Someone from my brother's school ran away :|

My mum was looking at the BBC News website earlier, and purely by accident she found an article about a boy who goes to my brother's school (for those of you who don't know, my brother Alan is autistic and he goes to a school specifically for autistic teenagers).

Concern for missing autistic boy
A major search is under way in Devon for a missing autistic teenager.
Police, dogs, divers and Dartmoor Rescue teams are looking for -boy-, who was last seen in Eggesford, Chumleigh at 1830 BST on Saturday.
The 17-year-old, who has a mental age of three, carries a blue folder with pictures to help him communicate. His condition often draws him to water.
Devon and Cornwall Police said -boy- was walking along a footpath which follows the River Taw and the Tarka rail line when he ran away from his two carers into nearby woodland.
"Temperatures were quite low and he was only wearing a T-shirt, so we're very concerned, particularly with the location of the river nearby," Supt Sarah Sharpe told BBC News.
"He is very vulnerable and it's absolutely crucial we find him as soon as possible."
"He is absolutely no danger to the public."
"Anybody approaching -boy- should say his name - he'll find that reassuring, but avoiding eye contact will help because he'll be quite frightened," Supt Sharpe added.


And then another article from about an hour ago...

Vulnerable boy found after search
An autistic teenager, with a mental age of three, who went missing on Saturday has been found.
Police, dogs, divers and moor Rescue teams were involved in the search for the 17-year-old.
The Devon and Cornwall Police helicopter found the teenager in a field near Eggesford about midday.
A police spokesman said the vulnerable teenager was safe and well and had been reunited with his father.
He was found on the opposite side of the river where the search had been concentrated.



It's frightening to think he managed to run away, and run so far that the members of staff with him actually managed to lose him and had to have a major search started! I used to think that the people who worked at the school were quite trustworthy, but now I'll probably think again. And yeah, this was probably just an accident, but seriously, there would've been at least 2 adults with him, so how he managed to run off like that without them noticing or going after him I do not know. It makes me so angry, how could someone be so careless, especially with someone like this boy who had no way of being able to care for himself because he can't speak and gets frightened by strangers. I just feel so... GRRRR.

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3 replies since 10th May 2009 • Last reply 10th May 2009

God yeah, I would be really worried if these people were looking after my brother!

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omgosh, that is scary. I wold be concerned too

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Worse yet? "A mental age of three" Give me a break! No one REALLY can be the judge of this. They say my brother (who also has autism)test at a 4th grade level, yet my brother can spell words I can't begin to start (I'm in college), pick a dead bolt, solve a rubics cube, and has memorized most disney movies-saying them from opening credits to "The End."(to name a few of his "hobbies"). He might have the COMMUNICATION skills of a three year old, but he is problely a lot smarter then we will ever be. And why say "Vulnerable boy"? How about "Young Man with Autism". Since when was a 17 year old a "boy"?....Idiots....

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