Officers from the Sherwood Police Department in Oregon recently responded to multiple 911 calls about a young boy named Rocky who had climbed onto his roof. Upon arrival, his grandmother said she was not able to climb up and safely retrieve him. She warned officers that the boy was diagnosed with autism and was non-verbal. The officers calmly approached Rocky and guided him to safety. After the incident, Rocky’s parents gave them permission to post the body camera footage “for educational purposes about autism awareness.” “This incident is an important reminder of the unpredictable behaviors that can occur with children being on the autism spectrum,” the Sherwood Police Department wrote on Facebook, adding that “Children with autism may be drawn to heights, water, or other potentially dangerous situations out of curiosity, sensory seeking, or lack of awareness.” The department wrote that “Children and adults with autism may react to fear, stress, or sensory overload in ways that you may not expect.” They added, “What looks like confusion or defiance may actually be them trying to self-regulate or communicate the only way they can.”
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