Take Me Home (Autism Elopement)

From the Autism Society of America ...

In 2003, Officer Jimmy Donohoe was invited to a meeting of the Autism Society of the Panhandle (Fla.), where members asked him what parents of non-verbal children could do to improve potential encounters between their children and law enforcement. After making several suggestions that were not acceptable to all the parents, Officer Donohoe left the meeting knowing that he had to do something. The “Take Me Home” program evolved from that meeting so that children on the autism spectrum who may wander will be returned safely and treated with understanding.

Take Me Home was developed in cooperation with Consolidated Technology Solutions, a law enforcement software company and with the support of Pensacola Police Chief John Mathis. In conjunction with the Autism Society’s Safe and Sound Initiative the Take Me Home program will be distributed nationwide so that it may be available to all law enforcement agencies, free of charge. With this type of support, the program can be used by all law enforcement agencies to assist with those who may not be able to communicate or have forgotten their way home.

What is Take Me Home?

Take Me Home is a database developed by the Pensacola Police Department for people who may need special assistance if they are alone or in times of emergency. This kind of assistance may be required if the person is unable to speak or properly identify themselves, or if they become disoriented or act in a manner that could be misinterpreted by first responders. The system includes a current digital picture, demographic information and caregiver contacts. If a person in the Take Me Home system is encountered by a police officer, the officer can query the Take Me Home system, searching by name or by the person’s physical description. Once the individual’s Take Me Home record has been located the officer has the information at hand to appropriately assist the person.

How does it work?

Police departments make the commitment to use the program and gather and maintain the individual enrollment records. Once the program is in place in a community, families or individuals contact the police department and submit a recent digital photo, description of height, weight, and other demographic information as well as emergency contact information.

This information is placed in a database that can be accessed in cruisers or back at the station. If officers find someone who can’t communicate where he or she lives, they can search the database by description and return the person to their loved ones. The system also works in reverse - if a loved one goes missing, their picture and description is immediately available.

Take Me Home is voluntary for citizens that participate, and all information is kept confidential.

There is no charge to police departments for the program and there is no enrollment fee. However, there is a responsibility and commitment to keep the system updated and current. Autism Society chapters are a perfect way to bring caregivers of individuals on the autism spectrum and police together.

Learn more about Take Me Home - watch a video clip.

For more information or to receive your free copy of the program, e-mail takemehome@autism-society.org.

Efforts underway to create missing person alert for special needs children

LEE COUNTY, Fla. - Ft. Myers mother Debbie Umphries knows just how quickly her son can vanish. It happened once before.

"My husband was getting ready to take [Tim] to the playground," Umphries said. "He heard the word 'playground' and was gone."

It happened in the blink of an eye. When his father's back was turned, Tim left the house. After a frantic search, police found the 11-year-old at his neighborhood playground.

Umphries says it was the most frightening half hour in her life.

For Sheila Medlam, a similar 17 minutes will always haunt her. That's how long her 5-year-old son, Mason, was missing from their Colwich, Kansas, home earlier this year. With law enforcement combing the area, Medlam was the one to find her son floating in a nearby pond.

Mason died in a hospital a few days later.

"We want to know that first responders have all the information they need so another mother doesn't have to lose her child like I had to lose mine," Medlam told WINK News during a recent trip to Pensacola, Florida.

In Pensacola, Medlam has found an ally in her efforts to create a nationwide alert system for missing children with disabilities. An officer within the city's police department helped create the "Take Me Home" program for children with autism. It's a registry that can help locate and identify a missing child with autism, currently available to numerous law enforcement agencies across the country.

More: http://www.winknews.com/mobile/mobile/article/Efforts-underway-to-create-missing-person-alert-for-special-needs-children

Draft Letter on Safety Issues for Secretary Sebelius (Autism Elopement)

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Hubert H. Humphrey Building 200 Independence Avenue,SW Washington, DC 20201

Dear Secretary Sebelius:

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) remains committed to advancing areas of research, intervention, and services to enhance the health and wellbeing of all individuals affected by an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As such, we respectfully request your consideration regarding growing concerns surrounding the safety of children and adults within the autism community.

Autism Elopement is a very serious issue that is responsible for an increased number of deaths among those diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The vast majority of fatalities following autism elopement are attributed to drowning, yet federal safety guidelines, resources and formal preventative measures remain absent. After careful review of the dangers associated with Autism Elopement, members of the IACC have unanimously favored the formation of a subcommittee dedicated to safety issues and the prevention of external causes of death. It is hereby our recommendation that the following measures be taken to reduce the threat of bodily harm and death associated with Autism Elopement:

- Establish a medical diagnostic code for at-risk individuals with ASD who are prone to wandering. A diagnostic code for Autism Elopement may serve to assist caregivers in obtaining insurance coverage for tracking technology, as well as prompt important safety discussions between physicians and caregivers, and caregivers and school administrators. It may help first responders, school administrators and residential facility administrators to better recognize and understand the condition so that proper emergency protocols and response may be implemented.

