Madou Ba, an 11-year-old boy with autism drowned in his neighbor’s swimming pool in Northern Kentucky. Madou ventured outside of his family’s home and it was about 20 minutes before they realized he was missing. First responders when they made it on scene tried to revive Madou with no luck and later was pronounced dead at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Florence.
His family said Madou was drawn to the water. Thoughts are with the Ba family at this time.
As a child with autism, I was also prone to wandering. I give talks on this topic often in the hopes of spreading awareness on this vital topic. For that reason I wanted to take a minute to stress the importance of these three areas for people with autism who are likely to wander from a safe environment…
Home safety – using locks and alarms where appropriate is crucially important. Take a minute to look at National Autism Association’s Big Red Safety Toolkit for additional resources.
Tracking devices – AngelSense for example is a device I’ve seen many families use to protect their families which has GPS capabilities incase your child is prone to wandering.
Swimming lessons – So many children with autism seem to be prone to water. Check out Autism Speaks toolkit on the Importance of Water Safety: Tips and Tools for resources.
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Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue a post-secondary education. Help us continue to help students with autism go to college by making a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit here.
Also, consider having Kerry, one of the only professionally accredited speakers on the spectrum in the country, speak at your next event by sending him an inquiry here. If you have a referral for someone who many want him to speak please reach out as well! Kerry speaks with schools, businesses, government agencies, colleges, nonprofit organizations, parent groups and other special events on topics ranging from employment, how to succeed in college with a learning disability, internal communication, living with autism, bullying prevention, social media best practices, innovation, presentation best practices and much more!
