Autism Spectrum Disorder Identification Card Programs: Public Attitude and Themes
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Authors
Davis, Patrick P.
Issue Date
2021-05
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Dissertations, Academic--United States , Autism , Identification cards , Police training , First responders , Autism--Social aspects
Alternative Title
Abstract
Legislators passed laws giving individuals the option to obtain a state-issued autism spectrum disorder (ASD) identification card or add a designation to state-issued identification cards or driver’s licenses that inform first responders or others they have ASD. This qualitative study aims to measure public attitude and the value of ASD identification card laws and programs to inform public administrators and broader adoption efforts.
The target population of this study was active Facebook users posting comments on ASD-related public pages. A total of 570 comments were sampled from three pages. Overall, the data suggest strong public support for ASD identification cards, with 71.05% of commenters indicating a moderately positive or very positive attitude towards the programs. Additionally, the qualitative analysis resulted in the development of three themes: recommendations, reasons for positive sentiment, and reasons for negative sentiment.
The findings suggest the cards can address some of the main difficulties associated with ASD, such as bridging communication deficits; however, some commenters are skeptical that the cards will prove useful or sufficient for all circumstances. This skepticism possibly derives from the fact that none of the programs described directly address a fundamental characteristic of ASD: as the name indicates, it is a spectrum.
As well-intentioned as ASD card programs and first responder training initiatives are, case studies demonstrate they will likely not be enough. Public administrators must reinvent emergency response services, and perhaps create a new mental health social worker response teams, to alleviate the policing burden of being mental health care workers. Only then will police resources be able to focus on their primary duties while the right professionals can assist those with mental health care challenges adequately.
Keywords: autism, identification cards, police training, ASD, first responders, autism public attitudes
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This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.