Autism Amber Alert: March 2011

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Interactive Autism Network Launches First-Ever National Survey To Study Critical Safety Issue In Autism Community

The Interactive Autism Network (IAN), with support from leading autism advocacy groups, launches the first major survey to study the experience of wandering and elopement, or escaping, among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The tendency of individuals with ASD to wander or "bolt" puts them at risk of trauma, injury or even death, yet information on this critical safety issue is lacking.

Since 2007, the IAN Project has connected thousands of individuals on the autism spectrum and their families with researchers nationwide to accelerate the pace of autism research through an innovative online initiative housed at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. With more than 36,000 participants today, the IAN Project has the largest pool of autism data in the world.

"Although similar behavior has been studied in Alzheimer's disease and autism advocates identify elopement as a top priority, virtually no research has been conducted on this phenomenon in ASD," said Dr. Paul Law, Director of the IAN Project at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. "The new survey will provide vital information to families, advocates and policy makers alike as they work to keep individuals with ASD safe."

The survey will help researchers begin to answer important questions:
How often do individuals with ASD attempt to elope? How often do they succeed? Under what circumstances?
Which individuals with ASD are most at risk? At what age?
What burden do efforts to thwart elopement behavior place on caregivers?
What can be done to protect individuals with ASD and support their families?
More at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/220849.php

Missing Autistic Teen Found in Los Gatos - LosGatosObserver.com

When Jacob McNeely of San Jose missed his bus home from school on Monday, a helpful teacher drove him to his grandmother?s house. Unfortunately, that teacher didn?t wait to see if his grandmother was home before leaving. McNeely, 17, has autism, and is considered to be an at-risk teen.

By the time his grandmother returned, the boy had already left. She knew he had been there though, because he left his backpack behind. Throughout Monday night and Tuesday, his family searched for him, with the help of the SJPD.

While no one knows exactly where he went, the family reports that he showed up at the El Camino Hospital in Los Gatos on Tuesday night, and doctors there notified his parents. According to reports, the boy was in good health when he was finally reunited with his family.
Read More at ABC 7.

April is National Autism Awareness Month: LoJack SafetyNet, Inc. Participates in Autism Awareness Events in Greater Philadelphia Area | SYS-CON MEDIA

PHILADELPHIA, March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Autism is considered the fastest growing developmental disability, as it now affects one in every 110 children*. One of the many challenges in caring for a child with autism is the risk that they may wander or run off anywhere at any time. Tragically, children with autism often wander off to water sources such as pools, ponds, and lakes and, as such, drowning is a leading cause of death for children with this condition.
As part of its education initiative and in recognition that April is National Autism Awareness Month, LoJack SafetyNet, Inc.** is participating in several autism awareness events in the greater Philadelphia area. LoJack SafetyNet offers a service that helps caregivers provide an added layer of protection for children with autism who are prone to wandering. In the event that a child with autism - who is enrolled in the SafetyNet service - wanders and goes missing, trained and certified public safety agencies can use SafetyNet technology to more effectively find and rescue that individual. At these events, SafetyNet personnel will demonstrate how the service works.
The events are as follows:
    Event                              Location                   Date/Time
   -----                              --------                   ---------
   Autism Awareness Night             Please Touch Museum        April 2
   Sponsor: Variety Club              Philadelphia, PA           6 p.m.

   Autism Walk for Awareness,         Plymouth Meeting Mall      April 3
   Resources & Education              Plymouth Meeting, PA       8 a.m.
   Sponsor: Variety Club

                                       Philadelphia Education
   Autism Expo                         Center                    April 8
   Sponsor: Philadelphia Public
    Schools                           Philadelphia, PA           9:30 a.m.

   Autism Night at the Phillies       Citizens Bank Park         April 15
   Sponsor: Philadelphia Phillies     Philadelphia, PA           7:05 p.m.

