High Confidence ◽  
Null Result ◽  
Matched Comparison ◽  
Metacognitive Ability

Among neurotypical adults, errors made with high confidence (i.e. errors a person strongly believed they would not make) are corrected more reliably than errors made with low confidence. This ‘hypercorrection effect’ is thought to result from enhanced attention to information that reflects a ‘metacognitive mismatch’ between one’s beliefs and reality. In Experiment 1, we employed a standard measure of this effect. Participants answered general knowledge questions and provided confidence judgements about how likely each answer was to be correct, after which feedback was given. Finally, participants were retested on all questions answered incorrectly during the initial phase. Mindreading ability and autism spectrum disorder–like traits were measured. We found that a representative sample of ( n = 83) neurotypical participants made accurate confidence judgements (reflecting good metacognition) and showed the hypercorrection effect. Mindreading ability was associated with autism spectrum disorder–like traits and metacognition. However, the hypercorrection effect was non-significantly associated with mindreading or autism spectrum disorder–like traits. In Experiment 2, 11 children with autism spectrum disorder and 11 matched comparison participants completed the hypercorrection task. Although autism spectrum disorder children showed significantly diminished metacognitive ability, they showed an undiminished hypercorrection effect. The evidence in favour of an undiminished hypercorrection effect (null result) was moderate, according to Bayesian analysis (Bayes factor = 0.21).

Pre-school teachers’ perceptions of challenging behaviours of students with autism spectrum disorder within inclusive settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-214
Author(s):  
Yong-Hwee Nah
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Inclusive Settings ◽  
Students With Autism ◽  
Challenging Behaviours

Purpose Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have challenging behaviours that can create significant teaching challenges in group settings such as in mainstream pre-school inclusive settings. This study aims to identify and understand, from the perspectives of mainstream pre-school teachers in Singapore, the type of common challenging behaviours observed in pre-schoolers (mean age = 4.5 years, SD = 1.1, range = 3-6) with ASD. Design/methodology/approach Participants consisted of 62 teachers (mean age = 35.8 years; SD = 10.8) teaching in mainstream pre-school centres located in Singapore completed an open-ended survey. Twelve codes were generated and served as guidelines for coding the qualitative data. Codes with similar themes were then grouped to form four construct categories: social communication, restricted and repetitive behaviours, attention and learning and others. Findings Results indicated that difficulty with change/transition and social/peer interaction were the most concerning issues across all settings, whereas “lesson time” and “circle time” were the two most common activities/settings in which the concerns were reported by teachers. Originality/value Findings from this paper may add to the limited research looking at the challenging behaviours exhibited by children with ASD in mainstream pre-school settings in Singapore. Understanding the type of challenging behaviours presented in pre-schoolers with ASD and the activities/settings in which these behaviours occur may help the teachers to link the difficulties to specific interventions to further support their inclusion in a mainstream pre-school setting.

COVID-19 and intellectual disability/autism spectrum disorder with high and very high support needs: issues of physical and mental vulnerability

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta F. Buonaguro ◽  
Marco O. Bertelli
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Preliminary Data ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Support Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Very High ◽  
High Support

Purpose The COVID-19 outbreak has profoundly plagued the world, and current health efforts are focused on providing prevention and ensuring access to intensive services for people with the most severe symptomatology. Many reports have already described substantial psychological distress in the general population. Nevertheless, disasters tend to affect vulnerable subjects disproportionately, and individuals with intellectual disabilities/autism spectrum disorder with high and very high support needs (PwID/ASD-HSN) seem to be counted among the hardest hit populations. The present paper aims to provide a comprehensive discussion and evaluation of COVID-19 related issues specific to PwID/ASD-HSN. Design/methodology/approach Commentary on available literature and analysis of new preliminary data on PwID/ASD-HSN’s physical and psychic vulnerability factors. This knowledge is fundamental to provide families and caregivers special advice to counteract the risks associated with the current pandemic. Findings PwID/ASD-HSN represent one of the most vulnerable population to the COVID-19 outbreak and the associated factors of mental distress for several reasons, including multimorbidity, low levels of health literacy, difficulties to understand and communicate, reliance on other people for care, low compliance with complex hygiene rules, the strong need of routine/sameness and low adaptive skills. Originality/value In the present work, the authors analyze the specific factors of physical and mental vulnerability in PwID/ASD-HSN, corroborating the dissertation with a discussion on the first data published worldwide and with preliminary data collected on the Italian territory for what concerns prevalence rates of COVID-19 and complications in persons with PwID/ASD-HSN and signs and symptoms of psychic distress during the mass quarantine period.

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