💙 A question came up that I think is important to talk about.
Someone mentioned that this shouldn't only apply to autistic children, and that good parents should know where their children are.
First, I want to say that if these protections were expanded to help other vulnerable children and individuals, I would fully support that.
My focus started with autism because I am the father of a Level 3 autistic son, and because autistic children are at a much higher risk of elopement and drowning.
But I also want people to understand:
Autism elopement is not a reflection of good or bad parenting.
You can have locks. You can have alarms. You can have safety plans.
It can still happen in seconds.
Many autistic children who elope may not understand danger, may not respond when their name is called, may hide from rescuers, or may be unable to tell someone who they are or where they live.
For families who have never experienced this, I am truly thankful you don't live with that fear. But for those of us who do, we know how quickly everything can change.
This is why awareness matters. This is why faster alerts matter.
Here is a great explanation of what autism elopement is and why it is different from a child simply wandering away: