1 Damn, good news for a change. And yes, this is rare.

2 Well, at least he wasn't pimped out by the OWS crowd.

3 This is the kind of good news we need more of.

4 Speaking of cold weather, where do I go to get my carbon-tax rebate?

5 Great news!

6

"There is a God, and prayers are answered."

And for this, I'm Thankful. And Andy, may He give you and your family, (and anyone else in a similar situation) strength. B'Boy² was born with multiple birth defects (just skin and bone, fixed with numerous surgeries, but still...), so I know the feeling well.

7

Hanover is about 45 minutes up I-95 from us, so this was all over the Richmond news, especially the reports of the huge numbers who turned out to volunteer.  I can't tell you how proud I was to hear that 2,000 volunteer searchers showed up when officials finally decided they needed more help than the professionals.

Contrast this to the Chinese toddler who was struck TWICE by hit-and-run drivers and ignored by 17 pedestrians until a bag lady finally tended to her and alerted the mother.  That little girl died in the hospital a couple days ago.  That's the difference between a Christian country and a Communist country.  Got that, Barack?

8

Amazing. I have a young nephew with autism, and he too does not speak. If you do not watch him like a hawk, he will run away. The kid can run like the wind. Kids with autism need little GPS wrist bands. I swear.

9 I am very happy for his family, who were undoubtedly terrified for him.  This reminds me of a little autistic boy who floated through a swamp for four days many years ago and was found by a fisherman.

10 Andy, Thank you for sharing this story and your personal story. Project Lifesaver seems like a great tool. Again, thank you for sharing.

11 Posted by: RushBabe at October 29, 2011 10:27 AM (tQHzJ)

I Respectfully disagree about the "Christian" part. Of course the Judeo-Christian morality of the value of life is paramount, but it is also a product of Western civilization.

For example, some of the first responders to the Turkish earthquake were from Israel: a country that Turkey has been vilifying and threatening. Why would the Israelis bother? 

However, it is a delight to have as the catalyst for disagreement a wonderful outcome such as Robbie's!

12 I'll take the little miracles over the big ones any day.

13 Project Lifesaver. What a great idea. I'm surprised that it hasn't been publicized more.

14 I am happy that they found this little guy.  I am a father of three, all age 5 and under.  The though of one of them being out in the elements alone is terrifying.  


"Contrast this to the Chinese toddler..."
Aside from the depraved indifference of the people who walked by, the driver later stated that he knew he had hit her, and left without helping her (running her over a second time!) because he knew that if she died, he would have to pay the family a much smaller amount (@$3500 USD) than if she survived (5 x the amount with medical costs thrown in).

15 Like I just said on that news site's comments page, get a herder dog, like a Border Collie. The dog will never lose track of the child. Anyway, great news, makes today seem so much better, in spite of the weather.

16

Great news! And Andy kudos to you for having the forsight to make the preparations for the unthinkable. Hopefully information about this type of technology will become more widespread. Even though I do not know anyone who needs it (any longer).

Do you have any information on where/how to go about setting this kind of system up and how much it costs?

17 I know this area. You'd figure the blood hounds would have been brought out.

18 I have a close friend with an mildly autistic boy (whatever that means) and it seems he gets distracted by the tiniest of things, its difficult at times to keep his attention. You have to really be on your toes or he can disappear in seconds. Its seems music therapy is working wonders for him, that... and treating him just like the other kids appears to be effective way helping the little guy along. Cute kid, me and Mrs dananjcon spoil him every chance we get.
 

19 Great news and nice insight on technological advances in mitigating such mass anxiety.


_{Hey Andy could you get one of those anklets and strap it around Ace's neck?
Maybe next time he goes to the movies before an epic review one of us could be alerted and go pull a fire alarm.}

20 Thank you for the "project lifesaver" link.

21 Drudge links to another miracle: according to Alter, Obama is scandal-free. Halleluia!

22 M3Y34K Thank you very much! I took it for myself too. Will be useful!!...

23 OT but I posted this on a dead thread. The person that asked about the Keurig cups (can't c&p cause I got a not so smart smart phone) you can buy cups that you can fill with your own coffee. Look on Amazon, or go to Keurig website or Bed Bath&Beyond. One of those should have them and it's way cheaper

24 I don't get why the same people that make tracking chips for pets don't have them certified for use in humans. It would be a lifesaver for autistic children and the elderly with dementia if all it took was a call to Lo-jack to locate them.

