PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. —
A child with autism was found wandering alone near Port Charlotte High School on Monday and was reunited with their parents after several hours, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
Autism Services of Florida said situations like this occur more often than people might think.
“They don’t understand stranger danger, they don’t understand the rules of the road. And it is very much so, like, oh, I see something. Oh, I want to go look at that,” Nicole Edge of Autism Services of Florida said.
Edge shared advice for Gulf Coast neighbors following Monday’s incident in Charlotte County.
“A lot of children and individuals with autism love water,” Edge said.
Residents in the area recalled a tragic incident three years ago when Evelyn Geer, a 4-year-old girl with autism, drowned after wandering from her home and falling into a nearby canal.
To prevent such tragedies, Edge encouraged parents to consider using a device called AngelSense.
“And what that does is that it sends out a GPS location sporadically, and or it also notifies parents, when they do get too far away, or if, or in, like in this case, this kid, he eloped quite frequently at home. And the cops are called multiple times as well. And so this is what, this is what made the parents want to go ahead and get this system,” Edge said.
The report from Monday’s incident has been requested, and further updates will be provided once more information is confirmed.
