A Brazilian Autistic Policeman and Neurodiversity Advocate, with Saulo Barbosa
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Who is Saulo Barbosa and how did his early life lead him to become a police officer?
Today on Uniquely Human the Podcast, we have a very special episode. Um Dave will not be joining us today due to previous commitments. Uh so let's go
ahead. The primary purpose of Uniquely Human the Podcast is to educate and inform. The views expressed during all episodes are solely those of the individuals involved, and do not constitute educational or medical advice. Listeners should consult with professionals familiar with each individual or family for specific guidance.
Music is graciously provided by Matt Savage of Savage Records.
Hi, I'm Dr. Barry Prezant, clinical scholar, researcher, and consultant on autism and neurodiversity, and a Brooklyn boy raised in the big city.
And I'm Dave. I'm none of those things, and I grew up on a farm in Illinois. But being on the spectrum myself, I have plenty of personal insight to lend. And this is uniquely human.
A few years ago I received uh an email uh from Brazil. And this led to a relationship over the last year and a half to two years with a gentleman who I have learned a great deal from and who has benefited also from our work. So let me take you back to the beginning. And this is an email that I received um almost two years ago. Dear Barry Prazant My name is Salo Barbosa, Santiago, a Brazilian and an autistic person. I read your book Uniquely Human and it evoked many emotions. In chapter four in the section open quote helping children overcome their fears, close quote, I was touched by your discussion on the need for police to understand autism. As a police officer myself, I have developed a method that helps police officers recognize neurodivergent individuals and also conduct a safe approach.
I have been traveling to many cities in my country sharing this idea with other police departments, and it has been very effective. I started this work after reading your book and I am very grateful. This initial outreach to me has led to an ongoing relationship. that really is culminating in this podcast today. I felt that so many people needed to hear what Salo was saying based upon his personal experience and also the incredible things that he has done over the last year and a half. So before we get started, I would like to tell you a little bit about Salo. Salo Barbosa is a Brazilian forty three year old police officer with fourteen years of experience in the field.
How did reading *Uniquely Human* change Saulo’s perspective on autism and policing?
He's also autistic, ADHD and gifted, and is dedicated to bridging the gap between public safety and neurodiversity. He holds a degree in philosophy and has completed two specializations, one in education and another in public safety. In addition to his police work, he is a psychology student and an instructor who travels across Brazil training law enforcement agencies on how to interact with neurodivergent individuals with understanding and compassion. Salo is not fully fluent in English, so he had a colleague of his uh do some of the translations. So at first you will hear Salo's response to my questions in his own voice, and then we've edited out some of the consecutive translation um so you can get the essence of his messages.
Solo, uh it is such a pleasure to have you on Uniquely Human the Podcast. So welcome.
Well then thank you, thank you very much. Uh I need you, uh I help you.
Yes. Yeah, you'll be very helpful to us actually. So if you could tell us a little bit about um your personal and your professional journey, um, and how that led you to police work that you do. Ele está
perguntando
sobre...
sua jornada e como você foi para a polícia.
Ah yes uh Uh I am talking Portuguese, I'm uh in my friend Translator, right? Yes. Meu nome é Saulo Barbosa, tenho 43 anos, sou uma pessoa autista com TDH e superdotação. Sou policial há 14 anos, minha infância foi muito difícil, marcada por muitos abusos e falta de compreensão. O meu próprio pai se recusou a me registrar porque tinha vergonha das minhas dificuldades. Entrei para a polícia because the process of selection was based on testes and objectives, not in entrevistas sociais, where sempre falhava por ser diferente.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Who is Saulo Barbosa and how did his early life lead him to become a police officer?
0:00–3:17
2
How did reading *Uniquely Human* change Saulo’s perspective on autism and policing?
3:17–6:06
3
What specific training techniques does Saulo use to help officers recognize neurodivergent behavior?
6:06–8:34
4
How does Saulo teach police officers to view behavior as communication rather than a threat?
8:34–11:24
5
Why is Saulo pursuing a psychology degree and how will it support neurodivergent adults?
11:24–13:22
6
What are the biggest misconceptions about autistic people that Saulo aims to correct?
13:22–15:43
7
How is Saulo building a national community of neurodivergent first‑responders in Brazil?
15:43–18:52
8
What is Saulo’s core message for police and first responders when interacting with neurodivergent individuals?
18:52–21:07
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Uniquely Human: The Podcast
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