Police located a nine-year-old boy with autism in Wentz Park approximately 2 hours after he was discovered missing
Police located a nine-year-old boy with autism in Wentz Park approximately 2 hours after he was discovered missing
Prosecutors have decided against charging a central Illinois mother for failing to report her 8-year-old autistic son missing.Pekin police say Janita Smith's son had been missing from her home for an hour Monday when she called the boy's father to report him gone.
Authorities say she didn't call police herself because she was wanted on an outstanding DUI warrant.
Helicopters and K-9 units canvassed Meadowridge Landing in Elkridge Friday morning for an autistic, nonverbal teen who was missing; police located the boy on Merrymaker Way within hours of his reported absence.
The 15-year-old from New Jersey had been staying with family friends on Sedgwick Street in Elkridge when he left their home at 3:15 a.m., activating an alarm, said police.
NIXA, Mo., July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) held earlier this week, the approval of a new medical diagnosis code for Wandering was announced by Dr. Coleen Boyle of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). When implemented in October, the new code will be listed as V40.31 – Wandering in Diseases Classified Elsewhere.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090918/NAALOGO)
The creation of this medical code was spurred by a request from the National Autism Association (NAA) as part of the organization's ongoing efforts to raise awareness and create resources addressing the dangerous issue of wandering and elopement by individuals suffering from cognitive disabilities including autism.
Wandering incidents appear to be on the rise and the autism community has suffered unimaginable loss over the past several years. "It's rare for even a week to go by without reading a news story of another child with autism who has gone missing," stated NAA Board Chair, Lori McIlwain. "Far too many of these stories end in tragedy."
Because children with autism often have an impaired sense of danger, they are at serious risk of injury, trauma or death. Drowning is the leading external cause of death among individuals diagnosed with autism. Autism-related wandering incidents also present a unique set of challenges to first responders and search personnel, as many children with autism are non-verbal and unable to respond to rescuers. Training for law enforcement personnel is crucial to reduce the number of deaths resulting from wandering.
Preliminary data from a survey conducted by the Interactive Autism Network show that roughly half of children with autism attempt to elope, a rate nearly four times higher than their unaffected siblings. Fifty-seven percent of parents report that wandering is among the most stressful of all behaviors associated with autism; it can have a dramatic effect on quality of life for the entire family.
Caring for a disabled child who is prone to wandering is an around-the-clock job. Parents are often overwhelmed, sleep-deprived and exhausted. "It is our hope that the recognition of wandering as a medical diagnosis will bring opportunities for the development of resources including training for schools and caregivers, emergency search personnel protocols, financial assistance for safety equipment and support and education for families," said Ms. McIlwain.
The National Autism Association began addressing the issue of autism-related wandering in 2007 with the establishment of its FOUND program which provides funding for personal locating systems for those at risk. In 2010, NAA spearheaded the AWAARE Collaboration and developed a web site containing extensive information and resources. Most recently, the organization received a $50,000 grant from the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation to launch its Big Red Safety Box program providing families with safety items, tips and tools to prevent and respond to wandering incidents. The response from the community was overwhelming, completely depleting the resources in only six days. NAA hopes to secure additional funding through sponsors and private donors to continue this program in the near future.
For more information on autism-related wandering prevention and response, visit http://www.awaare.org. To learn more about the National Autism Association or to make a donation supporting NAA's safety programs, visit, http://nationalautismassociation.org.
Contacts:
Lori McIlwain (919) 741-1646
Wendy Fournier (401) 835-5828SOURCE National Autism Association
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http://nationalautismassociation.org
The search for a missing 4-year-old autistic boy at Buena Vista Lake came to a tragic end Saturday evening after his body was found in the lake. Amarie Walker was camping with his family who are from Fairfield when he walked away from his campsite around 3 p.m. Saturday, said authorities.
Rapid Return is an offshoot of the department's Project Lifesaver, which started in 2007 as a way to track autistic children and elderly people suffering from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The difference between the two programs is the technology.
Project Lifesaver relied on radio frequency to locate those who might wander off, meaning the missing person would have to be within a one-mile radius of a portable antenna and within a five-mile radius if the antenna was attached to a police helicopter.
Because Rapid Return uses cellphone signals, the missing person can be located anywhere there is a nearby cell tower. As long as a dispatcher can contact a 911 operator in the area where the signal is being transmitted, local police can find the missing person.
"It's better technology," said Sgt. Bill Cheuvront, one of the first officers trained in Howard County's Project Lifesaver, who is now in charge of Rapid Return. "It's a little less burden on the family. They would have to come in every month to charge the battery" on the old devices, he said.
Gov. Pat Quinn and a host of other Illinois lawmakers were in Elmhurst this morning for the signing of House Bill 1610.
The bill provides a new legal use of 911 technology to quickly locate cognitively impaired people who might wander away from home, like children with autism and adults with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
The new law was named after James O’Brien, a child with autism who lives in Elmhurst.
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