TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Leon County Sheriff's Office is going all-in for this year's Autism Awareness Month in April with a partnership with Florida State University's Center for Autism and Related Disabilities.
LCSO will be participating in FSU CARD's "Autism Spectrum Disorder and Law Enforcement: Recognition and Response" training for the second year in a row.
During this training, which will take place on Tuesday, LCSO school resource deputies will be provided information about the characteristics of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and how ASD may affect school success.
According to a press release from LCSO, they then will review how to recognize the signs of autism and discuss response strategies to help deescalate challenging behaviors using video examples, discussions and case studies.
LCSO Goes ALLin for Autism Awareness #autismawarenessmonth #ALLinLEON pic.twitter.com/SyoV7L8LcB
— Leon Co Sheriff, Fl (@LeonSheriff) April 2, 2021
LCSO also announced that there will be an autism commemorative patch designed by Nathan Yarusso of Scotland Yard Design Concepts with the assistance of 17-year-old Josef Marlowe.
Marlowe, a local youth, has greatly benefited from CARD and was excited to give back to the center that helps him and so many others, LCSO said.
A vinyl version of the patch will be placed on several LCSO agency patrol vehicles during April. An embroidered version will be available for public purchase for $10 with proceeds donated to CARD in support of their mission.
Contact Captain Jimmy Goodman at goodmanj@leoncountyfl.gov to purchase a patch.
