OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. —
A mother-son team is behind critical training to help police and deputies understand how to identify and communicate with individuals who have autism.
Donna Lorman has spent years developing the half-day and full-day programs, and she was inspired by her son Drew.
“When Drew was 5 years old, I was faced with a principal calling me and explaining to me that I had 30 minutes to get there or they were putting him in the back of a police car and charging him with battery on a behavior specialist,” Lorman said.
That moment changed everything. Lorman knew her son would likely have more interactions with law enforcement throughout his life.
Drew has autism. At 34 years old, he can be easily misunderstood if people only judge him by his age.
Drew has never been arrested, but his mother says that is because she is always there.
By age 21, 1 in 5 young adults with autism has been stopped and questioned by police, according to the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University.
That is why Lorman teaches the course. The star of the training is Drew. WESH 2 reporter Lindsey Sablan attended a training with members of crisis intervention teams from the St. Cloud and Kissimmee police departments, along with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
Soon, every department in Florida will be required to complete similar instruction thanks to a new bill passed this legislative session requiring law enforcement to have “an employment training component relating to individuals with autism.”
Lorman helped push that effort forward and said the stakes are high.
The second-leading cause of death for individuals with autism is asphyxiation, which Lorman said often happens during law enforcement encounters. The leading cause is drowning, because people with autism often elope.
Chief Douglas Goerke with St. Cloud police took the training previously and said it helped him respond to scenes.
“We come in contact with a lot of people that are potentially on the spectrum in and around our community every single day,” he said.
