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.


    Examples of Relevant Professionals:
    • Mental health professionals (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers)
    • Forensic mental health specialists
    • Lawyers representing individuals with autism
    • District attorneys prosecuting cases involving individuals with autism
    • Legal advocates working on behalf of individuals with autism
    • Education providers supporting students with autism in legal or disciplinary matters
    • Professionals in correctional or community treatment programs
    • Advocacy organization staff

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience with legal and social issues affecting persons with autism.

    • Beginner: Participants are new to the intersection of autism and the legal system and seek foundational knowledge about relevant laws, common misconceptions, and advocacy issues.

    • Intermediate: Participants have some experience or prior training in mental health law or autism-related advocacy and are looking to deepen their understanding of complex legal processes, therapeutic jurisprudence, and case research involving persons with autism.

    • Advanced: Participants have extensive experience working with legal issues affecting persons with autism and are interested in advanced topics such as expert testimony, forensic evaluation, and recent developments in constitutional and anti-discrimination law.

  • Practice Setting

    This training applies to interdisciplinary, justice-involved practice settings where legal processes intersect with clinical care, evaluation, and advocacy for individuals with autism. Practitioners work in high-stakes, multi-system environments that blend policy, assessment, and treatment within both community-based and secure contexts, addressing criminal, civil, and disability law matters.


    Examples of Practice Settings:
    • Public defender, prosecutor, and specialty court teams
    • Forensic psychiatric units and competency/restoration programs
    • Jail and prison behavioral health services; reentry and probation/parole
    • Outpatient community mental health clinics and hospital-based assessments
    • Legal aid and disability rights organizations (ADA, anti-discrimination, housing)
    • Juvenile justice centers and child welfare proceedings

Training Instructors:

Michael L. Perlin, JD

Michael L. Perlin, JD

Michael L. Perlin is Professor of Law Emeritus at New York Law School (NYLS), where he was director of NYLS’s Online Mental Disability Law Program and director of NYLS’s International Mental Disability Law Reform Project in its Justice Action Center. He is co-founder of Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates and is currently Adjunct Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law, and Instructor, Loyola University New Orleans, Department of Criminology and Justice

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Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD

Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD

Heather Ellis Cucolo is a 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.

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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.

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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).


Sponsorship Approval Statements

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), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7190. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Palo Alto University, #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. Palo Alto University 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. Continuing and Professional Studies, Palo Alto University, is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0103. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT), 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. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies, is recognized by 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.