Maybe The Fucking Pigs Should Stop Being So Autistic*

Steve Silberman / New York Times:
The Police Need to Understand Autism

Discussion:

David Pescovitz / Boing Boing:   Police officer ignorantly and aggressively detained autistic boy who was just stimming

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*As in,

Theory of mind refers to the notion that many autistic individuals do not understand that other people have their own plans, thoughts, and points of view. Furthermore, it appears that they have difficulty understanding other people's beliefs, attitudes, and emotions.

Many of the tasks used to test this theory have been given to non-autistic children as well as children with mental retardation, and the theory of mind phenomenon appears to be unique to those with autism. In addition, theory of mind appears to be independent of intelligence even though people with Asperger's syndrome exhibit this problem to a lesser degree.

Interestingly, people with autism have difficulty comprehending when others don't know something. It is quite common, especially for those with savant abilities, to become upset when asking a question of a person to which the person does not know the answer.

By not understanding that other people think differently than themselves, many autistic individuals may have problems relating socially and communicating to other people. That is, they may not be able to anticipate what others will say or do in various situations. In addition, they may have difficulty understanding that their peers or classmates even have thoughts and emotions, and may thus appear to be self-centered, eccentric, or uncaring.

Although this is an egocentric view of the world, there is nothing in the theory of mind to imply that autistic individuals feel superior to others.

The vital question which must be asked is: How does one teach individuals with autism [Or Law Enforcement Ossifers w/ Oinky Pig Syndrome? — M.B.] to understand and acknowledge the thoughts and feelings of others? One of the methods used to teach autistic children and adults this concept is an intervention developed by Carol Gray called 'social stories.' These short stories describe different scenarios which allow autistic individuals to understand themselves and others better. These stories may motivate them to start asking questions about other people and at least recognize that different individuals think in unique ways.

get your heads out of your asses & try some empathy, coppers. Or just recognize that your victims are all human beings too. And in most cases, better human beings than most of the police.