- Create policy recommendations for an emergency broadcast alert system. AMBER Alert’s federal guidelines recommend that alerts only be issued for minors that have been abducted. In the case of Benjy Heil, a seven-year-old boy with autism who was found dead in a nearby creek in 2007, an AMBER Alert could not be issued because Benjy’s case did not meet AMBER Alert criteria. A neighbor did spot Benjy, but did not realize he was missing. The Silver Alert Emergency Broadcast System is designed for at-risk adults who may suffer from dementia or other cognitive disorders. Many States that allow both AMBER and Silver Alerts cover minors that are abducted, and adults that have cognitive impairments, but minors with cognitive impairment are excluded from the inclusion criteria. Because members of the public act as a valuable tool in bringing missing children home safely, the Committee feels that the risk of death can only decrease if strong alert and response measures are in place.

- Create policy recommendations for federal programs related to first-responder training, tracking technology access and oversight, and swimming lessons. The Department of Justice currently facilitates a federally funded program designed to combat dementia-related wandering occurrences and deaths. The program allocates funding each year towards tracking technology for those with an Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis, and first-responder training related to wandering emergencies involving an individual with Alzheimer’s or dementia. However, individuals diagnosed with an ASD do not qualify for this program. The Committee feels that similar resources and safeguards should be made available to those that carry an ASD diagnosis and are prone to wandering.

- Establish formal safety information and materials for caregivers, first responders, physicians, school administrators, and residential facility administrators, and establish recommendations and support for material distribution and outreach. There is currently no federal oversight or distribution of safety and informational materials that address autism and wandering. The Committee feels that parents, caregivers, physicians, first responders and school and residential administrators should have ample access to this safety information and that all materials contain appropriate, federally backed recommendations related to safety.

- Recommend data collection through Centers for Disease Control. Currently no formal data exists in relation to autism and wandering. Tracking fatalities associated with autism elopement is an important step to understanding how frequently it is occurring. Data will also provide valuable clues for prevention and response.

In addition to addressing wandering prevention and response, our newly-appointed safety subcommittee will also work to enhance safety standards and preventative measures pertaining to, but not limited to, dangerous restraint and seclusion practices in public and private schools, bullying, victimization and domestic crises.

It is with great determination and hope that we submit these recommendations for your review and response. We thank your for your consideration and continued support.

Sincerely,

(FOUND) Missing with Autism: James Blake Roberts (27, Lubbock, TX)

UPDATE : FOUND http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2010-11-29/missing-lubbock-county-autistic-man-found-safe-morning

Area lawmen are looking for an autistic man in southwest Lubbock.

He's reportedly been missing since about 2:30 pm, 27 year old James Blake Roberts was last seen at 12708 County Road 1240, just outside of southwest Lubbock.

The Lubbock Sheriff's department said Roberts is considered mentally handicapped.

DPS, LPD and LSO are all searching for him, enlisting the use of a DPS helicopter and bloodhounds to track his scent.

Roberts was last seen wearing a grey sweatshirt, with a hood, blue jeans and tennis shoes. The sweatshirt has the words "eagles nest" across the front.

Roberts is a white male, 6 feet tall, weighing about 150 pounds. If you see him, you're urged to call 9-1-1.

Source: http://www.myfoxlubbock.com/news/local/story/missing-autistic-man-southwest-lubbock-search/gOmlbkkiv0-jMqIMj2ItyA.cspx

(FOUND) Missing with Aspergers: Trenton Johnson (Crystal Lake, Il)

Trenton Johnson of Crystal Lake was last seen at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and was reported missing by his parents on Wednesday, according to Crystal Lake police. Johnson suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, and does not have his medication with him, the release said. He is an avid player of online video games and frequents locations with free Wi-Fi, where he plays on his laptop.

Read More at http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7795586

FOUND: Missing Crystal Lake teen found safe in Utah

Endangered Persons Advisory

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Law enforcement officials statewide in Iowa will help spread the word about “endangered persons” who go missing.

The announcement Tuesday about a new Endangered Persons Advisory came via a news conferences in Des Moines, Council Bluffs and Cedar Rapids. And organizers say they’re taking a page from the well known Amber Alert program.

In an Amber Alert, law enforcement determines a child was abducted and is in serious danger. That determination can trigger the use of electronic highway signs, notices to the media and even text alerts to cell phones.

The Endangered Persons Advisory is targeted at seniors with medical conditions like dementia or Alzheimer’s who could be in physical danger if they wanted away from caretakers. Officials say it might also apply to children with certain conditions—such as Autism.

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