Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that affects millions of people worldwide.
It is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors.
Although autism is becoming more widely recognized, there is still a lack of understanding and awareness surrounding the condition.
As a result, many individuals and families affected by autism struggle to find the support and resources they need.
Why Not Me The World podcast aims to bridge that gap by providing valuable information and insights into autism, fostering empathy and understanding, and promoting acceptance and inclusion.
Nashville based Music Producer Tony Mantor explores the remarkable impact his guests make by empowering their voices in spreading awareness about autism and helping break down the barriers of understanding.
Join Mantor and his guests as they delve into the world of autism and mental health to explore topics such as diagnosis, treatment, research, and personal stories.
Together, we can create a more informed and compassionate society for individuals with autism.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Trish Ieraci:Understanding Autism Saves Lives: One Trainer's Mission to Transform Police Interactions
Trish Ieraci, founder of Teaching Individuals About Autism (TIA), takes us deep into the critical gap between law enforcement training and successful interactions with the autism community. With powerful clarity, she dismantles the narrow stereotype that autism only affects severely impaired children, explaining how this misconception creates dangerous situations when officers encounter well-spoken, educated autistic adults.
"You meet one person with autism, you meet one person with autism," Ieraci emphasizes, highlighting the spectrum's vast diversity—from those requiring constant care to professionals with advanced degrees. Her innovative three-pronged approach creates meaningful bridges: facilitating meetings between parents and police leadership, bringing autistic individuals to police departments for controlled exposure to uniforms and equipment, and providing comprehensive training far beyond the insufficient "10-minute roll call" some departments rely on.
Ieraci offers crucial distinctions that transform police interactions, including the difference between tantrums (seeking something) and meltdowns (wanting something to stop), and correcting the misconception that autism is a mental health disorder rather than a neurological difference. Her practical recommendations for crisis management—from environmental modifications to communication adaptations—provide officers with immediately applicable tools for de-escalation.
The conversation reveals troubling inconsistencies in training across jurisdictions, with federal law enforcement often receiving less preparation than local departments. Ieraci's pioneering work with sensory bags for police vehicles and advocacy for identification systems like QR codes on personal items demonstrates how thoughtful accommodation can prevent unnecessary escalation.
Ready to transform understanding in your community? Share this episode with local law enforcement agencies and autism advocacy groups. The bridge Trish is building saves lives by replacing confusion with compassion, fear with understanding, and potential conflict with productive communication.
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intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild
Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)
Welcome to why Not Me? The World Podcast, hosted by Tony Mantor, broadcasting from Music City, usa, nashville, tennessee. Join us as our guests tell us their stories. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry. Their stories Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry. Real life people who will inspire and show that you are not alone in this world. Hopefully, you gain more awareness, acceptance and a better understanding for autism around the world. Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Welcome to why Not Me? The World Humanity Over Handcuffs the Silent Crisis special event. Joining us today is Trish Irasi. She founded a company named TIA which stands for Teaching Individuals About Autism. She possesses invaluable insights and we are truly honored to have her on the show. Thanks for coming on.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:So if you would tell me a little bit about what you do.
Speaker 2:I am an autism awareness trainer. I specifically work with law enforcement and I give them the tools to recognize when somebody is under the spectrum. I give them suggestions on how to deescalate a situation, how to handle a situation. One of the big things that I'm finding out, tony, is that when I'm speaking about individuals under the spectrum, it seems like a lot of people and I'm not just talking law enforcement go to those that are A, severe B, that are children. So I also educate them that you can have, yes, those individuals that are severe. They need the 24-7 care 365. And then you go and you have those individuals that are getting their PhDs, they are becoming attorneys, they are becoming accountants, cpas, whatever, and everything in between.
