Tracking Devices for Autistic Children Who Wander

An autistic self-advocate discusses three of the options for families whose loved ones endanger themselves and others by eloping

[Stock photo]

By Thomas A. McKean

Too often we hear stories of eloping and wandering children with autism. Sometimes they are found safe, but too often they are later found lost in the woods, hit by a car, or drowned in a nearby pool. 

Some of these kids are master escape artists. You can put all the locks on your doors and windows and do whatever else and then you turn your head for a few seconds and they’re still gone.

What can be done after the child gets away? Below are three popular tracking options to consider if your child is a wanderer (by the way, inclusion is not an endorsement and omission is not a criticism, I’ve just chosen three that I know of — please share more information in the comments).

Angelsense (http://www.angelsense.com)

Angelsense tracker and app.

Angelsense is a sensory-friendly GPS tracker device with multiple attachment options to match the needs of your child. It is designed specifically for people with disabilities and it is rich in features with a price to match. An app or browser will allow you see exactly where your child is at any time of the day. It has two-way voice calling with auto answer so you can talk to your child at any time, no matter where they are. It also has a one-way listen-in feature so you can hear what is going on at any random time wherever you are. (The Angelsense site has a video from a local news broadcast telling how this feature saved a girl with Aspergers’s from sexual assault.) Finally, it has an “SOS” button so your child or someone with them can easily reach you in the event of an emergency situation.

There is an optional alarm which will sound when you push a button, so if your child is lost, it will help you to locate them when you are in the area. There is even a “share” feature which will allow friends and family to keep an eye on your child or give first responders temporary access to your child’s location.  Angelsense can be programmed to send you periodic alerts during the day to inform you of where your child is or to let you know if he is an unknown location.

At the time of this writing, Angelsense is $69.99 (down from $229.99) plus the monthly subscription. Those fees range from $33.33 to $52.99 depending on contract and features.

Jiobit (http://www.jiobit.com)

The Jiobit is more of a barebones GPS tracker but it gets the job done. Using an app, you can see where your child is at any time and track his or her movements throughout the day. You can also receive alerts when your child wanders too far away from you or is not in any trusted area. Like Angelsense, Jiobit allows you to give others access to the device so friends, family, and first responders can keep an eye on your child as well.

At the time of this writing, the Jiobit system costs $129.99 (down from $149.99) plus an additional $8.99 to $14.99 per month.

Care Trak (http://www.caretrak.com)

Care Trak (also known as Project Lifesaver) is a small tracker inside a round plastic case that attaches to your child, usually as a bracelet but there are other options. Unlike Angelsense and Jiobit, Care Trak tansmits a signal on 1 of 43 VHF frequencies which can be tracked by local law enforcement using a directional antenna plugged into a receiver. They take an approach of telemetry rather than GPS. Both are effective in different ways, both have their pros and cons. Note that with telemetry, it costs less but there is no app for you to check on your child’s whereabouts. When your child is missing, you call law enforcement and they send an officer out with the equipment to find your child.

Care Trak has been around for a long time. They have a good reputation and a good record. They have located hundreds if not thousands of elopers over the years. This includes many lost children with autism who have been returned safely to their homes.

At the time of this writing, the system costs $4.10 per month or $42.20 per year.

(Full disclosure: I can speak to this one personally. I once had an opportunity to test the Care Trak system. I was given a tracker to hide, one such as your child would wear, and I hid it in a random location where I was certain they would never find it - inside the dirt of a potted plant in the lobby of a hotel some distance away. They were able to locate the tracker. They proved to me the system works.)

Please also note one significant difference here. While your child can be found by Care Trak, the exact location is not immediately ascertained as it is with GPS  trackers. There will be a delay in finding that location. On the other side of that, Care Trak can find your child in places the GPS signals can’t reach. You may need to do some research to figure out which of these approaches meets your own unique needs.

Losing track of your child can be frightening. But with one of these three options, they can be found faster and returned to the safety to the home. 

Thomas McKean was diagnosed with autism in 1979 at the age of 14. As one of the original autism self-advocates he has served on the board of Autism Society of America, has written two books on autism, has spoken at numerous conferences, has done private consulting, and has even appeared on Oprah. He currently lives in Ohio with his sister, her husband, and their pomeranian. Learn more about Thomas at www.thomasamckean.com.

Disclaimer: Blogposts on the NCSA blog represent the opinions of the individual authors and not necessarily the views or positions of the NCSA or its board of directors.