14-year-old with Autism Reunited with Family
Published: December 27, 2005
A 14 year old Grand Rapids teen with austism is back home safe after a scary situation that prompted an Amber Alert.
Christopher Overway wandered off for more than seven hours this morning.
This type of situation, unfortunately, is something many families with autistic children live with.
“He took the screen off and took out the glass panes out of every window,” said Overway’s mother Wendy Scott.
The 14-year-old wandered off into the darkness along busy Plainfield Avenue.
For hours, his mother didn’t know where he was and feared the worst.
After a massive search by several agencies, Christopher was spotted not far away by a citizen and reunited with his mother.
Scott says her son wanders off frequently.
“Since he’s been five we’ve been dealing with this. He’s gone through motion detectors, door alarms and ADT.”
This family’s frustration is not that uncommon.
Many children with autism have a tendency to wander off.
There is even a term for it– Elopement.
Parents try many things… door alarms and security systems.
And in Kalamazoo, some are using Project Lifesaver.
That’s a program which started in June. It uses electronic bracelets and helps families find children who wander off.
So far, the program has a 100 percent success rate nationwide.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: