New autism advocacy group in Maryland pushes water safety

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. ( DC News Now ) – The Maryland Autism Coalition was recently formed after a 6-year-old nonverbal child with autism was found in a pond at Bohrer Park in July after he wandered away from his family.

The coalition hopes to prevent future tragedies like this from happening again.

Autism Society of Maryland Executive Director, Melissa Rosenberg, said she and others were heartbroken to hear that several children with autism drowned this summer.

“There were three children who drowned in the course of maybe two months,” Rosenberg said. “One in Dundalk and two others in Montgomery County.”

The tragedies moved them to start the Maryland Autism Coalition, which launched in July.

“The opportunity to share resources and get the word out throughout the state,” Rosenberg said.

They’re doing so through education.

“The first thing we did was to create that Call 911 flyer,” Rosenberg said.

The flyer contains information on what parents should do if their child goes missing. Rosenberg said it’s imperative to follow those directions because every second matters.

“The biggest cause of death in child with autism under the age of 14 is drowning,” she said. “Children who are autistic are drawn to water, whether it’s a swimming pool, or a canal, the ocean or a drainage pond.”

Rosenberg said the Maryland Autism Coalition plans to hold educational community events in the future.

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