Speaker 2:So just because somebody presents as being well-educated, well-spoken, does not automatically exclude them from being under the spectrum. And this has happened to individuals that I have met. They're not believed, just because they are again, like I said, well-spoken, educated, so on, that somebody like that can't be under the spectrum. Well, that's why it has the term the spectrum. And again, making them aware of that when my son was term the spectrum and again, you know, making them aware of that, like when my son was diagnosed, because my son is 27 years old that when he was diagnosed one of the big things was is that if they made eye contact they could have had any of those other telltale signs as far as being autistic, but if they made eye contact they didn't fall under the spectrum.
Speaker 2:We have now come to find out that that's incorrect. And again, you know the understanding that somebody can travel, that somebody can go out, that they can get jobs, they can be well-educated. You know that they can do everything and anything that anybody else does. And then, of course, that leads them into getting into the same problems that everybody else can possibly get into. And again, that's something that's for some in law enforcement is a little difficult. You know for them to understand that word of spectrum has been used for a reason, because we do, we have, you know, there's such a broad range and you meet one person with autism. You meet one person with autism range and you meet one person with autism.
Speaker 1:you meet one person with autism. Yes, that is so, very true. Now you are creating a bridge between the autistic community, so when they do engage with an autistic person, they have a better understanding on how to approach them.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, what I try to do, I do like a three. I try to do a three prong approach. So what I'll do is I go and I will have parents, caregivers from the area meet with law enforcement, and it's usually the chief or the captain, and then a couple of the officers, deputies, you know, depending on what branch of law enforcement you're talking about. We go and we have a meeting and it's a great exchange of information. So, you know, my son will toe walk, my son will talk to himself these are the things that are going to help soothe him. My son will talk about his cat and, again, these are things that are going to help soothe him. They tell us what to keep on us, what to keep in our vehicles, what to keep in our house. We'll let them know about some of the things that we might have that you know, should I be involved in an accident, the individual that is in the car seat that has the Velcro piece strapped around it with information in regards to that individual, that's, the autistic individual. Or the stickers that we may have on our vehicles, the stickers that we may have on our house how you know, they might have items on them with a QR code that can be scanned and that takes you to a site and tells you about everything in regards to that individual. They don't just have to be autistic, it could be, you know, any other thing that would help. You know law enforcement, first responders, should they be called to a scene? Great exchange of information, okay. And then it gets for law enforcement to meet the parents, caregivers, and again it gives the parents, caregivers time to have one-on-one time with, again, these members from law enforcement. Second step is that the individual themselves, with the diagnoses, with the parent and or caregiver, go to the department. They get to see the cars, they get to see the different sounds, lights, everything, see the uniforms up close, see their badges and get to interact with them and see the individual in a more controlled state but still be able to see again, maybe, some of their tics, some of the things that they're going to do to help self-soothe. And again, it's an introduction and they get to meet, they get to have some time one-on-one. Third is then I actually go ahead and I do my training for the department and again I let the departments know, because one of the things that I'm finding is that some of the departments are having trainings once a year and some of them are in person. Some of them are online classes that they're doing, but some departments are doing a 10-minute roll call where somebody will come in and in 10 minutes, you know, give information in regards to autism and that's it. That's all that they're getting. So I'm seeing again a spectrum of what some of these departments are getting, and some of them are. You know they, they have a very good system in place. They have a very good rapport with an autism or autism groups in the area. So you know they, they really are it's a great collaboration. And then again, you know, all the way down to something during a 10 minute roll call. So, trying to bridge that, forming these relationships.
Speaker 2:Again, I am not looking to be reaching out to the departments once a day, once a week, once a month, but should we be speaking? Probably a few times a year, I think. So Just checking in how's everything going, any concerns, any questions? Hey, did you hear about something new that they might have found out in regards to, you know, in regards to autism? Or hey, you know, there's this new product out there. You know, this might be something that might be helpful. Maybe you should reach out to the autism groups in your area and see if they know about it. But it's about formulating these relationships, it is about keeping them intact.