   Autism Awareness Day at the Zoo    Philadelphia Zoo           April 17
   Sponsor: Autism Society of
    America -                         Philadelphia, PA           11 a.m.
   Greater Philadelphia Chapter

   Autism Awareness Day at Sesame
    Place                             Sesame Place               April 22
   Sponsor: Variety Club              Philadelphia, PA           10 a.m.
No Enrollment Fee for Month of April 2011
In honor of National Autism Awareness Month, LoJack SafetyNet will waive the $99 enrollment fee for its SafetyNet service throughout the month of April 2011. In addition, a 30-day no obligation trial is available for the service.*** The SafetyNet by LoJack service is also used to protect people with Alzheimer's, dementia and other similar conditions in which people are prone to wandering and becoming lost.

For a listing of Greater Philadelphia communities currently offering the SafetyNet service, please visit http://www.lojack.com/SafetyNet/Documents/Coverage%20web.pdf or http://www.lojack.com/SafetyNet.
For more information or to arrange a demonstration, please contact:
                      Jeanne Bock, jbock@tieronepr.com,
   CONTACTS:         781-861-5249
                     Laura Feng, lfeng@tieronepr.com,
                     978-975-1414
                     Jeremy Warnick, jwarnick@lojack.com,
                     781-251-4251
* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
**LoJack SafetyNet, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of LoJack Corporation
***At any time during the 30 days from the Activation Date, the Caregiver, for any reason, by written notice may terminate the Service and will be credited all fees, taxes and shipping paid to the Provider under this Agreement
SOURCE LoJack SafetyNet, Inc.

Missing autistic boy found safe - TimesRepublican.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community info - Times Republican

A missing child that prompted an alert in a northern section of the city was found safe just before a major search effort began Tuesday.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Boy with Autism Wanders, Killed by Train

Another ...

A six-year-old autistic boy has been killed by a train south of Melbourne after going missing from his home.
The train hit the boy as he wandered onto the tracks at 7.25pm (AEDT) on Wednesday.
A relative of the boy reported him missing at 7pm, but police say he was gone from his home from 6pm.
About 275 passengers were onboard the V/Line Melbourne to Warrnambool service when the incident occurred in Norlane, in regional Geelong.
The driver was composed as he told passengers the train had hit someone.
Read more at http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/national/9104385/boy-killed-by-train-south-of-melbourne/

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Thousands of adults go missing across the country

AUDIO: Case of missing Abington man one of 50,000

Monday, March 28, 2011

Boy with Autism Wanders, Drowns in River

Boy wanders from home, drowns in river

Jackson was outside playing in the back yard of the family home on S. Custer Rd. west of Raisinville Rd. when his mother reportedly went inside the house for about four or five minutes, said Sgt. Jeff Kemp. The river is about 300 yards behind the house, police said. “When she came back out, he was gone,” Sgt. Kemp said. Read the full story at The Monroe News

Friday, March 18, 2011

Medical Diagnostic Code for Wandering Petition

Sign the Petition HERE

The ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee is currently considering a proposal to create a medical diagnostic code for wandering. Please sign this petition to show your support of this effort.

The National Autism Association has brought this issue to the urgent attention of our federal health agencies. We believe a diagnostic code for wandering will help protect at-risk individuals who have a documented history of wandering and will help to avert dangerous restraint and seclusion practices that are currently in use. Here's why:

- Physicians are largely unaware of this issue; therefore, cannot provide prevention materials or advice. A diagnostic code will increase awareness, advice and prevention-material distribution.

- A diagnostic code will allow for data collection on the incidence of wandering, thereby increasing opportunities for prevention, education for doctors, caregivers, school administrators and staff, first responders/search personnel.

- Many nonverbal ASD individuals are unable to respond to their name when called. We feel a diagnosis code will lead to increased awareness and the development of emergency search-and-rescue response protocols.

- We believe a medical code will enhance schools’ understanding of wandering so that children with a history of wandering will be better protected. Currently, wandering is not looked at as a medical condition, but one of choice or bad behavior. This has lead to a lack of school training, prevention and emergency response. In January alone, two children with autism went missing from their schools.

