SEHS教授获得著名的SABA公众意识补助金

Dr. Chaturi宪法学, associate professor of human development and child studies at 十大菠菜台子, has been awarded a Public Awareness Grant from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA) for developing a project that could refine the dynamic between police and individuals impacted by autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Considered the most prestigious international award given by the Association for Behavior Analysis, 2美元,500 award is annually distributed to up to four different projects that utilize behavior analytic solutions to address significant issues within the field of behavior science. The grant will help fund a series of virtual reality (VR) vignettes designed by Edrisinha to effectively train police officers to handle situations involving individuals on the autism spectrum or with other communicative impairments.

根据SABA主席Peter Killeen的说法, Edrisinha’s research “offers an innovative approach to a socially significant issue, and the quality of [her] design and measures speaks to the strength of [her] behavior analytic repertoire.”

As part of what Edrisinha joked is a “really prestigious nerd award,在《十大菠菜台子》中，受资助者得到认可和描述, 拥有国际读者群的学术期刊. While she is “so psyched” for the opportunity to celebrate her work on a global scale, Edrisinha said she is even more excited about the opportunities her work could create for police and individuals impacted by autism.

“如果你在光谱上，你被拦下了, then how does the officer quickly recognize the core symptoms of autism and then de-escalate the situation so that it doesn’t become a really difficult situation for both parties?”她说。. “I kept reflecting on that and thinking, ‘I need to be able to do something.’”

在某些方面, Edrisinha说，这个想法是她以前工作的延续, 即“天才到天才”(G2G)计划, a peer-based initiative that she established to support OU students with autism in their transition to college and development of social skills and professional opportunities. One of the program’s biggest undertakings was assisting some of its members with obtaining a driver’s license, a significantly more difficult process for individuals with autism.

随后, Edrisinha collaborated with the Xavier DeGroat Autism Foundation to advocate for legislation that would ease this process across the state of Michigan. Their efforts were instrumental in passing House Bill 5541 and Senate Bills 278 and 279, which amend the Michigan Vehicle Code so individuals with autism and communication impairments can choose to have a communication impediment designation associated with their driving record. 

“现在, when you go to the Secretary of State and you sign up for your driver’s license, you can self-disclose that you have autism … or if you have a communication impairment,艾德里辛哈说. “So, 当警察让你靠边停车，查你的车牌, 这些信息出现了，给了他们一个提示.”

Edrisinha进一步解释了自闭症的常见症状, 比如眼神交流的困难, are often assessed as threatening behaviors by law enforcement and can lead to issues such as misinformed arrests. She used the experience of being pulled over by a police officer as an example, 注意的是,, 虽然这对任何人来说都是令人生畏的, it is a particularly challenging situation for those with communicative impairments to navigate. 

“我无法连贯地思考，因为我压力太大了,”她说。 of her first time being pulled over after moving to the United States. “我想，‘好吧，如果我有自闭症怎么办? What are these young people with autism going to do if I’m having so much difficulty and I’m blurting out rubbish?’”

目前, Edrisinha’s VR simulation is being tested by the 十大菠菜台子 Police Department (OUPD), 并计划最终扩展到罗切斯特和芬代尔. Edrisinha expressed hopes that other police departments eventually adopt these vignettes as part of their required training, 注意的是, they align with Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and can fulfill continuing education credits for officers.

“你不可能训练每一个自闭症患者, 但你当然可以试着训练每一个警察, because that’s something that we can do and that’s not a losing battle,”她说。. “每一位警官都可以接受培训, 因为他们应该受过训练, 这应该加入到他们的训练中. 尤其是现在局势如此紧张... 我认为这对每个人来说都是双赢的. 这是每个人都能支持的事情.”

For additional information on the special education programs available at OU, visit 奥克兰.edu/hdcs.