25
Hello?

26 I guess his guardian angel was hard at work this week. Good for him.

27
I am lost in a cornfield maze.

Hello?

28 They had so many volunteers show up that they had to turn them away and ask them to come back later. My nephew has an autistic son (obviously so) who the school has diagnosed with "spectrum disorder" and put in a special class with one other child. The parents WILL NOT come out of their denial and get him the help or the resources he needs because they just don't want it to be true. He couldn't be more obviously autistic but they just won't see it. Even after their divorce they won't admit it. What worries me is that he's sorta violent and at 8 that's a problem, at 15 it's a disaster.

29 Off, sock

30
I can see lights and hear people.

But I am lost. All I see is walls of corn.

Indians call it maize, by the way.

31

 The person that asked about the Keurig cups (can't c&p cause I got a not so smart smart phone) you can buy cups that you can fill with your own coffee.

 

Rancilio Silvia.  That's what you want to make your coffee,

32 That Sheriff (I'll call him Hoss) is straight outta Dukes of Hazzard.

Did they use bloodhounds?  Seems like the thing to do in that situation, and in that general area of the US.

33 #15,
1.6 billion people and a semi-communist/oligarchical-corporate-state makes life very cheap.

That's partially why the middle and upper classes in China are adopting Christianity to some degree. It's an effort to find some comfort in a moral system which values life.

34 My son invented a weighted belt which is really helping children with autism, ADHD, and other sensory issues with focus, concentration, calming, and body awareness.  Just talked with him and if you want one of these sensory aids, just put "ace" in the coupon code box for a 10% discount.  The website is www.miraclebelt.com

35
You sending the dogs for me?

Okay, I'll yell hello, K9! when I hear them coming.

36 Mazola corn goodness.

37 No, soothie....the dogs are coming after you, not for you....

RELEASE THE HOUNDS!!!

38 They used to have a Sheriff Cook who had a Doctorate in Sheriffology and who taught at the University.

39 >>Okay, I'll yell hello, K9! when I hear them coming.
Posted by: soothie at October 29, 2011 11:21 AM (sqkOB)

My dogs are in training so keep runnin' and they'll get you

40 www.filters-king.com, filters wholesale, filters manufacturer, spare filter parts

41 26 I don't get why the same people that make tracking chips for pets don't have them certified for use in humans. It would be a lifesaver for autistic children and the elderly with dementia if all it took was a call to Lo-jack to locate them.

Posted by: Blue Falcon in Boston training for the ONT mudwrestling match at October 29, 2011 11:15 AM (ijjAe)

 

My understanding of the "tracking chips" for pets is that they are not so much 'tracking' as 'identifying'. You have to have a reader within a few inches of the chip in order to scan it. (Which is why they are generally placed in specific locations on pets.) They are useful for identifying lost of stolen animals but not for tracking them in the real world.

42 Have Blue is right.  My dog came with the RFID microchip standard.  They always put them between the shoulders so they can just run the scanner over their backs and check the registered owner.

For something that actually transmits at range, you're looking at something more the size of the bigger box on Andy's kid's ankle bracelet, plus you have to occasionally change the batteries, so surgical implantation isn't really that viable an option, since with current tech there'll always be something to maintain power that can be disconnected.

43

Dogs for autistic kids, not always a good idea.  My autistic son will get nose to nose with a growling dog and growl right back.  Growling is funny!

The weighted blankets and vests...I have no idea why they work so beautifully, they just do.  I'll look into the belt.

44

Every parent's nightmare.  Kids can and do slip away so quickly.  When mine were small I was constantly counting heads and my most recurring nightmare was losing one of them.  Thank God and all the volunteers, he was found alive.

45 Love to hear good news like this! When my husband was a boy, his disabled neighbor got lost in the VA woods during a game of hide and seek. He was never found. Now 40 years later, he won't let our kids play hide and seek even in the house.

46 Great news and thanks for the mention of the Lifesaver bracelet. My youngest (5 yrs old) granddaughter is also autistic and don't speak. I'll be looking into getting one immediately. Thank you!

47

On the boy's safe return: Alleluia, thank God! That's a long time for *anyone* to be missing, especially a child. I've got a normal 8-year-old son and can't imagine the stark terror.

 

On the Chinese: Life has been cheap, unfortunately, for a long time there. I remember watching a documentary on their first emperor and the building of the Great Wall. Anyplace that builds a tomb, and then seals in the artists and architects when it's completed, is not off to a good start. I think they discredited the story about using bodies of worked-to-death slaves to fill in the Wall, though.

48 49: They probably didn't do the most extreme forms of it; that is, the rumors that they buried tons of people in there as filler as a design feature.  It wouldn't surprise me if they just dumped bodies in if they happened to die nearby, which happens in a lot of the huge construction projects.  There's a few dead guys in some of the TVA dams and in the Golden Gate's foundations because they fell in while it was curing and there was no way to retrieve them without leveling the whole thing.

49 Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

50

http://tinyurl.com/62nccgo
This GPS tech based device, embedded in the shoe of the "wanderer", might lend some of you comfort. I mean that in the sense that this device will allow you to set a trip-wire upon the movements of the wearer, thus removing the need to go hunting for them later. Naturally, with adoption and scale and market competition, this rather expensive technology will fall to a fraction of it's release price. On the other hand, how much is peace of mind and freedom from frantic searching and fear worth? Maybe the current price would be justified. I do like the ankle bracelet idea though, as that might tend to stay in place better, particularly if it is really sturdy. So, what say we deploy the GPS version as a bracelet!

51

This GPS tech based device, embedded in the shoe of the "wanderer", might lend some of you comfort. I mean that in the sense that this device will allow you to set a trip-wire upon the movements of the wearer, thus removing the need to go hunting for them later. Naturally, with adoption and scale and market competition, this rather expensive technology will fall to a fraction of it's release price. On the other hand, how much is peace of mind and freedom from frantic searching and fear worth? Maybe the current price would be justified. I do like the ankle bracelet idea though, as that might tend to stay in place better, particularly if it is really sturdy. So, what say we deploy the GPS version as a bracelet!

Posted by: Errol at October 29, 2011 01:13 PM (vewos)

When you were talking about the price I expected it to be up in the range of $1000, not $300.  That's already at a fairly reasonable price for who these shoes are designed to work for. 300 bucks to know you will have a way to locate your autistic child if they wander off really seems like a no brainer.

52

My three boys each have had a fear which I've exploited to keep them nearby. The oldest was afraid of thunderstorms, the second dogs, and the third garbage trucks. When they got old enough to toddle away I would very casually say, "Did you hear thunder?" "I wonder if that barking is close by?" "Is today the day the garbage is picked up here?" They'd turn around on a dime. It was a little bit sick but none of them remember it, they're all past their fear, and they never went too far.

The second one, when the weather warnings and watches would come on the TV, would say to his brother, "It's comin' to get you."

I wouldn't have done any of this to a sensitive child but thankfully they are all like me and their day--unoffendable and not too nervous.

53 I don't know why, but I keep having this recurring dream where I turn the corner and there's a dog there bark and about ready to lunge at me.  And then I hear my mom behind me saying "Told you so."  Its just so confusing

54

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo (NJconservative) at October 29, 2011 10:46 AM (UYLrj)

Duly noted.  And mea culpa to our Jewish Morons.

Posted by: Ma Bell at October 29, 2011 11:12 AM (kzFnw)

Thanks, Ma.  I'd read about the reusable K-cups.  While the speed and convenience of the regular cups is seductive, I think in the long run, it's not feasible.  I'll prob'ly wind up buying the reusable.

Posted by: garrett at October 29, 2011 11:17 AM (w46ID)

Heh.  I did a search on it.  One of the main selling points was that it's under $1,000.  Sorta negates my search for cheap K-cups!

55

Glad to hear the little guy was found safe.  Those tracking bracelets need to be more commonly used.

We had an incident a few years before I retired at my agency that didn't end so happily.  An autistic boy wandered away from home and fell into a hole that was being dug for a large piling while a construction crew was eating lunch.  I'll spare the Moron Herd the details, but the best-case scenario is that he died in the fall.

56 >>hey are all like me and their day--unoffendable and not too nervous.
Posted by: dagny at October 29, 2011 01:26 PM (HcA9h)

also extremely manipulative borderline personalities.

Are you and your family available this evening?

57 I don't know why, but I keep having this recurring dream that I am being chased down a dark alley by a garbage truck.  It's getting closer and closer.  The horn louder and louder, the headlights are red and flashing on and off so everything around me is lit by an evil red strob light.  My mother's voice is screaming in my head, " I thought I told you to Never,Ever, leave the house on trash day!"