Speaker 2:But the other big thing that I'm finding is that federal law enforcement is not getting the training or again getting it at the same level. That the state is, that the counties are, that the city is, whatever again law enforcement agency you're talking about, and what area of the United States you're talking about again law enforcement agency you're talking about, and what area of the United States you're talking about. So you know, you're going to a house where you think you're going to be finding a fugitive that you're looking for, but that fugitive isn't living there and it's my son that's answering the door. And how are you going to approach him and how are you going to interact with him? Again, you are, you're going in, there is a fugitive that you're looking for, he is in the house and, lo and behold, you know his son's cousin is over and the cousin is under the spectrum. And you're coming in, you know, guns drawn and everything, and you have this autistic individual in the household.
Speaker 2:I use a scenario with my own son. My own son, before the age of 18, was subpoenaed twice, and one case my son was a victim. The other case, my son was a witness. The case where my son was a witness, he witnessed his friend being beat up by an adult. You know both were 17 and under. So the adult, you know, was like 19 and over. Thank God there was a US marshal I don't know if he lived there, he was just driving through the area, I don't know but he was there and he was able to help diffuse the situation, contact me and have me so I could come pick up my son. So you, just you don't know.
Speaker 2:Now, law enforcement, even though they're not on the clock, they are working all the time and again, aware of that. So you don't know when you're going to encounter. It could be on the job, it could be on your own personal time. So you know you should be prepared. That's all Because you don't know and you hear about these situations where they go and they do a complete 180 in what I refer to as a nanosecond. I'm realistic. I know that I'm not going to totally eliminate, but would I like to see those numbers come down? Yes, I would. Education is a powerful tool, and the more tools that I can give somebody to interact and work in a positive manner with these individuals, the better off we're all going to be in the long run.
Speaker 1:When you interact with police and train them. Are you working with local police, state police or do you cover other states? How wide a scope do you do?
Speaker 2:I work with county, I work with state, I work with the sheriff's department and you know I have gone in and spoken to the US marshals, I've met with them. I continue to get into more and more agencies here in Maryland. We go and we have the chief of police for the department. Then you go and you have a chief that oversees the whole county and then there's yet another chief that oversees the whole state and then there's an organization that you know it's like all the chiefs you know belong to, that you know oversee, like you know, the whole country. So getting into those, getting into these federal agencies, it's not an easy task but you know it's definitely not something that I shy away from.
Speaker 1:What's the biggest challenges that you have come across in getting the police to open their doors so that they can interact and learn more about what you're trying to train them about? Autism?
Speaker 2:Finding out who is the best person to speak to in an agency and being able to make contact with them and get back.
Speaker 1:Have you had instances where you've gone into a police station, tell them what you do, explain what you're trying to accomplish. Yet they don't feel like there's a huge concern in what they're seeing out there at that time.
Speaker 2:I have had some say that you know and it's literally has been a handful, so it hasn't really been many that this is not something that you know they see in their area. I have had and, like I said, literally you know, you know they see in their area. I have had and, like I said, literally you know a handful that have said that.
Speaker 1:I've talked with a couple of people that do exactly what you do. The biggest issue they run into is they want more training at longer periods of time, because a 10 minute roll call just doesn't get it across.
Speaker 2:No, it doesn't. It definitely doesn't and it truly is. I mean, it's about forming relationships. I'm a very big proponent of that. I also tell law enforcement that I'm not one of those that comes in and says you need to do and give them a whole laundry list of what you need to do. Well, you know, I also know that we do. We need to work with our loved ones as well. And again, you know, having them see a canine dog, having them see the vehicles, having them see what the uniforms look like this is important, especially as they get older what to carry on them.
Speaker 2:You get pulled over. What you should do making sure that your hands are at 10 and 2, making sure that you're advising the officer that they want to see license and registration, making sure that, officer, I am going to go into my pocket and pull out my wallet. You know, don't just do things. And again, you know these are all things that we can work on. Now is everything going to go perfectly? No, it's not. But the more that, hopefully, we do it, the more we are going to be reinforcing it with our loved ones and them understanding the importance of it.
