HAVERHILL — Beverly Reynoso’s son slipped out of the family’s new apartment through an unlocked door on a typically busy school and work morning last fall.
When Reynoso realized Jayce, 9, who is autistic and nonverbal, had wandered away, she said she initially panicked.
“We had just moved here a week before,” said the mother of five.
Her 11th Avenue neighborhood was soon teeming with Haverhill police officers. Family members and new neighbors were helping as Reynoso was trying to track the boy through his iPhone. Then somebody saw a kid standing in a pickup truck across and intersection and down the street.
It was Jayce, who was safe and unharmed. His pants and shoes were wet from water in a pool behind a nearby house.
“This could have all ended so differently,” Reynoso said. “He likes to swim and he loves the water.”
Reynoso, who grew up in Methuen, is now featured in a new public service announcement produced by the state designed to protect and prevent drownings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, a neurological disorder that affects how a person communicates, interacts, learns and behaves.
Children with ASD have shown to be attracted to water, and frequently wander off in waterfront areas, putting them at a substantial risk for drowning, explained Jon Tapper, communications director for the Department of Developmental Services.
DDS and the state’s Office of the Child Advocate partnered on the statewide water safety campaign featuring Reynoso who is bilingual in English and Spanish. Her children range from age 2 to 16.
Jayce is a third-grader in the Milestones program at the Pawtucket Lake School. He’s also soon going to be taking adaptive swimming lessons locally.
Reynoso explained Jayce doesn’t have the instinctual fears other children possess. She wants him to learn to swim well in case he wanders near water again.
Jayce had never been to the home where he found the pool last fall. Due to sensory issues, he doesn’t like to be in wet clothing. So once his shoes and pants were wet, he left the pool area and found the pickup out front, Reynoso said.
Reynoso works in the community as an advocate for children with special needs. She attended a conference in Boston where he paths crossed with DDS and OCA.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” she said. “We need to get the word out.”
DDS and OCA last year put together an online toolkit to help families learn about wandering and teach them steps they can take to prevent it. That includes installing window locks and higher door locks, as well as enlisting the help of local police and neighbors, who can keep an eye out for a wandering child, Tapper said.
This year, they’ve added the public service announcement video to increase the reach. Information can also be found as mass.gov/AutismWaterSafety.
Reynoso also has her own messages for parents and guardians raising autistic children.
“You are not alone. There are many things out here that can help you,” she advised.
Reynoso also encouraged enrolling children children in adaptive swim classes.
“We never want to see these kinds of situations not have a happy ending,” Tapper said.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter/X @EagleTribJill and on Threads at jjillyharma.
