Dear Peace Officers:
We at San Diego Speech Therapy, Inc need to say THANK YOU for your service to the public. Your job is unpredictable, sometimes dangerous, and most certainly stressful. You must use a combination of your higher-order cognitive reasoning and judgement skills alongside your lower-order instinctual and “quick read” sensory-based skills to make decisions whether to act or not act in unfamiliar situations. You are relied upon by the public to take decisive action, often in a split second. We thank you for the work that you do for the greater good day in and day out. In order to meet the complex needs of the public, you must undergo regular training in skill sets such as communications, negotiations, handling of weapons and required equipment, to name just a few.
Do you also need training in identifying and working with individuals who have communication disorders and social interaction disorders? YES–by virtue of working with the public, you do. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 10 (TEN!) children and adults has one or more communication disorders in the US (according to the National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders). This means that in your line of work, it is very likely you have encountered individuals with some form of communication disorder nearly every day you are interacting with the public. Did you identify them? Did you know how to change the way you interacted with them? It is NECESSARY for anyone who works with the public to be able to do both. Here are some real life situations:
Could the “drunk, erratic, staggering” person who was “shouting and using slurred speech” on the street turn out to be a person who has survived a stroke or has another type of neurological speech disorder (dysarthria or aphasia)?
Could the person who didn’t follow your order three times to “Put your hands where I can see them” have a hearing disorder?
Could the person who sat in the middle of the street rocking back and forth looking distressed while holding an undetermined “potentially dangerous object” have a social-interaction (developmental) or auditory comprehension disorder?
Maybe they COULD not do what you asked—especially when your demeanor was frightening them?
Please read this: http://www.ici.umn.edu/products/impact/133/prof4.html.
And remember this: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/florida-shot-unarmed-man-hands-face-charges-article-1.2720369
And please remember this: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/02/01/boy-15-shot-dead-by-police-in-calumet-city/.
Individuals with communication disorders are among our most vulnerable citizens. Please, on their behalf, take time to READ about individuals who have communication disorders, and ASK questions of professionals who devote their lives to public understanding and communication skills development. Professionals such as Speech/Language Pathologists (SLP’s) specialize in evaluating and treating individuals who have communication issues. An essential component to this life’s work is training of family, caregivers, the public. We invite you to visit the trusted sites listed below under SOURCES, to learn more.
We at San Diego Speech Therapy are also your resource. As Speech/Language Pathologists, we can help you learn to identify and to respond appropriately to individuals with a variety of hearing, speech, language, cognitive-linguistic, developmental and behavioral diagnoses. Please let US serve you. www.sandiegospeechtherapy.com
Sources:
https://www.ada.gov/policeinfo.htm
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-voice-speech-language
https://medlineplus.gov/speechandcommunicationdisorders.html
https://www.ada.gov/policevideo/policebroadbandgallery.htm
http://www.thearc.org/NCCJD/resources/by-audience/law-enforcement
http://www.victimsofcrime.org/library/resource-directory-victims-with-disabilities/law-enforcement
http://www.asha.org/public/
http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/pubs/CM5101.pdf