Police Stops and the Mental Health of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Disabilities

• In Event: Health Criminology: Policing and Adolescent Health

Abstract

Exposure to police has been shown to be detrimental to adolescent mental health; however, researchers have only recently begun to examine police stop experiences among youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD; e.g., ADHD, cerebral palsy, intellectual/developmental delay). Youth with ASD/DD may be at increased risk of being stopped by police due to co-occurring behavioral, psychiatric, and physical conditions. Once stopped, youth with ASD/DD may have difficulty with communication and processing social situations happening in real time, making police stops increasingly challenging and stressful. Little is known about the risk of police stops among youth with ASD/DD, and their mental health implications. The current study will utilize data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative cohort study of young people in the UK, and the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a nationally representative cohort study of urban-born youth in the US. Analyses will explore prevalence estimates of police stops among youth with ASD/DD compared to youth without ASD/DD across both national contexts, and examine long-term impacts on mental health. Findings have implications for policing interventions, including development of additional trainings for police officers, and improving police interactions with youth with ASD/DD.

Authors

• Lindsey Webb, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Calliope Holingue, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Danielle Wallace, Arizona State University

• Dylan B. Jackson, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health