58 When I was a kid age 4 or so I wandered off and met up with a neighbor's German Shepherd and promptly crawled in the doghouse to take a nap with my new found friend. It was a different era for sure (1960's) but I'm sure my parents experienced some real terror during the hours it took to locate me.

59 26 I don't get why the same people that make tracking chips for pets don't have them certified for use in humans. It would be a lifesaver for autistic children and the elderly with dementia if all it took was a call to Lo-jack to locate them.   I think that besides the technology limitations, the other reason the implantable chip is not done for people is civil rights issues - you can bet that the minute that a concerned parent installs one in order to save the life of their child, some ACLU-style activist will be screaming about violation of personhood etc.

60 Fantastic news, all too often these wandering stories have a very different ending.

God bless you guys, Andy and Highlander.  I would urge you to never give up in searching for treatment for your sons.  My son was diagnosed as high-functioning autistic (severe cognitive and communication delays, although he could talk) at age 4; we aggressively pursued the treatment protocols pioneered by the the non-profit Autism Research Institute (autism.com).  Today at age 7 he is 95% recovered, in a regular class and out of special education.  He's still got some quirks for sure, but the recovery has been beyond our wildest dreams.  Autism is treatable.

61 Autistic adults that will always need to live with family or in sheltered living facilities and adults with dementia, will most likely have a family member, or even in some cases, the courts, step in an assume guardianship for them.  At that point, they have for most purposes, lost their civil rights.  That stopped us from  the guardianship route when our son was 18.  He is 22 now and I hear that there have been some changes.

62

Jeff C

My autistic son, who didn't start talking (an earth language) until he was 9, talks to much now his tonsils would smother if he quit.  Is extremely artist.  And a whiz in the kitchen.  He fixes me sausage, eggs and toast every weekday.  He is a walking encyclopedia on trains and airplanes.  And because of him, this is one tight family unit.  He is so much more than I ever hoped for and he is my pride and joy.

63 In response to #11. I respectfully disagree, but only on the order you put things in. Western civilization is a product of the morality of Christians and Jews. There, I think that has the order right.

64 Highlander - Yep, we are blessed.  Incredible that speech started at nine.  Was it spontaneous or the result of some intervention (speech therapy, medication, etc.)? Having a special needs child certainly gave me a well-needed attitude adjustment. 

65

Jeff C

Hey, I needed that attitude adjustment too.  I am alot better person than I would have been. 

Loads and loads of all sorts of therapy.  A wonderful school district, we moved here for that.  In home family trainers.  Sensory diet.  Behavior Modification. It's been a long road with a prize at the end!  They will dope them to coma levels given the chance.  When we took him off meds, there was an explosion of progress.

And Andy, if I remember correctly, is in the biz.  A lot of the programs that have worked so well for yours and mine...needed Andy approval, for research dollars.

 

66 This technology would have helped me and saved all of us from many sleepless nights after an elderly parent, who had had a stroke, began to wander. More than once, we awakened to find all the lights on and the front door wide open with her out taking a walk at 3 or 4 in the morning. Stroke and Alzheimer patients both tend to wander and it is harder to keep an otherwise functioning adult safe from themselves sometimes than it is a child.

67 Another father of an autistic child here.  He's currently having a fit.

68

Hi nickless.

Fits are when the weighted blankets work their magic.  Other than that, I hope your son is doing okay.

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73 My 6 year old son (middle child) is on the mild-to-moderate end of the spectrum.  He doesn't so much "wander" away as "dart off like a bat out of hell."  Most of the time, it's because he's so damn convinced he knows where he's going and what he's doing, but if he gets even the least bit disoriented, there's no way he can find his way back.  I used to sleep with one eye open.  Thankfully, his main goal in life seems to be "know where Mama is at all times," so we are much better off than some families we know.

When I heard that Robbie was found alive, I sat down and cried.  I was so relieved.  My son (if you can get his attention) can tell you his name and his age, but not much else.  He does talk and engages with people, but you have to filter through all of his echolalia.  Robbie's parents just lived through my worst nightmare.

74 Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how could we communicate?

75 I'm an atheist but this is the sort of stuff that could easily bring one to a belief in God. My sister has Downs syndrome and the idea that we would not have a member of the family at her side every single second while outside the home was and is unthinkable. I spent many a summer day at the beach standing watch over her and if not me my brother, my mother or my father. Thankfully this event ended well and I'm sure the family has learned their lesson without paying the ultimate price.

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