One Parent’s Plea for Better Laws / Police Training to Protect Autistic Children

We recently came across an article published on the Augusta Chronicle website that that we want to bring to your attention.

This article, “People with autism need to be protected with new law,” was written by Kinshasa S. Reese, the mother of an autistic son and U.S. Army Reserve sergeant pursuing her master’s degree in social work. It gives an insightful and frightening look at some the things parents fear and lose sleep over in regards to their autistic children, such as WANDERING, also called eloping. Wandering is defined as a dependent person exposing him or herself to potential danger by leaving a supervised, safe space or the care of a responsible person.

The author goes on to discuss the fact that policies need to be implemented and/or expanded to protect the safety of autistic individuals, such as the Kevin and Avonte’s Law, an important policy bill passed by the U.S. Senate in July, with a companion bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. It was named in honor of two boys with autism who perished after wandering away from their locations. Kevin and Avonte’s Law amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The primary focus is to reauthorize the Missing Alzheimer Disease Patient Alert Program and promote initiatives that will reduce the risk of injury and death relating to wandering characteristics of some children with autism.

For more information, READ: People with autism need to be protected with new law (opens in new window)