What to do if your child is missing | Autism PDD

Here's another thread I posted on things you can do to keep your child safe. While it may not prevent a wandering child, it will hopefully greatly increase your chances of finding them quickly.

http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16989&am p;PN=3

Good luck,

Chris from WI

Hello,

In light of the little boy missing in Wisconsin, I thought it might be helpful if people posted their thoughts on what to do if your child goes missing.

I've gathered some thoughts from the news reports and people here, and I thought it would be good to have some ideas in case it every happens to one of us. Please add your thoughts as well.

1. Check house, yard, cars, etc. thoroughly, contact neighbors, etc.

2. Have searchers carry things with them that the child likes/find comforting (i.e., flashlights, train cars, stuffed bears, rubber spatulas, whatever your child loves).

3. Play music/TV videos to attract the child. Leave music/TV playing day and night in places the child might access in hopes of drawing him/her out.

4. Someone said to not set up the command center too close to the child's home because it might scare them and deter them from returning.

5. Have searchers sing the child's favorite song softly while they search for him/her (but this might cause them to not hear the child).

6. Alert the searchers to the child's sensitivities. If the child is sound sensitive, don't use loud noises / yell the child's name. If the child is HATES red, have the searchers not wear red. If strobe lights make the child ill, beware of flashing emergency vehicle lights.

Any other thoughts/ideas?

Chris from WI



Oh, someone said their child loved popcorn, and if he wandered off, she'd be setting up microwaves everywhere in hopes that the scent and sound would draw him out. 

My son escaped once at age 2.  He was gone only for a couple minutes before I noticed, and I totally panicked.  I yelled his name, not realizing he didn't know how to respond.  I ran to the brook first, and ran up to the road second.  Luckily some municipal workers drove by and stopped to help me.  The one man spotted footprints in the snow outside our fence.  The footprints led to the neighbor's backyard.  And there he was.  So the lessons I learned were:

1)  Stay calm!

2)  Look for footprints, if there's snow or mud.

Having a cell phone with you is also important. 

any site you have seen that have id for shoes for boys?

Anyone else have ideas or experiences to add?

• If your child is missing from home, search the house checking closets, piles of laundry, in and under beds, inside large appliances, and inside vehicles, including trunks—wherever a child may crawl or hide.

• If you still cannot find your child, immediately call your local law enforcement agency.

• If your child disappears in a store, notify the store manager or security office. Then immediately call your local law-enforcement agency. Many stores have a Code Adam plan of action— if a child is missing in the store, employees immediately mobilize to look for the missing child.

• When you call law enforcement, provide your child's name, date of birth, heigth, weight, and any other unique identifiers such as eyeglasses and braces. Tell them when you noticed that your child was missing and what clothing he or she was wearing.

• Request that your child's name and identifying information be immediately entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person File.

• After you have reported your child missing to law enforcement, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on our toll-free telephone number: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). Or you can use our Live Hotline to talk to NCMEC through our web site

they now sell gps for kids now. They got cellphones that you can attach to their bookbags ,ankle, etc... this will help you find them immediately. sounds like a good idea,for theose parents who have kids who tend to runaway a lot.  http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/vbsik.htmlmosesjr39252.7355787037

What to do now:

-compose and put together a list of all your immediate neighbors phone numbers.  If you have their cell numbers, add that in.  Write a note explaining that in the outside chance of an emergency, you might need their help in a phone tree for people to go look for your child.  List all your own pertinent info, including your cell and spouses cell, etc.  Now, put these two sheets back to back and laminate them.

-deliver this laminated package to each and every neighbor. Take your kid with you and introduce them.  Ask them to stick this emergency sheet in their junk drawer in the kitchen. Handing them a plate of cookies isn't a bad idea, either.

-program your telephones, home and cell, with every neighbors phone number.

I have an email list of all my neighbors and am going to write them this week and ask for phone numbers.  Will explain about Cole and tell what happened to young Benjy.

Cole slipped out of our damaged fence (smashed during hurricane katrina) while I was putting a sweatshirt on Jack.  He was gone for maybe 2 minutes, wouldn't answer my calls. I locked Jack in the house & ran out back.  Good guess - he was headed to the pond, and had I glanced in that direction maybe 10 seconds later, I would've had my view blocked by a little hill. I hauled a__ and barely caught him before he got into the water. FREAKED me out!

I should've done this laminated phone tree before. 

This is a very interesting thread!!

This has taken place 2 times now right down the road from us.  Both times the helicopter from the county sheriff department was flying around looking for the boy.  I had my 3 kids with me the first time so i couldn't do anything.  It struck me though as they were flying above for an hour that the boy was probably even more terrified NOW than he was before.  When i heard them saying over the PA that it was a boy with Autism I thought immediately of my daughter. 

The next time this happen I couldn't sit at home.  My DH was home and I heard the helicopters saying AUTISM again.  I called dispatch and they gave his description.  I walked over to the open area they found him at the last time.  The last time they found the boy, he had taken his clothing off and was hiding in some brush.  EVERYONE was out there looking this second time.  He ended up miles away from his home in front of some random strangers home.

I have wondered since then if there is something people can get for their child that would help locate them.  My thinking is though that a cell phone she either wouldn't pick up or could easily toss it or leave it. 

I just needed to add a big thank you.  I just found out the city I live in has this program in place.  I have already emailed them in hopes of finding out more information so we may become part of this program.Lots of really great ideas here. Two more:

Make sure you have a recent photo of your child along w/ personal stats
(ht, wt, etc.). Often, local police, schools, etc. will gather all of this on a
thick, laminated card w/ cd-rom (pocket-size) of your child (ChildFind, I
believe is the company). We have a kit for our older dd, and need to get
one made for our youngest.

We recently made a medical ID bracelet for our dd. So far, she is okay
with wearing it (although, she isn't wearing it all the time).
StickyJewelry.com had some cute designs. In the fall, when she is out of
her crocs, I will purchase the ID tags that go onto sneakers, as w/ dd's
sensory issues, she'll handle that better. You can also buy a fabric
stamper or tags for your children's clothing w/ their i.d. info too.I hope everyone has a chance to read this very important topic, and share any advice/tips they may have.

LOVE all the links, tips, info.... INVALUABLE !!!!

Just yesterday I was in SEARS and they called a CODE ADAM for someone's little boy. 

(bump)

The product is available at the following webshop, which also has other safety products such as an affordable magnetic door/window alarm (goes off when magnetic contact is broken, for a set of 2).

http://www.mypreciouskid.com/child-locator.html

There's also child tracking devises in form of a watch that works like theGPS and you can sign up with the firm and locate them several different ways

Google child tracking devises theres more out there then you think with much  wider ranges just looked it up myself today since my son developed  the tendency to wander now will give some internet adresses later have to write them down first

I've read somewhere that once it is established that the child is not in the home or property that it is very important to check pools. lakes, ponds, creeks and other areas of water first.  Autistic children tend to be attracted to water, and drowning is the #1 cause of death in autistic children.Yes - you are right. That's why this post was started originally. There were several children who had autism who drowned this summer. Thanks for bumping up the post - it's VERY important!
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