20 Hours / 20 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Autism and the Law is presented by Michael L. Perlin, JD, and Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD, in partnership with Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates.

In recent years, far greater attention has been paid to the interactions between persons with autism and the legal system. These interactions include criminal law, mental disability law, sexually violent predator law, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other civil cases. Issues range from those related to Internet-related pornography offenses to “eviction” from convenience stores. In this program, participants learn about the legal and social hurdles that persons with autism must confront, including access to counsel; criminal trial complications; civil law and anti-discrimination law as it applies to persons with autism; persons with autism in the mental disability law context; juvenile considerations; persons with autism facing sexual, violent predator legislation; forensic issues in jails and prisons; issues in treatment and housing in the community; and issues related to expert diagnosis and evaluation.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe common misconceptions and advocacy issues
  • 2 Describe therapeutic jurisprudence, sanism, and pretextuality
  • 3 Describe mental disability law and sexually violence predator case research
  • 4 Describe autism and criminal law incompetency and confessions
  • 5 Describe the trial process and ability to testify
  • 6 Describe the treatment of persons with autism in jails and prisons
  • 7 Describe developments in constitutional law
  • 8 Describe autism in mental health courts and medication issues
  • 9 Describe special education laws and IDEA
  • 10 Describe the applications of the Americans with Disabilities Act
  • 11 Describe the significance of reasonable accommodation laws
  • 12 Describe community issues such as housing, access to public places, and domestic relations

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for professionals who work with individuals with autism in legal, forensic, clinical, and advocacy contexts. It provides specialized knowledge and practical skills for those involved in the assessment, treatment, representation, and support of individuals with autism who are engaged with the legal or justice systems, including those involved in evaluation, legal advocacy, prosecution, education, and community support.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Forensic mental health professional
    • Lawyer representing individuals with autism
    • District attorney prosecuting cases involving individuals with autism
    • Legal advocate
    • Education provider supporting students with autism in legal or disciplinary contexts
    • Professional in correctional settings, community treatment programs, or advocacy organizations

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at all experience levels who seek to enhance their understanding of the intersection between autism and the legal system.

    Beginner:
    New to the topic of autism and the law; seeking foundational knowledge about legal, social, and advocacy issues affecting persons with autism, including misconceptions, relevant statutes (e.g., ADA, IDEA), and basic legal processes.

    Intermediate:
    Familiar with general mental health law or autism but seeking deeper understanding of specific legal challenges, such as criminal trial complications, forensic issues, and anti-discrimination law as applied to persons with autism.

    Advanced:
    Experienced in legal or forensic mental health settings; seeking advanced insights into complex topics such as therapeutic jurisprudence, sanism, pretextuality, sexually violent predator law, and expert evaluation in legal contexts involving persons with autism.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who complete this training typically work in environments where legal, clinical, and advocacy services intersect for individuals with autism. These settings are often multidisciplinary and may include courtrooms, law offices, forensic units, mental health clinics, correctional facilities, schools, and community-based organizations. The work environment is characterized by collaboration among legal, clinical, and educational professionals, with a focus on navigating complex legal and social systems to support individuals with autism. These professionals address a wide range of issues, from criminal and civil law to advocacy, education, and community integration, often working with vulnerable populations facing significant legal and social hurdles.

    • Forensic mental health units within hospitals or correctional facilities
    • Law firms or public defender offices specializing in disability or criminal law
    • District attorney’s offices handling cases involving individuals with autism
    • Nonprofit advocacy organizations supporting legal rights of people with autism
    • School districts or educational institutions managing disciplinary or legal matters for students with autism
    • Community mental health centers providing assessment and treatment for justice-involved individuals with autism
    • Juvenile justice programs or diversion initiatives for youth with autism
    • Residential or community treatment programs serving individuals with autism involved in the legal system

Presented By

Michael L. Perlin, JD

Michael L. Perlin is Professor of Law Emeritus at New York Law School (NYLS), founding director of NYLS’s Online Mental Disability Law Program, and founding director of NYLS’s International Mental Disability Law Reform Project in its Justice Action Center. He is also the co-founder of Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates. He has written 31 books and nearly 300 articles on all aspects of mental disability law, many of which deal with the overlap between mental disability law and criminal law and procedure.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Michael L. Perlin, JD

Presented By

Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD, Prof. Distinguished Adj., NYLS; Owner, MDLPA; Prof. Adj., Emory University School of Law; Bd. Dir. Collier School

Heather Ellis Cucolo is Distinguished Adjunct professor of law and the facilitator of the joint JD/MA program with John Jay College of Criminal Justice, at New York Law School (NYLS). She is also an adjunct professor in the JM Program at Emory University School of Law, and a Fellowship faculty member at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In addition to those roles, Professor Cucolo is co-owner of Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates, a legal education and professional training company, and was elected to the board of trustees for the International Society of Therapeutic Jurisprudence, a non-profit organization. Formerly, in her full-time legal practice, Professor Cucolo dedicated her career to representing individuals at trial facing civil commitment under both the New Jersey Mental Hygiene Law and New Jersey’s Sexually Violent Predators Act. She authored and argued appeals before the New Jersey Appellate Division with over 27 reported decisions. She has published four textbooks and over 21 law review articles with mentions in an Eastern District of New York court decision and an Iowa appellate decision. She was honored to receive the Otto L. Walter Distinguished Writing Award for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019. Professor Cucolo’s international work has included: expert testimony on extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States for persons convicted of a sex offense; pro bono advocacy for LawAid International; speaking at the United Nations on the rights of persons with disabilities in the Asia-Pacific region; and the creation of an instructional course on disability legislation for attorneys in Japan.

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Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • About Autism

  • Jurisprudential Filters

  • Autism and Access to/Quality of Counsel; Judicial Attitudes

  • Autism and Criminal Law (Pre-Trial)

  • Autism and Criminal Law (At Trial)

  • Autism and Forensic Issues

  • Autism and the SVPA Process

  • Autism and Mental Disability Law

  • Autism and Juveniles

  • Autism, Anti-Discrimination Law and Community Issues

We are proud to partner with

Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates (MDLPA)

Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates (MDLPA)

We are proud to partner with Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates, LLC for this training. MDLPA is a boutique educational training company that offers specialized mental disability law consulting, the creation or enhancement of distance learning programs, in-house or online courses, and day or weekend training seminars to reputable organizations, educational institutions, professional groups, and advocacy groups focused on providing advanced knowledge and skills to persons working with marginalized populations.

Learn More About Our Partner

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).



Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.