Speaker 1:React how have the officers been? Because a lot of officers, as well as just regular people that don't understand autism, they really can't tell the difference between an autistic person that might be having a major meltdown, whereas another child might be neurotypical and is just having a tantrum. They could have a hard time telling the difference between a meltdown and a tantrum. They could have a hard time telling the difference between a meltdown and a tantrum.
Speaker 2:Yes and believe it or not. That's something that I do discuss. People say, yeah, you know and that is something that has come up in the trainings that all kids have meltdowns. No, no, all right, when we're talking about a meltdown versus a tantrum, when a child is throwing a tantrum, they are looking for, they're looking for an outcome, they're looking for some thing. Ok, they want another cookie, they want another. You know, half an hour on the computer, another half an hour of being outside playing whatever, they're looking for a result, whereas with the meltdown, they are looking for something to stop. They're looking for that aggravating noise, that annoying smell, whatever it is, they're looking for something to stop. And that's one of the big differences.
Speaker 2:And another misconception that and I can't believe that this is still circulating is that autism is a mental health disorder. Again, I go over that that. Yes, you very well, you're going to have an autistic individual, adhd that does have anxiety, depression and, in some cases, schizophrenia. But when we're talking about autism and we're talking about mental health, mental health issues can be what's the word I'm looking for? I don't want to say controlled, but they can be maybe tampered because of therapy, because of medication You're not going to do that with somebody that is autistic. You're not going to be able to stop their stimming. You're not going to be able to have them stop the sounds bothering them and you know whatever sensory issues. You're not going to stop that with therapy. You're not going to stop that with medication.
Speaker 1:Okay, let me give you a scenario here and see how you would handle it, or how you tell the police officer to handle it. A child has a meltdown, but this child just happens to be about 6'1", 350 pounds. He's gone through the house just like a tornado would go through the house. Some things are destroyed, some things are just not good. He's calming down and getting back to more norm. The police show up. They see the end of it, not the full force of it. How would you tell them to handle that, so they don't put him back into sensory overload? And then his meltdown starts engaging again and it starts becoming a tornado all over again. How would you tell them to approach a situation like this?
Speaker 2:Okay, well, what I recommend is we have the parent or the caregiver there, depending on the level of communication that the individual has. Ask is the individual able to speak for themselves and do you want to stay here while I ask some questions? So we might want to find out overhead lights, on or off side lights Is that better? Is it better to have two officers there, or should we just have one officer in the room and maybe just have the other one off in the background? Again, bullet point questions. Make sure that we give them time to answer and if they don't answer, rephrase your question. Don't ask it the exact same way because, again, that could be aggravating to some of them. Rephrase your question, keep them short, keep them simple and in some cases, if this is difficult for the individual, we might have to do some questioning during a second session that you might not be able to do everything in one session. So it's really it's going to be having input, meeting the individual where they are at, finding out what their comfort level is. Some autistic individuals that I have spoken to that all they have to do is hear that there's a police officer coming and their anxiety will go through the roof. And even though they might be highly verbal, because their anxiety is extremely high, it is going to be difficult for them to communicate. So do we need to go with maybe yes or no questions and have them point to a yes or no card? Well, maybe, and then again, hopefully the parent or caregiver is there and they can let you know that. Do we need to go, maybe, to picture cards? Is that going to be something? Again, we're not trying to belittle the autistic individual, but this is special circumstances and again, we're not looking to escalate something. Let's find something that is going to be easier for them to communicate.
Speaker 2:Now, another thing that I am looking into are sensory bags for the officers to keep in their vehicles. So I've started reaching out and asking law enforcement is this something that you have? And maybe this is something that we need to look into? You know, I have seen some articles where this is being used and it has been extremely helpful.
