Episode 27 / Diagnosing a Disability

In this episode, Scott and Staci dive into the misconceptions surrounding autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—particularly as they relate to emotional expression and perception during forensic interviews and investigations.CEO, Scott Modell, Ph.D. and Senior Director, Staci Whitney, LMSW explore how traditional assumptions can lead investigators to misread emotional cues or dismiss credible disclosures from individuals with autism. They emphasize the importance of understanding neurodiversity, adapting interview techniques, and avoiding judgment based on affect alone.

In this episode, Staci Whitney, LMSW is joined by disability advocate, Megan Young. Megan shares her lived experiences as a woman with a disability and the incredible advocacy work she is doing at Project Everlast in Nebraska. Project Everlast is a statewide, youth-led initiative committed to providing resources, connections and support to young adults without family support. Their goal is to empower young adults to build successful lives as independent adults.Megan Young is a 25-year-old disability advocate from Nebraska. She found her passion in sharing her voice and her lived experiences with a disability in different areas of Nebraska to help educate and improve the gaps in all parts of the system.

In this episode, Staci and MCG Senior Consultant, Dermot Whelan, Police Sgt., Retired, are joined by the newest MCG team member, Senior Consultant and Legal Advisor, Rachel Dunn, J.D. Drawing from her own experiences and expertise, Rachel describes things she has seen in investigations that have been useful for her as a prosecutor when building a strong case. Rachel Dunn is a Senior Consultant and the Legal Advisor for Modell Consulting Group, LLC. With more than 16 years of experience trying cases, Ms. Dunn has prosecuted cases in 22 counties in New York state. Most recently, in 2017 she was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as the Special Prosecutor and Inspector General for the New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. In that role she led a team of attorneys that both prosecuted cases and trained and advised law enforcement and district attorneys regarding vulnerable victim interviews, charging considerations, and trial tactics. Ms. Dunn has developed and provided training programs to numerous law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and social service personnel. She has consulted with the Department of Justice on the unique vulnerability that individuals with disabilities face, particularly in the realm of human trafficking. Additionally, Ms. Dunn has presented at multiple quality and compliance conferences and is recognized as a thought leader in public service, criminal justice, and victim’s rights.

In this episode, Scott Modell, Ph.D. and Staci Whitney, LMSW, are joined by retired Assistant District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, Candace J. Heisler, J.D. More recently Candace's work has been a consultant and trainer regarding elder abuse, domestic violence, and abuse in later life. She also worked with MCG to develop our suite of SAFE trainings for interviewing older adults who are alleged victims of crime and maltreatment. Drawing from her experience and expertise, Candace explains what Undue Influence is and how it may impact the people that we work with. Candace J. Heisler, J.D., served as an Assistant District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco for over 25 years. During this time, she headed the Domestic Violence Unit, which handled both domestic violence and elder abuse cases, as well as the Charging, Misdemeanor, and Preliminary Hearing Units. She was an Adjunct Professor at Hastings College of the Law for more than 20 years. She now teaches a graduate course at Virginia Tech on ethics and aging. Ms. Heisler has written for and trained a variety of professionals about elder abuse, domestic violence, and the criminal justice system, including work sponsored by the American Bar Association, Futures Without Violence, the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life, the Office for Victims of Crime, the Office on Violence Against Women, and the Judicial Council of California. She frequently presents at the annual National Adult Protective Services Association and other state Adult Protective Services (APS) conferences on related topics. Ms. Heisler has authored several curricula on interviewing alleged perpetrators, addressing undue influence, and working with the criminal justice system for APS Professionals.

In this episode, Staci Whitney, LMSW and MCG Senior Consultant Kate Homan, MS are joined by the Chair of the Forensic Psychology Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Dr. Diana Orem, Ph.D., MS. Drawing from her own experiences, Diana explains her shift to working with individuals with disabilities and vulnerable populations. She developed a training protocol for Law Enforcement and First Responders in Yavapai County, Arizona that increases safety, produces better outcomes, and reduces violence when interacting with individuals with Autism in the course of their work.Dr. Diana Orem holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Central Florida. She is a licensed psychologist with expertise in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses and neurodevelopmental conditions. Her research entails identifying at-risk populations who are negatively impacted by legal-forensic issues as well as developing and evaluating law enforcement training. Dr. Orem is the Chair of the Forensic Psychology Program at ERAU. She teaches courses in forensic psychology, criminality, victimology, mental health in the criminal justice system, drugs, and deception. She also writes forensic reports and provides testimony for the King County Department of Public Defense, WA. Additionally, Dr. Orem provides training to law enforcement on how to safely approach autistic individuals.

