BALTIMORE, Md. — In the summer heat, drowning is a fear for many parents of young kids. That fear may be even stronger if they have a child with autism. They're 160 times more likely to drown than their peers.
"Autistic individuals sometimes have sensory needs and that would encourage them to seek out water. They're also at an increased risk because they don't communicate as often and as well, as effectively than some of their peers. And there is about 50% of autistic individuals who wander," Bonnie Van Metre, autism specialist at Kennedy Krieger's Center for Autism Services, Science, and Innovation (CASSI), told WMAR-2 News' Elizabeth Worthington.
Three families have faced the tragedy already this summer in Maryland.
In June, 6-year-old Marcel Traore was found in the waters of Lynch Cove in Dundalk after his family reported him missing. It happened twice in July in Montgomery County - 3-year-old Ace was found in a pool, and 6-year-old Fawzan Hassan was discovered in a pond. All three children had autism, and two of them were nonverbal.
Van Metre encourages families she works with to get their kids swimming lessons. But she also recommends tapping into your community as a resource.
"I would just encourage parents that if their child does have a tendency to wander, to let your community know, call the police and just give them a heads up."
Montgomery County Police Officer Amy Stoughton also suggests sending out letters to your neighbors, informing them you have a child who might wander off.
"We actually provide them [families] with safety t-shirts, which is a shirt that says, 'I have autism. If you see me alone, call 911" Stoughton said.
The Montgomery County police department is one of just a few departments in the country that has a has a dedicated outreach unit to serve people with autism, Alzheimer's and dementia, and intellectual or developmental disabilities. The officers work closely with the public school system to build relationships with students who have autism, and even do home visits for local families of at-risk kids.
"We average here in Montgomery County probably 3 to 8 finds a week with children with wandering or adults with Alzheimer's or dementia," Stoughton told WMAR-2 News. "There have been some instances where we have found our kiddos with autism, that we know ahead of time - hey, look, they usually go to water. We've actually had to do some water rescues where our officers have gone in in the water, in their uniform, and made a rescue. So that can happen."
Both experts we talked to stressed the same point; if your child goes missing, don't wait to call 911.
"I think that initially their gut reaction may be to go and search for the child themselves. The police have a very large team and force behind them. They would be able to find the child faster," Van Metre said.
"Even if you find your child in the next 10 seconds, they might be hiding under a bed, it's ok. Call 911 back. We would rather err on the side of the caution. And that goes for the community too. If you see someone, and you think they might be in danger or might need help, say something. Call 911. If you're wrong, so be it. We would rather err on the side of caution," Stoughton said.
The Montgomery County Police outreach officers provide training to police in other counties, and they're hoping more departments follow their lead in prioritizing autism education and awareness.