Kerry Chatterje has been an intermediary for nine years and, during this time, has provided communication support to many vulnerable people with autism.
Kerry, who is based in the North-East, shares some of her experiences to coincide with this month’s World Autism Acceptance Month.
She says: “The autism spectrum is incredibly broad and no two people present in the same way.
“At one end of the spectrum you could have someone who is autism savant, demonstrating exceptional skills in a particular area, while at the other end someone who is non-verbal and overwhelmed by simply living in our world.
“Most of the people that we represent are typically somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, but each one with their own challenges.
“Take for example a young man who I assessed last week. He could communicate with me in private but would be overwhelmed in a court room setting in front of lots of other people. He would struggle to ask for help, had limited understanding of the court process and the vocabulary used.
“I have also worked with many individuals who can become extremely agitated if they are not allowed to finish what they want to say.”
Kerry talked about the importance of an intermediary developing relationships with service users.
She says: “Building relationships is something people with autism find difficult. A good technique used by intermediaries is to try to talk to them about an interest they might have. It could be anything from trains or computers to fishing.
“Part of an intermediary assessment is practising recall and discussing an interest is useful for this, establishing whether someone can provide information in a logical order. It can often help me to understand what kind of questions someone can cope with.
“Depending on the severity of a person’s autism, a common issue in court can be keeping them on topic.”
Kerry believes that there is better acceptance of autism than was the case when she first started working as an intermediary almost a decade ago.
She says: “I believe this is generally the case but, unfortunately, there are still too many occasions when the needs of someone with autism are not properly considered. Sometimes it can be as simple as understanding when a vulnerable person may need a break to avoid them having a meltdown.
“There was an occasion when someone was troubled by the bright lights of the court, but the judge would not agree to turning them down when such a small thing could have made a big difference.
“In another situation, a service user felt he could not give evidence in front of a jury, so a recommendation was made that evidence should be given via a live link in an adjoining court room. The judge agreed to this request and the client was able to successfully give evidence without the risk of suffering a meltdown.”
Kerry concluded: “I love my job and seeing the difference that the communication support intermediaries provide can make to service users and the wider justice system. It can be hugely satisfying. No two days are the same.”
To find out more about World Autism Acceptance Month click here.
- Kerry Chatterje is an HMCTS Appointed Intermediary and a Member of The Intermediary Cooperative. Kerry’s background is in psychology and forensic psychology and she has extensive experience of working in Criminal, Youth and Family courts.