MISSING NON-ABDUCTED CHILDREN WITH COGNITIVE DISABILITIES
| 1. WHEREAS, | Nearly five percent of children in California have been identified with autism spectrum disorder, a type of cognitive disability, and between one quarter and one half of all autistic children wander or bolt without notifying or asking their parents, caregivers, or teachers; and |
| 2. WHEREAS, | Wandering often ends in serious injury or death; and |
| 3. WHEREAS, | There is no centralized database throughout California containing a registry of vulnerable children with cognitive disabilities and helpful information for law enforcement and emergency personnel to locate missing vulnerable children with cognitive disabilities and more effectively assist in an emergency; and |
| 4. WHEREAS, | California has no effective alert system solely for quickly locating non-abducted missing children with cognitive disabilities; and |
| 5. WHEREAS, | Training and education for law enforcement and emergency personnel, parents, families, caregivers, and community are needed to successfully implement a centralized database and a new alert system; now therefore be it |
| 1. RESOLVED, | That the California State PTA and its units, councils, and districts be informed about, and educated on, the need for more laws to protect, locate, and safely return non-abducted missing children with cognitive disabilities; and be it further |
| 2. RESOLVED, | That the California State PTA and its units, councils, and districts seek and support legislation that establishes a centralized statewide database that is voluntary for families with children with cognitive disabilities and that would assist law enforcement and emergency personnel in safely locating and returning non-abducted missing children with cognitive disabilities; and be it further |
| 3. RESOLVED, | That the California State PTA and its units, councils, and districts seek and support legislation that establishes a new alert system to locate non-abducted missing children with cognitive disabilities; and be it further |
| 4. RESOLVED, | That the California State PTA and its units, councils, and districts encourage and support training for law enforcement and emergency personnel about the database and the alert system once authorized by law and operational; and be it further |
| 5. RESOLVED, | That the California State PTA and its units, councils, and districts encourage and support education for families, caregivers, educators, and communities about the database and the alert system once authorized by law and operational. |
BACKGROUND SUMMARY
Evelyn. Mohamed. Lionel. Eliana. Everett. Those are just a few names of autistic children who went missing in the United States. They were not abducted. They merely wandered away unnoticed. All were found dead. Nearly five percent of California children, or 1 in 22, are diagnosed as autistic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And about half of autistic kids wander, according to the Interactive Autism Network, leading to potentially dangerous circumstances.
Autistic wanderers often don’t understand risks or consequences and struggle with impulse control. They are vulnerable when alone because they are not necessarily aware of their surroundings. When autistic kids feel unsafe, their nervous systems become overstimulated, and they may go into fight-or-flight mode. Some may struggle with communication and memory challenges under duress. Autistic kids’ behaviors may confuse law enforcement and emergency responders unfamiliar with neurodivergence.
Every second counts when searching for missing children with cognitive disabilities, including autism, because the situation can quickly become a matter of life or death. However, no centralized database connects California law enforcement agencies effectively and efficiently to hasten the search. Because they left of their own freewill, these missing children don’t qualify for an Amber alert, which is for abducted children. There is no well-known dedicated alert system for children with cognitive disabilities who go missing. Both a centralized database and a well-publicized, dedicated alert system are needed.
Some cities and counties across California have set up local registries in which families can voluntarily register their disabled dependents. Being hit by a moving vehicle and drowning are the most common causes of death when a child with cognitive disabilities goes missing, so the databases include instructions about how to approach the missing child so they don’t flee again. Autistic kids are 160 times more likely to die from drowning than their neurotypical peers, according to the National Autism Association. Database information can include whether children are attracted to water and if they can swim.
Resulting databases contain helpful information to better assist law enforcement and emergency personnel, but the databases are not accessible to every agency. A centralized database is needed in emergency situations so that tragedies can be avoided. A dedicated alert system could encourage the public to help find a missing child with cognitive disabilities who has wandered.
A database and an alert system for non-abducted, cognitively disabled missing children could have saved Redlands’ Everett Molino, who slipped away while at a church gathering. During the search, residents on the far side of town saw the autistic 15-year-old, but no one was looking for him there. Hours later, California Highway Patrol (CHP) had possession of Everett’s lifeless body nine miles from where he disappeared. Everett had been struck by a car on the freeway, but CHP officers didn’t know there was a missing child or a local search. A centralized database and a dedicated alert system could have helped Everett and many other children. PTA leaders can help make these technologies a reality in California.