Take Me Home

It’s no secret that a lot of parents of kiddos with Autism feel helpless, scared and angry pretty often. Many of them live in fear that their child will wander away and become lost, hurt or even die. It’s certainly a very real fear and unfortunately I think most kids with Autism wander away at some point. I know we have lost Nick in more stores than I can count and once at a large amusement park. Many kids with Autism are attracted to water and immediately head for a pool, pond or any other body of water once they wander away. Many ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) kids also have little or no understanding about safety and will get right into a pond or pool even if they are unable to swim. These are both true for Nick…..no understanding of safety and LOVES water! In fact, the day he wandered away at the amusement park, he was attracted to the small water park area and went back into it to play longer. The day of the “escape” from our house, Nick had been begging to go play out in the rain. Even if you don’t live near a body of water, the fear of wandering is very real. Many kids with ASD do not fear strangers, are not afraid to be separated from parents, will not respond to their names and will even hide from people searching for them.

Some of you may or may not be aware that I work in Law Enforcement and that I have been assigned to the Dispatch division for the last 6 years. I started to notice officers seemed to be encountering a lot of kids (and adults) who had wandered off and were non-verbal. This often happened in the middle of the night or very early morning hours when their caregivers were still asleep. It took lots of time for officers to reunite the kids or adults with their family members, because they had to knock on every door in the area and search for a caregiver. More often than not, the lost person would be brought to the police station to sit and wait for someone to realize they were missing. It scared me to think that this is probably exactly what would happen to Nick if he ever managed another escape. He can answer some questions, but cannot elaborate on them and certainly does not know his address. For instance, “What is your name?” will get the short and simple answer, “Nick.” We are trying to teach him his last name, but he hasn’t been able to remember it so far. The question, “How old are you?” will get the simplest answer also, “five.” Who knows what he would say if he were asked, “Where do you live?” or “Where’s your mommy or daddy?” My best guess is that he would respond with a silly answer that has nothing to do with the question. He knows he should respond to a question, but isn’t able to really process and answer that question very well.

So…..knowing that this was a real problem, I went to my supervisor at work and asked what he thought about some sort of Law Enforcement database for non-verbal people? I was given the green light to figure out who would qualify, how it would be implemented etc and was told that it could then be presented to our division supervisor. I worked hard for weeks, searching the internet for similar programs, making a power point presentation, typing up forms and scouring dispatch calls where non-verbal people were encountered. I discovered an excellent program called, “Take Me Home” that was developed about 8 years ago by a Pensacola, FL police officer. The program is now being used in states all over the U.S. I contacted the officer who designed the program. He was so kind and shared all of his information, the software and gave me permission to use his program in Johnson County. Finally, when I had the presentation ready, I showed it to my division supervisor. She loved it and asked me to present it to the entire Command Staff! I was SO nervous, but I knew I had to do this if I really wanted it to work. So…..two weeks later, I presented the program to the Sheriff, Undersheriff, Majors and Captains for my entire agency……and held my breath. Immediately after I finished, the Sheriff said that he fully supported the project and that we should work to implement it! Thank you baby Jesus!! LOL
For the next couple of months, we worked on designing our own software and figured out how this program would actually be implemented. On February 10th, I held the first open registration for Johnson County’s Take Me Home program! I was soooooo excited and happy and scared at that first registration. What if we were overwhelmed with applicants? What if nobody showed up? My fears turned out to be unnecessary. We had a total of 33 applicants that first evening. It was so awesome to meet the many kids and adults being registered and to speak with their families. Many of them told me how frightened they were about the potential for wandering. They were grateful for a program that could help a loved one get home fast if they did wander and could not tell an officer their contact information. I met adults with Alzheimer’s, kids and adults with Autism, Down Syndrome and many, many other genetic or cognitive disabilities.

At the end of the night, exhausted and ready to go home and see my kids, my husband (who was also working at registration) said something that really stuck in my mind. He said, “Wow…..we are really lucky….we could have it so much worse…..I’m so grateful for our boys.” And you know what?? He’s right….we do have it good. Many of the people we registered could not speak at all, could not walk, express affection, had lots of medical issues, had such severe stimming that they hurt themselves and their caregivers etc. I might feel sorry for myself sometimes, but I also remember how lucky I am and now I have seen just how bad it could be.

As of right now, we have received over 100 registrations for the Take Me Home program and we continue to receive more almost every day! I talk to many parents who tell me how grateful they are for the program and that it makes them feel more at ease. When I tell them I have two kids on the ASD spectrum, it’s like they are talking to a kindred spirit…..someone who knows where they have been and what they are going through. I feel like I’m making a difference and using my experience to help others…..and that’s good for the soul!