He never wandered far—until the day he did.

Nine-year-old Brandon, who has autism, loved playing in his yard or treehouse. Wandering wasn’t typical for him—until one day, he slipped away unnoticed. As panic set in for his family, it was Brandon’s MedicAlert ID that turned a terrifying moment into a safe reunion. One glance at his bracelet, one call, and he was back home.

Brandon's Wandering Episode

Nine-year old Brandon can usually be found playing in his tree house or out in the yard exploring. He has a diagnosis of autism, and although many autistic children wander, Brandon wasn’t typically one of them. There had only been a few instances while in the company of his mom, dad or four siblings that Brandon had wandered off. Even on these occasions, he never went far from home.

But one day, Brandon’s parents’ greatest fear became a reality, when Brandon decided to “go on an adventure.” He climbed over the front yard fence, crossed a heightened traffic area and continued on his way. At the time, Brandon’s mom Aimee was not home, and Brandon’s older brother was in charge.

When his older brother looked around the yard for Brandon, he didn’t see him and assumed he was up in the tree house, playing as usual. He didn’t realize Brandon had figured out how to climb the fence. Shortly, however, he realized Brandon was not in the family’s yard – he had wandered.

Upon learning her son was missing; Aimee went into an immediate state of panic. She got in her car and started driving the area to see if she could find him.

How Brandon got home: MedicAlert's protection in action

A little over a mile away, a woman driving down the street saw a young boy walking barefoot and very close to oncoming traffic. The woman pulled over and made a few attempts to get Brandon’s attention. She knew something wasn’t right when he didn’t respond and just continued walking.

As she got closer to him, she saw Brandon’s MedicAlert ID bracelet for autism with the inscription “Autism & Non-Verbal.” She immediately called the number on his bracelet. The MedicAlert response specialist told her to remain where she was with Brandon and they would contact his parents.

“I was driving around for less than 10 minutes when MedicAlert called me,” said Aimee. “Brandon would have kept going and ended up who knows where if the nice woman hadn’t stopped and seen his MedicAlert ID bracelet. MedicAlert’s emergency response team told me exactly where I could go to pick up Brandon; I couldn’t help but being a blubbering mess and so grateful.”

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Brandon would have kept going and ended up who knows where if the nice woman hadn’t stopped and seen his MedicAlert ID bracelet.

MedicAlert’s emergency response team told me exactly where I could go to pick up Brandon; I couldn’t help but being a blubbering mess and so grateful.

Aimee, mother of Brandon, MedicAlert Member since 2011

More Than a Bracelet—A Lifelong Guardian

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 1 in 36 children have been diagnosed with autism in the U.S. today.

Common challenges of autism include communication differences, behavior concerns including restrictive and repetitive behaviors, and differences in learning, attention, and movement.

These challenges can lead to increased stress for parents as they try to understand and meet their child’s needs. They can also sometimes lead to dangerous behaviors that are very scary for parents and families. And, it also means that autistic children often can’t communicate their needs in an emergency situation, including wandering episodes that can bring them close to dangerous traffic.

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Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.

Minority groups tend to be diagnosed with autism later and less often.

An estimated 40 percent of people with autism are nonverbal.

Source: AutismSpeaks.org

Autism and wandering around traffic

Many parents of autistic children find that extra precautions must be taken to ensure safety both at home and away from home. This includes prevention of wandering, a common concern reported by nearly 50% of parents of autistic children. Hazards related to unexpectedly wandering are common, and this includes fears about autism and traffic safety.

In fact, 2 out of 3 parents of children who have wandered report that their child has had a close call with traffic. There are several reasons this can be more challenging for these children and their families:

Difficulty with communication including understanding social rules
Being under or over-sensitive to sound or visual input, which can cause unexpected reactions around traffic
Forgetfulness or distractibility that interferes with paying close attention to road safety
Strong interests that a child may follow without regard for traffic
Challenges with flexible thinking, including applying safety rules in multiple contexts

Peace of mind and support for autism with MedicAlert IDs

It’s easy to see from Brandon’s story how MedicAlert autism bracelets can help share important details with anyone who may be involved in helping in an emergency or when an autistic child wanders or is near traffic. These details and additional knowledge can help a stranger comfort an autistic person or reconnect them with family.

MedicAlert IDs are invaluable for helping to communicate important information in an emergency, and millions of people have relied on them to be their voice over the years. For parents and families of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, wandering and traffic dangers can be a common concern.

For many families who have members with autism, wandering is a daily concern. With 2 of 3 parents who report wandering also reporting close calls with traffic, proactive measures provide more than peace of mind.

A MedicAlert ID is a reliable voice that is a cornerstone of communicating on behalf of these children if needed. Our story about one family’s unexpectedly scary afternoon illustrates just how MedicAlert offers support and peace of mind to parents.

There are many options available to choose from, parents can select an ID that works best for their child, whether it’s a bracelet like Brandon’s or an autism ID card or autism tag that can be used on personal belongings. With 4 million lives saved and counting, MedicAlert is a source of peace of mind for anyone who needs additional support in a potential emergency.

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He never wandered far—until the day he did.

Brandon's Wandering Episode