Individuals on the autism spectrum face significant and often overlooked vulnerabilities within the criminal justice system, including heightened risk of victimization, false accusations, unintentional legal violations, and systemic misunderstanding at every stage of legal proceedings. This webinar brings together a multidisciplinary panel consisting of a defense attorney specializing in autistic clients, an autistic author and advocate, and a BCBA-D with forensic expertise to explore these critical issues from complementary perspectives. Through compelling video examples and real-world case insights, presenters will illustrate the unique risks autistic individuals encounter, including challenges within correctional environments and the urgent need for informed, autism-sensitive legal representation. Attendees will also hear a powerful first-person account highlighting missed intervention opportunities during middle and high school, alongside a discussion of the “high-functioning” myth and the often invisible effort involved in social camouflaging. The session will emphasize prevention by examining essential supports such as social skills training, autism-specific sexuality education, and explicit instruction in consent and relationship navigation. The panel will also address gaps in current educational programming, including what is frequently missing from IEPs, and provide practical guidance for developing and implementing effective social groups for adolescents and adults. The webinar will conclude with clinical insights from a BCBA-D on supporting autistic individuals involved in the justice system, including strategies that have successfully reduced and even eliminated recidivism. This presentation is designed to participants with actionable knowledge to better support autistic individuals and reduce unnecessary contact with the criminal justice system.

3 Learning Objectives

1. Understand autistic vulnerability in the criminal legal system
2. Apply information from a first-person account of an autistic individual who has gone through the criminal legal system to skills and strategies which would have been helpful
3. Evaluate evidence-based curricula and ABA strategies to create social groups to improve outcomes and reduce recidivism

About the Presenter

Laurie Sperry

Dr. Laurie Sperry is a Licensed, Board Certified Behavior Analyst- Doctoral and the Founder of Autism Forensics, in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. She has worked as a developer of the Neurodiverse Student Support Program at Stanford University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. Prior to joining Stanford, she was an Assistant Clinical Faculty at Yale University, Department of Psychiatry where she was a founding member of the Autism Forensics Group. In 2006 she was added to the Fulbright Scholarship’s Senior Specialist Roster for Autism. Her research focuses on people with ASD who come in contact with the criminal justice system to ensure their humane and just treatment. She has provided training to secure forensic psychiatric facilities across the globe and has published numerous articles and book chapters. Dr. Sperry has collaborated with the Behavior Analysis Unit of the FBI on cases involving people with autism and has worked with numerous law enforcement agencies to educate and support officers and other first responders.