Autistic boy, 8, disappears while vacationing

[Hum]

The search continues for an 8-year-old autistic boy last seen on the beach on Perdido Key Friday afternoon, and Sheriff David Morgan said no results to give hope have been found yet.

"But I'm here to tell you that we're here for the duration," he said in a brief news conference this afternoon. "The first 72 hours are critical."

Today, search efforts expanded along Perdido Key and into Alabama, as agencies from both states have lent personnel to look for Owen Black.

Multiple boats, RVs and people on foot combed the beaches and waters in the Gulf and the Intracoastal Waterway. The search now goes from the bridge to get to Perdido Key and well into Alabama, Morgan said.

Laurie Strite of KlaasKids Foundation, which is aiding in the searches, said they have brought in specialists who may be able to help find Black in places that autistic children may hide in.

"That allows us to put people in areas ... and monitor areas that he might like," Strite said, adding that they are looking in the water and at construction sites.

He was last seen near the Needle Rush Condos in the 17000 block of Perdido Key Drive wearing a red and blue striped shirt and brown sweatpants.

more

[n_K]

What's being autistic got to do with it?

[Hum]

^ Maybe having that mental condition made him more likely to wander off.

Or maybe it makes it more important to find him quickly.

[n_K]

Autism doesn't make you 'mental' or 'mentally ill'.

It's a bit like having an article 'ADHD boy, 8, fails school exams', having ADHD or autism really isn't relevant.

[Boo Berry]

An autistic person would be more likely not to respond to a rescuer saying their name in a search situation like that, thus making it more crucial.

[Hum]

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism

men?tal

¹ [men-tl] mental illness.

2.

of, pertaining to, or affected by a disorder of the mind: a mental patient; mental illness.

3.

providing care for persons with disordered minds, emotions, etc.: a mental hospital.

4.

performed by or existing in the mind: mental arithmetic; a mental note.

5.

pertaining to intellectuals or intellectual activity.

Sounds like a mental condition to me.

[The Evil Overlord]

I hope he's somewhere safe, his parents must be worried sick

[Hum]

^ I hope they find him soon, too.

I know what it is like to worry over a lost pet, let alone a son.

[Growled Member]

I just hope someone didn't snatch him.

[Original Poster]

Autism doesn't make you 'mental' or 'mentally ill'.

It's a bit like having an article 'ADHD boy, 8, fails school exams', having ADHD or autism really isn't relevant.

it is rather relevant.... while not all autism is not bad, his could be bad enough to cause him to wonder off, although it does not clarify it is most likely the reason he has gone missing.

[+Warwagon MVC]

He's probably somewhere safe just counting toothpicks.

[xMorpheousx416]

What's being autistic got to do with it?

Every once in a while... life takes a turn and you see something just literally makes you go... WTF?

Ok.. let's educate the self titled Neowinian Wise One.

Here's a link to get you started.

http://www.tucsonallianceforautism.org/autism.htm
[/CODE]

Now.. having posted that... I'll let you in on something that page doesn't say.

Autistic people do not see the world like we do. And the younger they are, the more potential for them to get into dangerous situations very very easily. My daughter is autistic.. and for example, no matter how many times I tell her... she just walks from the car to the store, in the lot... with out EVER looking for cars.... unless I mention it each time we get out.

A young child isn't going to know about the dangers around them... this is exceedingly more important when it comes to an autistic child. The child will be extremely unpredictable in the situation, and unlike others.. isn't going to seek help from the first person they see.. and say they are lost.

Show some respect.

[The Evil Overlord]

Just checking in, has anyone any news as to if the child has been found yet?

[Hum]

^ Yes ...

Body of 8-year-old autistic boy found in Gulf of Mexico

The body of a missing autistic child was found near the beach on Perdido Key on Sunday afternoon, ending two days of an intense search that brought hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement to comb the area by land, sea and air.

Owen Black, 8, who stood just four feet tall and weighed about 45 pounds, was found in the Gulf of Mexico, near shore at about 1 p.m., less than half a mile east of the condo where he was staying with his family. Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said investigators believe Owen got into the water and was trapped by an undertow and taken out to sea.

Witnesses said two men playing Frisbee spotted Owen while playing in the water and pulled him ashore. He appears to have drowned, Morgan said.

http://www.pnj.com/a...-Gulf-of-Mexico

[Gaffney]

I've got Aspergers Syndrome which is in the Autism spectrum. When I was young (4-10) I would usually wonder off. I don't think the kid is in any more danger than a regular kid but may be harder to find and is probably more likely to get lost.

[n_K]

Every once in a while... life takes a turn and you see something just literally makes you go... WTF?

Ok.. let's educate the self titled Neowinian Wise One.

Here's a link to get you started.

http://www.tucsonallianceforautism.org/autism.htm
[/CODE]

Now.. having posted that... I'll let you in on something that page doesn't say.

Autistic people do not see the world like we do. And the younger they are, the more potential for them to get into dangerous situations very very easily. My daughter is autistic.. and for example, no matter how many times I tell her... she just walks from the car to the store, in the lot... with out EVER looking for cars.... unless I mention it each time we get out.

A young child isn't going to know about the dangers around them... this is exceedingly more important when it comes to an autistic child. The child will be extremely unpredictable in the situation, and unlike others.. isn't going to seek help from the first person they see.. and say they are lost.

Show some respect.

I wouldn't believe anything america publishes on autism, once again they've gone backwards in the world and reclassified it against the wishes of the world, please read http://www.guardian....ental-disorders

I.E. 'The arrival of DSM-5 will mark the end of Asperger's syndrome in the US. Along with some other autism-related conditions, Asperger's will now be consumed by the new category of "autism spectrum disorder".', despite being on the same spectrum, they're completely different things and if american so called specialists are stupid enough to call it the same thing, they're obviously pretty clueless and should be mostly ignored.

Kids do not know danger as well as adults, that's a known fact and it's nothing to do with autism. True, autism can make it more severe.

Show some respect? Why don't you read some real research by real accreditied authors that are specialists in the area first such as professor howlin?

It's a shame the boy did not survive, and autism or not isn't going to stop the sea from pulling you in nor knowing about the danger of the sea.

[FloatingFatMan]

I wouldn't believe anything america publishes on autism, once again they've gone backwards in the world and reclassified it against the wishes of the world, please read http://www.guardian....ental-disorders

I.E. 'The arrival of DSM-5 will mark the end of Asperger's syndrome in the US. Along with some other autism-related conditions, Asperger's will now be consumed by the new category of "autism spectrum disorder".', despite being on the same spectrum, they're completely different things and if american so called specialists are stupid enough to call it the same thing, they're obviously pretty clueless and should be mostly ignored.

Kids do not know danger as well as adults, that's a known fact and it's nothing to do with autism. True, autism can make it more severe.

Show some respect? Why don't you read some real research by real accreditied authors that are specialists in the area first such as professor howlin?

It's a shame the boy did not survive, and autism or not isn't going to stop the sea from pulling you in nor knowing about the danger of the sea.

You know nothing of what you're talking about. I have a kid with mild Aspergers; he's 13 now and still has very little concept of personal danger. He will spot something of interest, and that will consume his attention completely, to the exclusion of everything, even a bus bearing down on him.

It's really sad this kid died... I really feel for his parents. :( Something like this would utterly destroy me. :(