Tracking Our Kids with GPS

As a former ACLU staffer who worked on privacy issues and the mother of a young nonverbal daughter with autism who wanders, I feel uniquely qualified to weigh in on the bill proposed—“Avonte’s Law—by Senator Schumer that would provide funding to the US Justice Department to pay for voluntary GPS tracking devices for children on the autism spectrum or who at risk for flight.

When I first heard of how Avonte Oquendo, a 14 year old, nonverbal, boy with autism wandering from away from Long Island school my heart sank.  How could the school let this happen?  But then I remembered I am only responsible for only one nonverbal child with autism, who wandered away from my house. The day Caroline wandered away was the scariest of my life.  What happened to Avonte is a tragedy and unfortunately it is a tragedy that almost every parent of a child with autism fears.

Children with autism are at particularly high risk for wandering, as many parents well know. It's estimated that half of children with autism are prone to wandering, according to a 2012 article in the Journal of Pediatrics. The majority of fatalities—60 since 2008—have involved drowning.

The press has largely referenced the Justice Dept. program as being for children with autism, though it is also for kids with other conditions and developmental disorders that put them at risk for flight. Devices can be worn on the wrist, clipped onto shoelaces or belt loops, kept in a wallet or sewn into clothing.

So while, I have professionally advocated for privacy rights for both adults and minors; and while, I was horrified to learn the public school district where my daughters will likely attend school was experimenting with RFID chips; I do support “Avonte’s Law”.  My family will likely be one of the families taking advantage of the program—given the opportunity.  However, I will share that I do have some concerns—mainly that the tracking devices will lull caregivers into a false sense of security.  It takes less than a minute for a child to drown or be hit by a car.  Having said that, I think the devices are a step in the right direction and further will provide an opportunity for local law enforcement to learn more about autism.

As is too often the case, it took a tragedy that captured the public’s attention to bring about change.