Autism - au·tism ('o-"ti-z&m)
Because sometimes you can't be with your child 24-hours a day.
Alexis Ferris
Alex Ferris, 9, from Sioux City, IA is autistic and has “escaped” in the past from his parents’ house. Most of the doors leading into and out of the house have combination locks to prevent Alex from leaving, but on one summer day in July 2002, Alex found the key to a back door and left the house.
Alex walked over to a convenience store 5 blocks away from his parents’ house. It’s a store that his parents visit often, so one of the store’s clerks recognized him. “The clerk had no idea how to communicate with him, since Alex is autistic, so she called you guys and then the police,” said Jim Ferris, father of Alex. “The police saw the MedicAlert emblem, called the phone number on the back, and my wife Debbie was contacted.”
Mr. Ferris meanwhile was frantically searching the entire neighborhood for Alex. “Eventually we were all reunited at the police station,” Mr. Ferris said. “Again thank you very much for your service, everything worked out fine and we’re glad Alex wears his MedicAlert bracelet. It’s money well spent.”
Since the latest escape incident, Alex’s parents have hidden the keys in a different location and Alex has been unsuccessful in escaping.
Robert Alex Cason
On an early summer morning in 2004, Robert “Alex” Cason, a 5-year-old autistic boy, wandered off from his home through a downed fence board and became lost while his family slept. He was found ringing a doorbell at a Good Samaritan’s home. Since Alex is nonverbal, the Good Samaritan noticed he was wearing a MedicAlert bracelet and contacted the 24-Hour Emergency Response Center to report the incident. MedicAlert contacted Alex’s family to verify his location, and he was returned home safely.
“Autistic children are curious, and it’s not uncommon for them to wander off and become lost,” said Alex’s mother, Dolly Cason. “And if the child is nonverbal like Alex, they can’t tell you where they live.”
Cason decided to purchase a MedicAlert membership for her son when he first wandered off as a toddler. She found him nearly five acres away. He doesn’t respond to his name, so the search process was even more difficult.
“I know MedicAlert will speak for Alex even if he can’t speak for himself,” said Cason, a mother of six children. “The protection and peace of mind they provide is priceless.”
Interview with Robyn Olson, mother of Member, Ryan Olson.
Where Are They Now?
If you are a frequent visitor to our website, you may be familiar with Robyn and Ryan Olson from Southern California, who became a “poster family” for MedicAlert® several years ago. Ryan, who has autism, is now 11-years-old and in the fifth grade. He attends a special education program at his local elementary school.
When we first met the Olson’s, it was in September 2000, when Ryan was 7-years-old. He had wandered from his home and ended up in a neighborhood Target store. A Target employee called the police and reported they had found the boy, who was unable to identify himself by name. When the communications supervisor at the police department asked for the boy’s description, the employee mentioned Ryan’s MedicAlert emblem.
The supervisor immediately called MedicAlert and spoke with a Member Service Associate, who identified Ryan by the Member number engraved on his emblem and provided personal contact information. Ryan and his parents were eventually reunited and the local police department praised MedicAlert for having the information on Ryan readily available.
Fast forward to 2005, and Ryan now stands 5’4” and weighs 160 pounds. Although autistics usually shun physical contact, Ryan still likes to play with his parents and allows them to hug him. Despite Ryan’s growth spurt, he still maintains that fresh boyish face that we all became accustomed to several years ago when Robyn and Ryan’s poster played a key role in a MedicAlert campaign to equip more children – whether they have medical conditions or not – with MedicAlert bracelets or necklaces.
“Today he loves to babble nonsense words, watch DVD’s and he’s into anything that has to do with Sponge Bob, Winnie the Pooh and Pokemon,” said Mrs. Olson. “He’ll watch television shows we taped, rewind it to his favorite scenes and laugh at the same scenes again and again. He can even recite the “Charlie Brown Christmas” show from beginning to end.”
A few years ago, his parents had signed up Ryan for soccer and tee ball. Unfortunately the rules of the games were difficult for Ryan to understand. “In tee ball I was in the outfield with him and a fly ball was coming our way. I tried to show him how to catch it, but instead of attempting to catch it, he threw himself on the ground,” said Mrs. Olson. “He also did horseback riding for awhile, but he started having difficulty getting off the horse. For safety reasons, we decided not to try that anymore.”
Mrs. Olson said it was hard at first to motivate him to find something he would like, but after trying numerous activities, it became apparent that swimming was Ryan’s favorite activity. “He could stay in the pool all day without complaining,” said Mrs. Olson. “He also likes to play on the computer a lot and has even installed computer programs for his father’s business.”
Of all the characteristics of Ryan’s autism, his tendency to run away is potentially the most dangerous, although he hasn’t attempted to flee in almost three years now. He can tell his name now, but not his address, according to his mom. “We still believe highly in MedicAlert,” said Mrs. Olson. “With MedicAlert, we know we’re going to be contacted, usually within minutes. That’s a huge comfort to me.”
Remember !
For those times that you’re not with your child, MedicAlert can be there for you. That’s why you need MedicAlert.
Become a part of the most trusted medical information service. For almost 50 years, MedicAlert has been recognized as the world’s preeminent source of personal medical information during medical emergencies.
Three easy ways to join! Do it now!
Click here to print PDF order form
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