At 3 years old my autistic son eloped for the first time. Elopement is a terrifying reality for fifty percent of parents or caregivers of an individual with autism or ASD. Elopement sadly often goes hand in hand with drowning. Individuals with ASD are 160 times more likely to drown than their peers due to eloping. On average 99 children with ASD drown each year making it the leading cause of death in autistic children. To combat these high numbers and prevent heartbreak to hundreds of parents each year, I propose an Autism-Elopement Alert system similar to the Amber alert. The autism-elopement alert would send out a message to nearby people alerting of an autistic individual that eloped and to check all nearby bodies of water such as pools. 
 To better understand why the alert is necessary, you must first understand autism and elopement. 
autism is a developmental disorder impacting the nervous system impairing communication skills and the ability to interact with others. It is also considered a spectrum disorder so it affects all individuals with ASD differently. Individuals with ASD often have high and low sensory receptors making them have a skewed view of danger. 
Eloping is when a child wanders from a safe place away from their parent or caregiver. Elopement affects 49 percent of autistic individuals. Sensory stimulation, lack of communication (such as being nonverbal), and fixations increase the chances of elopement. Elopement poses a dangerous threat to individuals with autism due to their lack of knowing what is dangerous and what is not; making drowning 160 times more likely for individuals with autism than their other peers. 
 Individuals with ASD are often drawn to bodies of water due to its sensory properties. Water offers visual stimulation such as the light reflecting off the water. The sensory affect of the water is often a calming element as well but poses a dangerous threat. An average of 99 children elope and drown each year. 19 deaths on average in the state of Florida alone. According to Palm Beach County 12 children with autism have passed in April 2024- July 2024 alone due to eloping and drowning. 
 As a parent of a child with ASD I believe an alert system similar to the Amber alert to notify when individuals with ASD eloped would drastically help the number of heartbreaking deaths to due to elopement and drowning in the autism community. If we could issue an alert with a description of the individual and to notify neighbors to check surrounding bodies of water, like pools, we could potentially save 100 lives a year. 
By signing this petition you become a voice for others who may not be able to speak for themselves; and bring us one step closer to autism acceptance 

Autism society of Florida 

nationalautismmassociation.org 

learnbehavior.com