NYT Op-ed: Wandering is a major concern for parents of autistic children

[matt819]

7. What's your problem with my OP

Granted, I have no experience with autism, but I made it very clear that I am sympathetic to the issues raised in the op ed piece, and to the issues raised in the posts here. I wasn't minimizing the impact on families. I can see where you might take issue with my reference to the numbers. The only point I was making that there do seem to be measures that can be taken for autistic children who bolt. I don't dispute that other children elsewhere on the autism spectrum do need far more vigilance, and that this is incredibly challenging for families. But the writer of the op-ed piece concentrated on bolting, and those numbers appear to be low. That doesn't mean nothing should be done. In fact, the op-ed piece does acknowledge that technology can play a role, and I would think that there any number of organizations whose mission is to address these issues can accomplish this because the numbers are low.

And, as other posters caught my intent, I was trying to call attention to the police response, which was appalling. And, to be fair, that was one cop in one town. When my father was suffering from Alzheimer's, and before he entered a nursing home, he wandered, and the police where he lived were supportive and responsive. I will posit, however, that responses are varied, and trying to fix that issue is far more onerous.

So, if you are going to insult me with "The OP, on the other hand. . . " you would be well served to read the OP more carefully or just ask for clarification.