Tony Mantor: Why Not Me ?

Trish Ieraci:Understanding Autism Saves Lives: One Trainer's Mission to Transform Police Interactions

14 Apr 2025

25 min

12957 words

2 speakers

14 Apr 2025

Audio

Description

Send us a text 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. https://tonymantor.com https://Facebook.com/tonymantor https://instagram.com/tonymantor https://twitter.com/tonymantor https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)

Featured

Tony Mantor

Trish Ieraci

Transcription

What is the mission of Teaching Individuals About Autism?

1500.485 - 1531.522 Tony Mantor

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 tonymantor.com. Contact, then they can give us their information so one day they may be a guest on our show.

1532.403 - 1549.177 Tony Mantor

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.

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Tony Mantor: Why Not Me ?

Trish Ieraci:Understanding Autism Saves Lives: One Trainer's Mission to Transform Police Interactions

What is the mission of Teaching Individuals About Autism?

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