VANDALIA — No parent wants to get the call that their kid has been pulled over by a police officer.
But for parents with children on the autism spectrum, that worry is even more complicated.
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“My son won’t look you in the eyes and he might not talk,” Kelli Back said.
She said this can make officers think he may be hiding something.
Back’s son Josh is just a few months away from being able to get his license.
When he was around 2 or 3 years old, he was diagnosed with autism.
“He is verbal but under stressful situations, he will shut down and not be able to talk,” Kelli said. “My concerns are getting pulled over, how he’s going to be approached, and how things are going to appear to him.”
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When she was scrolling on social media one day she saw a police department in another state offering blue envelopes for drivers with autism.
Inside the envelope is important information such as car registration and insurance.
The outside details what type of autism the driver has.
When the driver is pulled over, they can hand the envelope to the officer.
Back loved the idea and asked Vandalia police if it was something they would do.
“I looked it over and from personal experience, I have a son who is on the autism spectrum and realized how beneficial it might be for those who may encounter an officer,” Kurt Althouse, chief of police said.
Back wants to see it become more widespread.
She encourages people to do the same thing she did — get a hold of their local police and see if they would implement the idea.
In the meantime, Althouse said anyone can swing by Vandalia police to grab an envelope.
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