As many of you
know, I have plans to adopt at some point. My first feeling is that it will be
an African American boy, and from foster care. The reasons are a whole ‘nother
blog post. Once that became clear to me, other realities did also. It’s in the
forefront as we face our racial struggle in America with young black males and
the relationship to law enforcement and the alarmingly high percentage of young
black males in prison.
This post is not a
thesis or academic piece so I’m not going to reference everywhere or make this
formal. This post is simply to express some very real concerns I have regarding
young black boys today and particularly the impact of autism and social language
disorders. Firstly, I’m fearful for our boys. Before you click away because you’ve heard this on the news and
disagree, hear me out. I work in the trenches. I’m not influenced by
media – I think it’s biased and works to create a direr and more skewed side in
cases. I also know there are cases they do not share that would be educational
in topics. I grew up voting Republican. I grew up with many prejudices against
young black men. See, hear me out. I have something to say. I’m coming from the
little that I know – but my personal experience and what I see. As Dr. Leah
Gunning Francis so beautifully and simply stated, “our eyes cannot unsee what they have seen.”
I do both speech
and language (SLP) and behavior therapies (BCBA). I work with all races and
ages who have language, social and behavioral impairments secondary to
syndromes, autism, delay with no etiology, you name it. I’ve worked privately,
in non-profit and in school districts. Daily, I address behaviors which are
aggressive in nature, much of which is due to a lack of communication or
deficits in social language processing. Who do I worry about most right now? Young
boys with autism and other pragmatic (social language) disorders. Particularly,
I worry about OUR young black boys.
As I looked into
the creamy brown eyes of one of my clients, I feared for him. This delicious,
full-of-life, sweet, hug-you-til-you-drop boy with brown skin who has a
significant impairment will someday
be out in the world. When he begins to drive and gets pulled over for
something, will he understand what the officer asks of him? Will the language
be simple enough? Will the officer repeat his question louder or will he
rephrase assuming a lack of comprehension? If my client is faced with a gun,
will he run like he does when he’s afraid or doesn’t understand how to navigate
a situation? Will the officer shoot, assuming evading the situation due to
guilt?
Will my client be “out-talked”
or misled to admission of guilt? When many of my clients can’t understand the language
or the higher level of processing it requires, they default to agreeing with
me. They take my perspective and use my words. It’s easier. They just don’t
always have the resources to allocate to navigate the question, especially when
in distress, or they yell “no” over and over and over again just to get the
questions to stop. They can no longer listen
– they need it to simply stop. Language can be overwhelming. When the language
doesn’t stop When we don’t
stop talking/interrogating/questioning, they can lash out. For some, a physical
reaction is the only way that has been successful for them in conveying
thoughts and feelings. We haven’t respected their words. Further impairments result
in their brains not sending out that signal that we often get that says “not
such a good idea right now!” in response to whatever action we are thinking
about. I wonder in times like this: Can
we just take a break and come back later?
With autism, many individuals
have difficulty processing language. If an officer asks something as simple as “Can
I see your license and registration?” will that individual truthfully and
wholeheartedly say no? NOT because they wouldn’t grant permission but because
they think literally. No, the officer cannot “see” the license because it is
housed in his wallet or glovebox or somewhere else, out of sight. This individual would take it out if he had been told,
“give me your driver’s license.” Or what happens if he processes this and
reaches over to the glovebox to take it out?? Does he lack theory of mind which
tells him that the officer’s brain is going to give him the perspective of “reaching
for a gun?”
With a growing
number of individuals diagnosed with autism, we have to be prepared for this. I
know several police departments have welcomed specialized training in autism –
recognizing it, responding to it, and keeping those individuals safe. Thank you
to those departments and officers who reach out and respond to such trainings. It’s
a learning process for all of us.
We know the percentage
of language disorders among prison populations is much higher than the general population.
We know many don’t have the eloquent language to finesse their ways through
interviews, the “vague” language to use in order to avoid being misled. What if
we taught them their Miranda rights in plain simple English? I promise you that
many have no idea what they are being read. It’s spoken too fast for
comprehension and for processing for immediate and future repercussions. Is it
also provided in writing for those with auditory verbal processing disorders? I
believe in consequences (the right one) and getting “the bad guy” but I also
believe in suspects understanding so
that we CAN get the “right guy.”
I also feel
strongly about officers. I’ve grown up respecting law enforcement and will
continue to do so. I know of so many personal and safety sacrifices they make
in order to keep us safe and to do what is right. I also know that MOST are
making up for lost time and reputation due to a minority of “bad cops.” Those
poor representatives of what law enforcement is and should be are strewn all
over our TV screens leading us to believe that they speak for the majority. We
know it, officers. A few bad ones cannot overshadow the majority of good.
We have a lot of
intelligent “bad guys” in prison, I get that too. I’m only particularly worried
about those with language disorders and pervasive delays such as autism. This can
also apply to our immigrants with limited English skills and lack of cultural
fluency in this country. It’s personal to me in so many ways.
Look at this sweet face who is now a (semi) young Black male
freshly immersed in American culture
Luba made it more personal & more tangible to me
I guess I keep
thinking of how can we all work together? Parents, therapists, mental health
professionals, law enforcement, teachers, and the list goes on…..how can we
make the world safe for officers and youth? Perhaps as Dr. Leah Gunning Francis
also pointed out, we should bring in the
parents. No panel on TV has a mom as part of the discussion. I can’t
believe I never noticed this as I’ve watched mostly MEN who are political and
highly educated argue over the cases at hand. Moms of black boys, come to the table. We need you.
This is just the
tip of the iceberg but I hope the next time you watch a police shooting clip,
you don’t immediately think “he shouldn’t have resisted arrest” or say “well,
he ran.” I know some of you think them, I have in the past. I had “until me
eyes could not unsee what they have seen.” If we can all think and process more
holistically, can we find more ways to refine the process? Can we not respond
in an exasperated manner because these “thugs” we see on TV were once young
black boys who smile, dance, hug you til you drop, giggle, and hope? I would
venture to say that they never set out to disappoint, to be imprisoned, to be failed in our public schools and
special education system.
The first step, I believe, is to listen. I didn't believe a lot of this actually happened (HOW? I still ask) until I saw it and until Luba came. I'm hopeful. Together, we can.
Love,
Danielle
