Sadly we have seen too many autistic children die after wandering away from their homes, the most recent earlier this week in Eden Prairie.
Now there's a new multi-lingual video available to help prevent anymore tragedies. The video explains some of the reasons that children with autism might wander off.
"A child may escape to get some sensory input like wind blowing on their face or the feeling of snow on their hands," says a portion of the video.
The expert goes on to share some preventative measures that parents and caregivers might use, like having cameras in the home, using locks, even remembering to check on the child regularly.
"It may be helpful to set a timer to remind you to do so," they explain on the video.
It's also a good idea to let neighbors know that an autistic child lives near them, and call on them if need to help locate a child that may have gotten away.
This new video comes after an 11-year old nonverbal autistic boy went missing and his body was later found in a pond in Eden Prairie last Sunday. And in June, a three-year old autistic boy wandered out of a Hopkins apartment before being found in Minnehaha Creek.
The Multicultural Autism Action Network of Minnesota produced the video.