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Extra: 'SAFER' program helps keep children with autism safe
When spring sets in, kids are ready to go outside. "They see the grass, they see the birds, they want to be outside," says Mario Cortolezzis, whose live in Waconia with his wife and two children In rural Carver County this year, parents will let their children play outside, some for the very first time. This regular part of growing up can be a very stressful experience for parents of children with autism, children who often run, not knowing they may be headed toward danger. Like many autistic children, 6-year-old Dante Cortolezzis is attracted to water. While he rarely leaves his parents' sight, Dante once bolted out the back door and into Lake Waconia. It took nearly an hour to find him because no one knew which direction to search. Mario knew it would be a big problem if Dante ever darted again. "With these children, they'll just keep on walking and they won't know which way to come back home," says Mario. "By the grace of God someone passing by saw a little boy with a red sweater playing in the water and called for help and my son was found." Last fall, with the help of other families with the same challenge, Mario launched Carver County S.A.F.E.R., which stands for Search and Find Emergency Responders. The program is a first-of-its kind non-profit in Minnesota, that helps provide families with tracking technology like transmitters and electronic perimeters to keep special needs children safe. In other communities, families rely on first responders to provide the equipment and administer the program. In Carver County, S.A.F.E.R. is parent-run. "What's neat about this is it doesn't come to law enforcement to say here, this is your problem to solve. This is families that now have the instruments and the tools to solve it for themselves," says Carver County Sheriff Bud Olson. 3-year-old Gavin Boyd is an autistic toddler with a taste for running. "He doesn't really understand danger or fear," says his mother Rachel. "It was hard. We really didn't go outside much or go places a lot because it was such a struggle. We had to have him in a stroller or we had to carry him because he would just dart. He would dart. He would go where he wanted to go, whatever caught his interest and he would just follow." Gavin and Rachel helped demonstrate how S.A.F.E.R. works. Gavin wears a transmitter around his ankle and when Rachel isn't looking, Gavin opens the door and runs outside. When Rachel can't find him, she calls 911 and within moments, the S.A.F.E.R. team and local firefighters show up. They use a receiver to track the signal from Gavin's band. The pulse tells them which way to go, getting stronger as they get closer. And within minutes Gavin is safe. The receiver will pick up the signal from the ground within a 2-mile radius. The signal can also be picked by air within a five to six mile radius. "Radio frequencies have been around forever. It's not rocket science, but it works," says Mario. The technology also works well for Christine Ogden whose two children have autism, 11-year-old Channing and 8-year-old Cyan. "They're both darters and runners and there is only one of me, so it's very difficult," says Christine. Until last fall, Christine was on guard 24 hours a day, worried her kids might take off. She spent every moment with them using locks, doorbells and even cameras to help. Then she joined S.A.F.E.R. and a small electronic box became her lifesaver. The box is an invisible perimeter. The kids wear a transmitter and Christine sets the electronic boundary. "If they get out of that perimeter it beeps, an alarm goes off," says Christine as she demonstrates the perimeter in her backyard. For the first time ever, Christine says she doesn't worry anymore about whether she'll be able to find Channing or Cyan. She can start looking for them even before first responders. "I take the perimeter with me everywhere I go," says Christine. The technology is helping the Ogdens do everything they once couldn't. Channing is swimming. Cyan had her first communion. And Christine is going back to school knowing her children will be safe. "It feels wonderful. It's like a new beginning," says Christine. 23 families in Carver and Hennepin Counties are part of S.A.F.E.R. and the program will soon be expanding to include vulnerable adults and even more technology. It is priceless peace of mind for families who took action to change their own lives. "To be able to have the transmitter on him, to be able to have the program, to be able to have the support network that the program offers all these families, there is no price, there is no price that you would pay for that," says Mario. "We have a group of people that really want to make a difference and keep children and people who really need this program safe." S.A.F.E.R. next plans to add a system that will automatically lock doors when a vulnerable person gets too close. They also hope to add canine searchers to pick up on the scent of a missing person. For more information on autism and the S.A.F.E.R. program, check out these links:
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