Help Autistic Children Get Tracking Bracelets

The day my daughter went missing was the worst day of my life.

She is autistic and at four years old she left our home and wandered away. Running down the road on the phone with 911, I discovered her down the street where a good samaritan had seen her running in the road and pulled over to stop her.

We were lucky that day.

The study "Mortality & Risk in ASD Wandering/Elopement," found that nearly a third of reported autistic missing person cases related to wandering/elopement from 2011 to 2016 in the United States ended in death or required medical attention.

Autistic children under 5 faced the highest lethal risk with cases ending in death nearly 60% of the time.

Approximately 50% of children with autism engage in elopement behaviors. Studies show that a disproportionate risk is seen among black individuals with ASD, as well as a higher lethal risk for females on the spectrum.

Today my daughter wears a tracking bracelet issued by our Sheriff's department in conjunction with Project Lifesaver. In the event she ever elopes again, she can be tracked to her precise location, in live time, regardless of whether there is cell signal nearby.

To date, Project Lifesaver has made 3000 successful rescues.

Project Lifesaver is a program for individuals with cognitive disabilities such as autism, dementia, Alzheimer's, or traumatic brain injury who have a history of wandering from home.

Tracking bracelets are free to families but as the program in my county is run on donations, there is currently a long waiting list. As of August of 2024, there are 49 families waiting for a tracking bracelet through Project Lifesaver.

The cost to clear the waiting list is $20,500