Please help get this passed! We’ve heard from our National Autism Society office and our Senator needs to hear from us (Texans!) tonight & tomorrow (Thursday 4/14). Please email Senator Cornyn’s office and ask for his support for Kevin & Avonte’s Law which would would provide the necessary resources and training for first responders to better prevent and respond to ASD wandering cases, and facilitate the development of training and emergency protocols for school personnel and other community officials. The bill would also be used to establish or enhance notification and communications systems for the recovery of missing children with ASD. We feel strongly these efforts will serve as a critical step in preventing further deaths in our community. You can cut and paste the letter below into an email. Please do this on 4/13 in the evening, or 4/14 morning. It is on the Judiciary Committee meeting agenda for 4/14 in the morning!
Email to: Sen. Cornyn’s staffer, Carter Burwell, carter_burwell@judiciary-rep.senate.gov
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Re: S. 2614, Kevin and Avonte’s Law
Dear Senator Cornyn;
In Burleson, TX, a five-year-old boy with autism named Zachary wandered away from his home and into a hot car where he was later found dead. Not long after, Aiden, age 6, was struck and killed after walking away from a restaurant in Highlands, TX. He also had autism. These are just two recent deaths in the autism community following a wandering incident.
In fact, from 2011 to 2015, 31% of autism-related wandering cases that happened in Texas ended in death.
These cases, along with countless others, underscore the importance of creating resources to prevent, and better respond to, ASD wandering.
In 2012, a study published in Pediatrics found that almost half of children with autism wander from safe settings. NAA’s own data on lethal outcomes from 2011 to 2015 also shows:
- Children with ASD age 9 & younger died after wandering away from a safe setting 44% of the time
- Primary causes of death were drowning (73%) and struck by a vehicle (12%)
- In 2015, lethal outcomes nearly doubled over the previous year
If enacted, S.2614, Kevin and Avonte’s Law, would provide the necessary resources and training for first responders to better prevent and respond to ASD wandering cases, and facilitate the development of training and emergency protocols for school personnel and other community officials. The bill would also be used to establish or enhance notification and communications systems for the recovery of missing children with ASD. We feel strongly these efforts will serve as a critical step in preventing further deaths in our community.
On behalf of Autism Society of Texas and our members, we extend our sincerest gratitude for your commitment to protecting our nation’s most vulnerable citizens. We ask you to stand in full support of S. 2614, Kevin and Avonte’s Law.
Sincerely,
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