- Children and adults with ASD who suddenly flee, bolt or run because of a trigger are at greater risk of restraint or seclusion. We believe a medical code will help establish safe protocols that work to eliminate triggers, thereby eliminating the need for restraint.

- We’ve seen reports of parents locking/secluding children in their rooms to keep them from wandering outside. While this is anecdotal information, we believe parents, schools and other care providers need better solutions. A medical code has enormous potential to help provide safe alternatives.

- We believe every disabled individual with a history of wandering — who is at serious risk of injury, trauma or death — should have access to safety devices and prevention materials regardless of the caregiver's income. A medical code for wandering could potentially provide insurance coverage for those unable to afford critical protections for their children/adults.

If you would like to submit a personal or organizational letter to the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee, please email Donna Pickett at DPickett@cdc.gov. The deadline for submission of public comments is April 1, 2011.
Sign the Petition HERE

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Action Alert: Wandering-Related Injuries and Death

NAA ACTION ALERT

Keep Our Loved Ones Safe From Wandering-Related Injuries and Death

Please click here to take action now:
http://www.change.org/petitions/keep-our-loved-ones-safe-from-wandering-related-injuries-and-death-4

Dear Parents and Friends;

Deaths associated with autism wandering/elopement remain a leading cause of fatalities among children and adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Please see listing of recent fatalities below.*

Individuals with autism go missing from multiple settings – home, school, daycare, summer camps, relatives’ homes – environments that carry common supervision patterns.

The National Autism Association believes a medical code for wandering will help protect at-risk individuals who have a documented history of wandering. Here’s why:

Physicians are largely unaware of this issue; therefore, cannot provide prevention materials or advice. A medical code will increase awareness, advice and prevention-material distribution.
A diagnostic code will allow for data collection on the incidence of wandering, thereby increasing opportunities for prevention education for doctors, caregivers, school administrators and staff, first responders/search personnel.
Many nonverbal individuals with ASD are unable to respond to their name when called. We feel a diagnostic code will lead to increased awareness and the development of emergency search-and-rescue response protocols.
We believe a medical code will enhance schools’ understanding of wandering so that children with a history of wandering will be better protected. Currently, wandering is not looked at as a medical condition, but one of choice or bad behavior. This has lead to a lack of school training, prevention and emergency response. In January alone, two children with autism went missing from their schools.
Children and adults with ASD who suddenly flee, bolt or run because of a trigger are at greater risk of restraint. We believe a medical code will help establish protocols that work to eliminate triggers, thereby eliminating the need for restraint.
We’ve seen reports of parents locking/secluding children in their rooms to keep them from wandering outside. While this is anecdotal information, we believe parents, schools and other care providers need better solutions. A medical code has enormous potential to help provide safe alternatives.
We believe every disabled individual with a history of wandering — who is at serious risk of injury, trauma or death — should have access to safety devices and prevention materials regardless of the caregiver's income. A medical code for wandering could potentially provide insurance coverage for those unable to afford critical protections for their children/adults.

Please support a wandering medical code for at-risk individuals by signing this petition. You can also send a personal or organizational letter of support via email to Donna Pickett, Co-Chair of the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee, at DPickett@cdc.gov. The comment period closes April 1, 2011.

This medical code would be available for those most at risk. Not every person with a developmental disability wanders into potential danger, but for those individuals that are susceptible, the consequences can be devastating. They should be afforded every opportunity for protection from harm.

Sincerely,

The National Autism Association
Visit http://www.awaare.org for information and resources on wandering prevention.

*RECENT FATALITIES:

At the end of February alone, two children with autism drowned within the same weekend – a seven-year-old girl, and three-year-old boy.

In 2010, Aiden Johnson, age 3; Christian Dejons, 6; Nathan Kinderdine 7; Mason Medlam, age 5; Adlai Kugblenu, age 8; Zachary Clark, age 5; Luke Selwyn, age 6; and Kaiyla Sullivan, age 7, all died following a wandering incident. All diagnosed with autism.

Autism Amber Alert