15-Be Prepared

    Any good Boy Scout has learned that motto well. "Be prepared"! In case they get lost in the woods they should know how put up a tent, find food and start a fire. Well when you have a kid with Autism, they like to "elope" and they have a fascination with water,and I have learned to be prepared! Robbie wore an ID bracelet and he learned how to swim at an early age. (I talked about eloping in episode 9, when I took Robbie for a walk.)

    I was moved by a story in the news about Avonte Oquendo, a 14 year old boy in New York who had Autism, who ran out of his school and was missing for 4 months. They recently found his body 11 miles away in the river. If you're not familiar with the story, here it is.

http://nypost.com/2014/01/18/avonte-may-have-been-running-from-dog-drowned-police-theory/

    This was probably our number one fear throughout Robbie's life. One of the first times he ever ran away was during the fireworks on July 4th when he was 3 years old. I talk about all of this in this video.

                                                           Episode 22 "Be Prepared"

     Since shooting this video, I have read that they are trying to write an "Avonte's Law" and get funding for tracking devices to find "runners". Let me stress that I feel strongly this should be voluntary, and it should be a parent's choice to use a tracking device for their child. We don't need Big Brother to begin tracking everyone ;-) I know I would want one for Robbie, but it should not ever become a mandatory law.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/01/29/justice-department-to-fund-avontes-law-proposal-to-offer-tracking-devices-for-autistic-kids/


     Avonte's Law, from what I understand, would be that the government will fund the tracking device, rather than parents have to pay for it themselves. Here is an article that talks a little more about the device.

http://nycitylens.com/2014/02/parents-of-autistic-kids-look-to-tracking-devices-for-help/

 

     In case you missed Episode 9, where I talked about "eloping", here it is.

6-"Sorting it out"

      Sunday December 22, 2013  Episode 9- "Sorting it out"

     The weather was incredible this day, it was 70*! So to keep Robbie busy we went for a walk around the block. Throughout his life he has run away many times. A couple of our neighbors have pools and he usually went toward the pools, but never got in. And, yes, he can swim. I'll show that in another blog. Sometimes he ran through the woods and I had to chase him in bare feet through the mud. Other times he snuck out and we had to call 911 for the police to find him. One time my husband heard the call in his truck and the guys working with him said "That sounds like they're talking about your son" and he said "No it can't be, it's too far away from my house". Sure enough, it was Robbie! Thank God the police in my town know Robbie. We got him a medical I.D. bracelet with his address on it which he wore for a while, but always managed to get it off.
    I learned a new word when he moved in to the first group home. It's called "Eloping" when they do this. They asked if he ever eloped, LOL, and I thought they were asking if he ever ran away and got married! I figured it would be a good idea, in case he ever decided to elope from the new home, to teach him to turn left outside, rather than turn right toward the busy road. When I take him along on my own fitness walk he knows the way, and always knows exactly where to go. So I decided to teach him his new surroundings.
    Also, you'll see Robbie show off his sorting skills. This is an activity he learned in school, which helps with job skills.