Reducing injury and death of missing individuals with Autism and other developmental disabilities through First Responder training.

To address the critical issues of wandering, elopement, and preventable water deaths in the Autism community, The Autism Society of Greater Akron (ASGA) has recently been chosen to be a pilot for the Autism Society of America's Safety on the Spectrum program. The purpose of the program is to improve interactions between first responders and the Autism community who are prone to wandering and elopement, and who have an increased propensity to suffer water submersion injuries and drowning deaths. Project activities include developing a "train-the-trainer" approach to provide both in-person and online training to first responders, to identify and assist those wandering from safety, and to provide an online education on elopement and water safety to families, caregivers, and schools through an online downloadable toolkit campaign.