A moment of pause can make all the different during some police calls.

That’s the idea behind a new autism awareness training members of Maricopa Police Department completed recently. It teaches first responders how to recognize communication differences, identify signs of sensory overload and adapt their approach during calls for service.

The training, provided by Arizona nonprofit Preston’s Pursuit or Acceptance, reinforces “tactical pause,” a concept that encourages officers to briefly assess whether a person’s behavior may be influenced by autism or another developmental disability before deciding how to respond.

“This is autism awareness designed by first responders for first responders,” Preston’s Pursuit for Acceptance co-founder Chris Timmins said in a video posted by MPD. “It’s to help them quickly identify, ‘Is this impairment, or is this something else?'”

The effort comes as studies show individuals with autism are more likely to encounter law enforcement than the general population.

About 1 in 5 young adults with autism will interact with a police officer before age 21, according to the Autism Society. Research has also found they are seven times more likely to encounter police.

For Maricopa Police Chief Mark Goodman, the training goal is simple: better communication leads to better outcomes.

“We want to have positive outcomes with our community members, so it really helps for [officers] to have an awareness about some of the things people may be experiencing prior to us contacting them,” he said.