Sometimes, what looks like silence is just someone trying not to panic. What seems like defiance might just be someone doing their best to stay calm.
Not everyone reacts the same way to stress, especially during high-pressure encounters. Understanding how neurodivergence can change how someone presents under stress can help prevent tragic, unnecessary mistakes.
When noncompliance isn’t what it seems
Autistic individuals may behave in ways that don’t match what police are trained to expect from a compliant person. Avoiding eye contact, rocking back or forth or not immediately responding to shouted instructions can be a part of how an autistic person processes sensory overload. Unfortunately, these behaviors are often read as suspicious, threatening or even defiant, triggering force when understanding is what’s truly needed.
There have been heartbreaking examples. In 2020, a 13-year-old autistic boy from Utah named Linden Cameron was shot six times after his mother called for help during a mental health crisis. His mother called 911, searching for a crisis intervention team to transport Cameron to a hospital for treatment. She specified repeatedly that he was unarmed, just distressed. Despite this, police assumed he was dangerous and used deadly force. This case, and others like it, reveal a gap in training and perception that can result in devastating consequences.
Legally, misunderstandings like these can lead to excessive force claims, civil rights violations claims as well as departmental liability. When a person’s disability isn’t taken into account during an encounter, it can violate protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Courts have increasingly recognized that law enforcement must make reasonable accommodations when interacting with disabled individuals, but those protections only help after the harm is done.
If you or someone you love has been hurt in an encounter like this, seeking professional legal guidance can make all the difference.