Are Autistic People More Likely To Have Both with The Police and Council

Dear All,

I have recently been diagnosed but my close family and friends knew I had Autism all my life.

Over the last 2 years or so I have started to experience so much bother with neighbours.They just don't understand that the way my Brain is wired I communicate differently and respond differently.

I am very kind and gentle and mean no harm however these people have made my life hell group bullying and making out I harass and stalk because on some occasions when I have made reasonable requests I have been ignored.I ask again then I get accused of the above.

They have managed now to get the Council to issue a CPW remember the old Asbo nice! They have also got the police now to investigate and I am in limbo while I rigorously defend myself.

Luckily I have found professional support and have a wonderful Sister to support me but at times I have felt fed up and down by all this.

it seems from my understanding that Society has not got a clue about Autism and expects myself to engage the same way as a non Autistic person.I have tried to use the example of would you punish someone in a wheelchair for not being able to run.The term reasonable adjustments is superb but seems to have no currency.I even sometimes wear an Autism Lanyard and get no consideration.

Ayone got any thoughts or had experience of this 

  • no such thing as normal mate and I would add about being Gay why should someone not want to be Gay I am straight but I am no better or different .

    Gay is not a choice it is the way you are wired please you are 100% as normal as anyone

  • Just like we gay people, we autistic people will never really be considered “normal” and we will be continue to be labelled as “freaks and weirdos” even though many of us don’t want to be gay or autistic, we just want to be seen as “normal” (whatever that is) 

  • This is so true.

    I have a deep sense of justice and right and wrong it is in  my DNA.The other thing with me is because I come across as kind and gentle only the pole that love and care about me harness that these nasty people just enjoy the bullying and picking on us.

    Keep up your stance and never give up eventually society will catch up

  • Legalities aside, in our current climate, even if we believe that we are “right” the reality is that other people “everyone else” will always see us as being “wrong” and “not understanding” that we are deemed by them to always be “wrong” by default - we have to train ourselves to accept this reality and to train ourselves to “keep quiet” even in the face of severe provocation, as such people will never accept our viewpoint as valid as they are coming from a place of prejudice and discrimation, they regard anything that we say as coming from a place of dysfunction, they will never take us seriously, as they believe that we do not have any right to make any comments on any issues because “they say so” as they can never be wrong and they can never be questioned, they are the fount of all wisdom, knowledge and common sense that they do not believe we possess by reason of our autism 

  • Just another observation for you all to be amused by.I love my cats I have even been accused when I call them in or go looking for them I am manufacturing this to cause contact and upset to the neighbours!

    The same has ben said when I collect my post from the post box that I do it deliberately when they are out.

    it seems for the Autistic people, the right to a normal life is non existent

  • Thanks Iain you are a top person.All that is happening my friend and I have joined a pressure group that campaigns against CPWS did you know they disproportionately dish them out to pole with Autism and mental illness.

    I will keep ole updated on here.

    Anyway life not all bad am meeting some wonderful people on this journey.

    Another interesting observation, I have started wearing an Autism lanyard it seems to make little difference how people engage with me in the great outside world .

    Does anyone else find this any advice?

  • the Council were aware of all my concerns and got me to keep a light diary

    I would imagine with this you have a clear cut case to have the CPW dismissed.

    Keep constantly updated documentation on their and your actions, recording there whenever possible and stick to the letter of the law - I think you may be able to get a restraining order on them in the end if they don't tone it down once the CPW is gone.

    It would also be good to have written to ask the council what format of interaction would they recommend - i.e. how to ask the neighbours to switch it off because it is causing problems for you.

    If the neighbours take issue over this then you will have more than covered your back in any ensuing claims. Just remember to record it (body cam or mobile phone ideally with you giving a little introduction with the date / time and purpose of each interaction before leaving your house.

    It shouldn't need to be this bad but some people can be complete bottoms.

  • Thanks so much for this yes it is a long story but the Council were aware of all my concerns and got me to keep a light diary then they just replied saying basically there was nothing they could do.

    The neighbours also were aware of the upset it caused and after initially for a while being understanding they then started weaponising said lights going out till the small hours and leaving them on.

    Then as I say I have had all this turned on me saying because I have asked more than once I am harassing ! 

    Hence the CPW Nice

  • What they were doing is overusing outside trip lights which drives me insane as I am light sensitive making excess noise deliberate obstructions of driveway

    I think the light issue is unlikely to be considered an issue unless they are directed to shine directly into your window - there is information here on how to base a complaint:

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/artificial-light-nuisances-how-councils-deal-with-complaints

    The key parts of the criteria are if the lights

    - unreasonably and substantially interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises
    - injure health or be likely to injure health

    I think this will be considered from the point of view as a neurotypical person and is likely to only be considered if the lights have been put up since you moved in.

    I'm not sure how much your autism will be considered in the complaint to be honest and have little confidence that those assessing the complaints will understand the impact.

    Noise will need to considered similarly too I suspect. Guidance on it is here:

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/noise-nuisances-how-councils-deal-with-complaints

    Again the criteria is if it:

    - unreasonably and substantially interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises

    Just because you are highly sensitive may not be enough to prevent your neighbour being loud if this is their criteria for enjoying their home too. I just wanted to make sure you understand that it has to work both ways and they need to be unreasonable.

    It may need you to speak to the council to establish what evidence needs to be produced so you can prepare for this - I would imagine a decibel meter to record the sound levels (while videoing you making the recordings and establishing the time).

    From experience these cases are incredibly hard to prove and make stick without a lot of backlash from the neighbours so you may want to consider if it is worth the pain.

    Good luck with whatever you choose.

  • Iain thanks so much we have CCTV. What they were doing is overusing outside trip lights which drives me insane as I am light sensitive making excess noise deliberate obstructions of driveway etc.I just used to ask politely and was accused of harassment.We have CCTV and are doing as suggested but thank so much for your support.

    How are things with you

  • that really his deep but makes sense mate thanks


  • The double empathy/cross-neurological hypotheses of Milton and Beardon can be summarised as follows:
    .
    (1) non-autistic people appear to have as much difficulty in understanding autistic minds as vice versa;
    .
    (2) autistic people often develop a greater understanding of society than non-autistic people develop of autism; and
    .
    (3) autistic people have a similar ability to empathise with other autistic people as non-autistic people have with their peers.
    .
    Milton does not suggest that non-autistic people are less capable of developing an understanding of autism than vice versa; as he points out, it is simply that autistic people have no choice but to try to develop an understanding of society if they are to ‘survive and potentially thrive’ whereas no such imperative applies in the opposite direction (Milton 2012).
    .

  • it seems from my understanding that Society has not got a clue about Autism and expects myself to engage the same way as a non Autistic person

    This is absolutely a thing - it doesn't help that autism is a fairly recently recognised "condition" whereas before most people were completely missed off unless they were non verbal.

    Increased awareness will take time (probably decades) to filter through society and we all have to face the prejudices from the ignorant in the mean time.

    I would make sure the police are supplied with a copy of your diagnosis and of the NAS guide to dealing with autists:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/police-custody

    This should shift the way they deal with you to the point they have to point out to your neighbours that they are harassing a disabled person for what is effectively their disability.

    Lastly, in terms of doing something about your neighbours, I would start collecting evidence of their bullying - recording when you are talking to them, installing a Ring doorbell (or similar) and documenting everything.

    What things were they doing to make you complain in the first place?