A group of Florida residents rescued a 5-year-old autistic boy who wandered away from home and entered a retention pond in Port St. Lucie, preventing a potential tragedy.
Melinda Dryer and her sister were driving when they saw the child crossing the road. Dryer said, ‘When he walked in front of the car, he gave us a blank stare, and something in my gut didn’t feel right.’ Dryer and her sister quickly got out of their car, and other residents joined them to guide the boy out of the water to safety.
Autism and Water Safety
According to Alissa Magrum, the executive director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, people with autism are significantly more likely to drown. Magrum said, ‘We know that individuals with autism are 160 times more likely than their neurotypical peers to drown.’ Magrum is working with the Autism Society of America to release a water safety toolkit to help families with autistic family members prepare for situations like this one.
Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.
