Autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder, affects millions of kids around the globe. What’s most challenging about the spectrum disorder is the child’s tendency to wander off. In fact, escaping and wandering is so common that an estimate suggests over half of kids with the condition tends to wander off from safe places. This behavior usually peaks at age four, but about 30 percent of the kids with autism between the ages of seven and 10 still wander.
Wandering can be perilous and sometimes ends in tragedy. One research pointed out that of the wandering incidents that caused parents or guardians to worry, 65 percent were involved a close call with traffic while 32 percent nearly ended in drowning. And just last year a 9-year-old autistic boy in Florida, Leo Walker was found dead in a pond by the police a few weeks after he went missing.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first of its kind of incident, we have seen our fair share of such stories where kids with autism lost their lives while innocently wandering from their homes. This is a painful reminder of why more needs to be done to save our children from the dangers of wandering.
Why Do Kids with Autism Wander?
One of the most common and damaging myths is that kids with autism wander because of inattentive child-rearing or irresponsible parenting. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Offspring can wander from any setting including their school or home and even when they are under the supervision of an adult. The study suggests that children with special needs wander for a variety of reasons. For some wandering proves helpful in coping with anxiety or sensory overwhelm.
In these circumstances, an adolescent might head for water because this tends to have a calming effect on an anxious kid. But, for others, wandering is something they do as they simply enjoy running or are curious to explore. Numerous researches have indicated that 54 percent of special kids wander simply because they like to explore.
However, the most worrying of all is the study which suggests that parents of kids with special needs received advice or guidance on how to manage their kid’s wandering. To protect the kids, this needs to change. It is anticipated that with collective action and enough awareness, we can avert future tragedies from happening.
Measures to Protect Offspring with Autism
While more kids with autism getting lost, the U.S. Senator Charles Schumer proposed to the federal government to provide funding for monitoring or tracking devices for autistic children so they don’t go missing. The proposed tracking devices are likely to be worn as anklets, wristwatches, or clipped on to shoelaces or belt loops. Charles Schumer wasn’t the only person who has suggested the government to use the tracking devices. 
The Police Chief Buddy Williams and the police department in Florida are also keen on using the technology like GPS to find the missing children with special needs as they were among those who searched for Leo Walker. The police are aware of the GPS technology benefits for old people suffering from Alzheimer and how it is being used by their caretakers and children to know their parents’ whereabouts.
This gave birth to the most important question: What should parents of special kids do until then?
Tracking Solution for Special Kids’ Parents
What many parents do not know is already some very reliable tracking solutions are available on the market in the form of cellphone tracking application. With special kids also having an addiction for smartphones, it easier than ever to track them at any hour of the day from anywhere leveraging a tracking app for disabled; for instance, XNSPY. This will help parents relax as they no longer need to worry or keep wondering why their kid is at or whether he or she should be at any particular place.
Tragedies involving kids with autism are becoming commonplace, which has instilled a strong sense of fear in parents. As a result, they have grown more concerned than ever about the safety of their youngsters. Being able to swiftly track their special child’s current whereabouts with a cellphone tracking application when something is amiss proffer at least some peace of mind to parents. It is why a lot of them have already started investing in tracking apps for disabled.
Xnspy or another cellphone tracking app can also help you spot suicidal tendencies in your special kid as you can eavesdrop on phone surroundings and even peek into their web browsing history and online communication. Special kids generally get an idea of suicide from the internet. By peeping into their browsing history, parents can get a gist of what’s happening in their kid’s head. They can gauge if the child is mentally disturbed, or someone has abused them, or they are thinking about giving up their lives. 
More importantly, tracking apps for disabled won’t blow your budget. A reliable monitoring app can be subscribed for as low as $8 a month. In case, you are looking to up your monitoring game, premium plans can quench your thirst. Sure, it will cost you a bit more, but they won’t break your bank.
References