Sen. Charles Schumer unveiled legislation on Sunday that would provide law enforcement agencies a means for a tracking program for children with autism.
Schumer’s office says that the program, called “Avonte’s Law,” would be completely voluntary and run by local law enforcement.
The program proposes placing tracking devices on the belts, shoelaces or wristwatches of the children.
It would be similar to the current Alzheimer’s program that awards competitive grants to organizations that help search for missing people who have the disease.
The law is named for Avonte Oquendo, a 14-year-old teen from Queens who was found dead last week after he walked out of his Long Island City school on October 4 and disappeared.
Schumer said that the program could save lives.
“According to Project Lifesaver, a program that advocates for the use of tracking technology in the case of wandering, the use of these devices reduces the amount of time to locate a child that has wandered by 95 percent,” he said.
“Forty-nine percent of all children with autism wander. One-third are non-verbal,” said Michael Rosen, executive vice president of Autism Speaks. “Can you imagine being lost and not being able to talk? It’s just, it’s something that needs to be dealt with right away, and this is a great solution.
Schumer said that the legislation will be introduced on Monday.
He said he expects that it will pass within a few months.
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