Interacting with Students with Autism: Tips for Law Enforcement and Security Pros

A state-certified instructor and sergeant discusses strategies that foster positive encounters between LEOs and students with autism.

Interacting with Students with Autism: Tips for Law Enforcement and Security Pros

Over the years, countless incidents of challenging or negative interactions between school resource officers (SROs) or school security personnel and children with special needs have been documented and publicized. Many of these incidents have led to calls for removing law enforcement from schools.

To prevent these negative interactions, it is vital that SROs be properly trained on de-escalation techniques that foster positive encounters with students with special needs, providing them with equal access to a quality education and a place where they feel safe.

In order to successfully do this, school administrators and law enforcement agencies must work together to ensure positive outcomes for these interactions.

In this month’s GroupProject, an interactive webinar that enables attendees to video chat directly with the presenter and other public safety professionals on various school safety and security issues, Sergeant Stefan Bjes will discuss strategies to help recognize the characteristics associated with autism and understand strategies for achieving positive outcomes during interactions with students with autism.

Due to the nature of these interactive webinars, registration is limited to 25-30 attendees per session to ensure a personalized experience. Reserve your spot today!

Available Session Dates/Times:

About the Presenter

Sergeant Stefan Bjes has served over 20 years with a suburban police department in Illinois. He is a state-certified instructor who focuses on teaching law enforcement how to interact with individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities, specifically autism. He is an approved Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) instructor with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

His company, Blue Line Spectrum Safety, specializes in first responder training regarding autism and developmental disabilities. As the father of two sons with autism, Stefan has extensive experience, through his personal and professional life, in interacting with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

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