Speaker 2:So again, I go and I give that scenario where you go and you have law enforcement that is looking, they've been watching the house and they know there's a child or children in the household, there's a husband and a wife, but then that child's friend or cousin stays over and they are there under the spectrum. Well, maybe they don't have those sensory items that help soothe them, so wouldn't it be helpful for an officer to have that? Or again, it's a traffic stop and having something so that autistic individual, that their anxiety doesn't escalate and that they have something, that fidget toy or whatever it is that's going to that comfort toy, something soft, something, whatever. It is something that could be helpful to them. And again, the agencies that are using these, be it law enforcement, that they are finding them helpful. So let's look into this. It can't hurt. And again, if this is going to be something that is going to de-escalate a situation a lot quicker, why not? Why not?
Speaker 1:Right. The main thing we're trying to do here is to create a very comfortable interaction to where nothing gets out of control. Everything is handled so that that autistic person doesn't wind up being detained down at the precinct.
Speaker 2:Definitely. You know I'm a big believer and, again, you know, nothing is 100%. But again, if we can bring these numbers down and we can have more positive interactions, better off for all parties concerned. Because, again, law enforcement, these officers do. They want to go home, they have friends, they have family that they want to get home to. Then again, so does the autistic individual. They want to get home, they want to be with their loved ones as well. So let's try to work it out so that all parties can just go back to their residences at the end of the day and had a positive outcome.
Speaker 1:Right exactly Now. In closing, what would you like to tell the listeners that you think is very important that they hear about the things that you do with the police and the autistic world, trying to make that bridge so that no escalation happens and it just creates a better situation for everyone that's involved?
Speaker 2:One of the things that I did even before I started getting into the training was that I brought my son around to all of the local law enforcement agencies in my area and I introduced him to the chief. I introduced him to the captain and to some of the officers. I made them aware that my son is under the spectrum Again, just to have an informal meet and greet to find out what would be helpful for them to know, should a 911 call come in that involves my vehicle, you go and maybe you have my license plate number, you have my address, that both of those are flagged so that you know that there could be an autistic individual in the vehicle or on the premises. The more information that you can go and you can pass on, the better. Let them know Again I mentioned about these QR codes that my son, my daughter, that they go and they have these QR code little badges on their footwear, that they have it on their backpack, they have it on their jacket, they have it on a lanyard around their neck. Scan that All information in regards to my son or daughter is there. Everything that will be helpful to you you will find this Forming that relationship, letting them know that my son was now driving.
Speaker 2:What information can you pass on to be helpful to him? What can we tell you? Should he have an autism card? I know here in Maryland that it needed to be disclosed, so it's on my son's license. I don't know how it is in every state in the United States, so it's right there on his license and he needed to get medical documentation from his doctor that they felt that it was okay for him to drive. What information does the state require?
Speaker 2:And again, I can't say it enough is forming those relationships, making law enforcement aware they go and they have oh gosh, what do they call it, you know, like night out with law enforcement. It might be a good idea to attend those. It would be probably a good idea to be involved with the autism groups in the area, having it set up so that once a year you go in with your loved ones this is my loved one. Here's law enforcement again, reminding them of the uniforms, the badges, when the police say such and such. This is what you do Kind of like, have it as role playing, being creative.
Speaker 2:How does your loved one learn? Should we shoot a video with them? Do we do cards? Do we do the role play? What is going to be the best way for your loved one, my loved one, to learn this information and work with law enforcement in regards to this? Now, I understand that law enforcement they're not just there to be learning about the autism community. I'm very well aware of that. But let's see, let's find out how can we work together. And again, being creative. Being creative and it's about finding that way that is going to be helpful to all parties involved. But again, starting with communication, I can't emphasize that enough.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great. Well, this has been simply tremendous conversation. I appreciate you coming on.
Speaker 2:Why, thank you. I appreciate you having me.
Speaker 1:It's been my pleasure. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to listen to our show today. We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. If you know anyone that would like to tell us their story, send them to TonyMantorcom contact then they can give us their information so one day they may be a guest on our show. One more thing we ask tell everyone everywhere about why Not Me, the World, the conversations we're having and the inspiration our guests give to everyone everywhere that you are not alone in this world. You.