Today the autism community has decided to honor those children that have lost their lives after wandering.
This event is a virtual candlelight vigil to remember and respect the lives of autistic children who have died after an elopement.
The Kennedy Krieger Institute reported in a 2011 study that up to 48% of all children with autism will engage in wandering behavior or “elopement,” which is defined as the tendency to leave a non life threatening space and enter into a potentially dangerous one, and is a rate 4 times higher than their neurotypical siblings.
The Krieger Institute also reported that “35% of families with children who elope report their children are “never” or “rarely” able to communicate their name, address, or phone number by any means.”
In 2012, the National Autism Association reported that “accidental drowning accounted for 91% total U.S. deaths reported in children with an ASD ages 14 and younger subsequent to wandering/elopement.”
This vigil is being organized to spread awareness of the very real issue of wandering behavior in autistic children and the unspeakable tragedies that can, and have occurred as a result.
Please join us in respectful remembrance of the children who have died.
Information compiled by the organizer, Jill Smo, of Yeah. Good Times.
| Kaitlin | Bacile | |||
| Au-Juna | Banks-Taylor | age 9 | ||
| Ryan | Barrett | |||
| Christian | Baucom | age 6 | ||
| Jason | Baucom | |||
| Adam | Benhamama | |||
| Owen | Black | age 7 | ||
| Aiden | Bower | age 4 | ||
| Ashley | Brock | |||
| Noah | Burke | |||
| Carolyne | Burns | |||
| Dena | Burns | age 6 | ||
| John | Burton Jr. | age 7 | ||
| Colum | Canning | |||
| Kaymania | Catt | age 5 | ||
| Alex | Christopher | 6/3/2005 | ||
| Zachary | Clark | |||
| Jeremiah | Conn | age 6 | ||
| Holden | Cottingham | 2013 | ||
| Taariq | Cross | age 7 | ||
| Christian | Dejons | |||
| James | Delorey | |||
| David | DeSantiago | age 11 | ||
| Devonte | Dye | age 5 | ||
| Tatiana | Eiland-Clinton | age 3 | ||
| Devine | Farrier | |||
| Justin | Gore Jr. | |||
| Darryl | Gosein | |||
| Anthony | Guerra | age 9 | ||
| Tristian | Guffey | |||
| Liam | Hamilton | age 7 | ||
| Elizabeth | Hathaway | age 10 | ||
| Savannah | Hauser | |||
| Benjy | Heil | |||
| Jack | Hensley | |||
| Emily | Hope | |||
| Drew | Howell | age 2 | ||
| Tristin | Jeras | 7/26/2012 | ||
| Aiden | Johnson | |||
| Marquail | Johnson | age 8 | ||
| Jackson | Kastner | age 4 | ||
| Kesia | Kearse | |||
| Nathan | Kinderdine | |||
| Michael | Kingsbury | age 7 | ||
| Adlai | Kugblenu | |||
| Anthony | Kuznia | age 11 | ||
| Bernard | Latimore | |||
| Aiden | Lawson | age 3 | ||
| Kieran | le Couteur | |||
| Erik | Lippmann | |||
| Alexie | Loper | age 4 | ||
| Mikaela | Lynch | 5/15/2013 | ||
| Charlie | Manley | age 16 | ||
| Savannah | Martin | 2/20/2011 | ||
| Donivan | Martin | age 16 | ||
| Savannah | Martin | age 7 | ||
| Jared | McGuire | |||
| Mason | Medlam | |||
| Logan | Mitcheltree | |||
| Christopher | Morrison | age 5 | ||
| Blake | Murrell | age 4 | ||
| Alyvia | Navarro | age 3 | ||
| Avonte | Oquendo | age 14 | ||
| Dominic | Overton | |||
| Ariana | Pivacheck | age 9 | ||
| Evan | Reed | 2012 | ||
| Hannah | Ross | age 7 | ||
| Blake | Ryan | 4/19/2011 | age 4 | |
| Christina | Sankey | age 29 | ||
| Luke | Selwyn | |||
| Nicholas | Shaffer | age 12 | ||
| Kaleb | Shavers | age 6 | ||
| Kadeem | Shillingford | age 15 | ||
| Jonah | Smith | |||
| Julian | Stacey | New Zealand | ||
| Aaron | Steele | |||
| Travis | Stratton | 3/1/2014 | age 4 | |
| Kaliya | Sullivan | |||
| Sean | Taglione | 1/29/2012 | age 12 | |
| Desmond | Thomas | |||
| Kristina | Vlassenko | age 10 | ||
| Christopher | Wakeman | age 23 | ||
| Amarie | Walker | age 4 | ||
| Skyler | Wayne | |||
| Freddie | Williams | age 13 | ||
| Davin | Williams | age 15 | ||
| NNR | age 5 | Bradenton, FL | ||
| NNR | age 11 | Stafford, VA | ||
| NNR | age 12 | Houston, TX |
90 children. These are the names we were able to compile on short notice, and is in no way comprehensive. The listings at the end with the initials NNR are children whose names weren’t released to the media.
Today is about remembrance. Please use the above photo as your social media avatar and share this day with us. Let today be the day that we stand together and quietly remember those we have lost.
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This is beautiful, a lovely tribute. Thank you for posting this.
As Eizabeth said, this is beautiful. I also light a candle in reverence of the tens of thousands of Autistic teens [ and even younger], and young people who have taken their own lives, primarily because of lack of inclusion, bullying, scapegoating, and lack of support and accommodations. Our children deserve so much better than this. As parents [Autistic or not] we WILL stop it. This blog is one example.