Tragedy and Autism Awareness.

Today in Australia many people will be wearing blue to raise awareness about people on the spectrum within the community. Of course there are lots of differing view points on the purpose and productivity of such events, but here in Australia it is particularly poignant timing. A beautiful little boy, aged 6 and with Autism wandered away from his home two days ago. Wearing only a nappy he crossed several busy roads, witnessed by many drivers, eventually coming to a railway track. While on the tracks he was struck and killed by a commuter train. Thus bringing to reality the fear his parents probably harboured for quite some time, that he would wander and come to harm. Autistic children are notorious escape artists, and known to wander or elope as it is sometimes called. I hope this terrible tragedy in tandem with the awareness raising campaign will serve to educate people about common ASD behaviours. Especially those that endanger children. And to prompt adults who see young kids roaming the streets alone to at the very least call the police to alert them if they can't find it in themselves to stop. Do I sound angry? You bet I'm fucking angry.

You see Harri is a runner/wanderer. I also live several metres from a railway line. Harri loves to watch the freight trains as they rattle past each day. He is only two so is constrained by fences and gates, but the day is coming when he will start to work out ways to free himself from the confines of our front garden. My little boy could one day be wandering towards a railway line before I have a chance to realise. The thought that people witnessing my sons progress towards railway tracks without intervening makes me sick to my stomach. As awful as the people who saw the child before he was killed must feel now, it is nothing next to the anguish and suffering of his parents. I can't find it in myself to forgive those witnesses because I am so painfully aware this could be my son one day.

Sorry to post such a downer today but I feel this issue has to be part of any awareness campaign. Yes our children are wonderful and often brilliant, but also have serious deficits, including the capacity to analyse risk. Parents of ASD kids tend to be hypervigilant, but we still need to go to the toilet, have a shower, cook meals and other activites than mean being distracted from full time observation. The public should not eschew responsibility for unaccompanied wandering children. But in this case they did, with deadly consequences.