In this episode, Scott Modell, Ph.D. and Staci Whitney, LMSW discuss diagnosing a disability. Drawing from their own experiences, Scott and Staci provide a better understanding of the criteria that is required for someone to be diagnosed with a disability and some of the different ways an individual gets diagnosed with a disability.

In this episode, Staci Whitney, LMSW and MCG Senior Consultant, Kate Homan MS are joined by Program Director for the Children's Advocacy Centers of Michigan, Joshua Bissell. Josh shares his experience working on a project that works to improve the forensic interview system for marginalized and vulnerable communities. Over the last two years, his team created a training that explains why forensic interviewers need to focus on bias and resources that also help guide interviewers in this process.As the Program Director for the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Michigan (CACMI) team, Joshua is committed to providing support to CAC leaders and their staffs across the state. In addition to helping members prepare for accreditation and re-accreditation, his support ranges from on-site training to phone consultations, active troubleshooting of difficult dilemmas and planned delivery of content expertise and practical advice. His personal mission is to ensure that every CAC staff person has an opportunity for professional development and growth as experts in their field and to foster a collaborative network where even the smallest programs feel supported.In a previous life, Joshua worked as a licensed social worker in the state of Louisiana developing a social services program embedded within the New Orleans Police Department Special Victims Section. He spent years working with the Child Abuse, Adult Sex Crimes, and Domestic Violence units and served as a forensic interviewer and case manager at the New Orleans Children’s Advocacy Center. He received undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Sociology and his master’s degree in social work at Tulane University. In his free time, he enjoys disc golfing and board games and likes to write short stories in the genre of science fiction and fantasy.

In this episode, Scott Modell, Ph.D. and Staci Whitney, LMSW are joined by Executive Director of the Adult Advocacy Centers, Katherine Yoder, MS, CFI. Katherine shares her experience as an individual with Autism and also discusses emerging trends she's recognized in the disability field.Katherine Yoder is a certified forensic interviewer and a person with disabilities herself. For more than 20 years she has worked with people with disabilities in various capacities, from direct care to investigating crimes against people with disabilities across the state of Ohio. She also served on the Mortality Review Committee for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. All of this work revealed the glaring gaps in the different systems when a crime is committed against a person with a disability. After co-authoring the Advanced Forensic Interviewing Individuals with Disabilities (Project FIND) protocol, Katherine founded the Adult Advocacy Centers (AACs) in March 2019 to serve crime victims with disabilities. Since then, she has co-authored the Project FIND Adapted protocol for individuals who do not speak and four AACs' ADEPT forensic interviewing protocols for crime victims with disabilities. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in social psychology from Park University and a Master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati. She is a Nonviolence 365 Ambassador with the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Katherine has receved many awards, including the Equality in Advocacy Award from Ohio Victim Witness Association in 2018, the Social Justice Award from the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission in 2021 and the Ohio Attorney General's Promising Practice Award in 2022. She was also a Diversability D-30 Disability Impact List Honoree for 2023. In 2023, the AACs were granted special consultative status to the United Nations, opening new doors to collaborations with international nonprofits, disability organizations and medical crisis responders around the world.

In this episode, Scott Modell, Ph.D. and Staci Whitney, LMSW discuss abuse dynamics and the barriers to disclosure. Drawing from their own experiences, Scott and Staci provide tips for forensic interviewers and multi-disciplinary teams to better understanding abuse dynamics and recognizing a pattern of behavior before conducting a forensic interview.

In this episode, Scott Modell, Ph.D. and Staci Whitney, LMSW discuss making the difficult decision to end an interview in the best interest of the interviewee. Drawing from their own experiences, Scott and Staci explain in detail traditional and complex blocks and barriers that prevent an interview from continuing.