Autism Team: Changing Lives
“Everyday across the world, the medical symptoms of hundreds of thousands of people with autism are ignored.” Watch and share this amazing trailer and help The Autism Team get John’s and similar stories into the public eye- Click here to watch.
Read MoreAnother Child With Autism Drowns. Before You Judge, Know the Research.
In recent weeks, three children with autism have drowned after wandering away from a safe setting. I wish I could say this is uncommon. From 2009 to 2011, accidental drowning accounted for 91%1 of total U.S. deaths in children with autism ages 14 and younger subsequent to wandering/elopement, and these are only the ones we know of. Of those, 23% were in the care of someone other than a parent. Each spring, NAA sees missing-person reports skyrocket in the autism community, and sadly, fatalities. Because our staff monitors these incidents closely, we often come across comments that...
Read MoreAutism, Schools, and Unsupervised Transitions
On Tuesday, yet another child with autism wandered away from a school setting. According to WCJB TV in Gainesville, the boy’s family had no idea the school was allowing him to walk unattended from one class to another. Instead of walking to his special needs class, the boy left campus, passing the front office, the playground, and eventually – after crossing four lanes of traffic – made it home safely. School elopement following unsupervised transitions is becoming more common* in our community. Sadly, many wandering incidents end in tragedy. Just in the last few weeks, two children...
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