August 18, 2025 • 20 mins
When a child with autism wanders away from safety, every second counts. Now, thanks to Florida's new Spectrum Alert system, there's a structured response that could save lives.
In this episode of the Cape CopCast, the Cape Coral Police Department welcomes Family Initiative Vice President Anjali Van Drie and Director of Community Development Stephanie Hoffman to discuss this crucial safety development. Family Initiative, celebrating a decade of service in Cape Coral, has witnessed firsthand how the prevalence of autism has skyrocketed from 1 in 110 to 1 in 31 children. This non-profit's comprehensive approach includes everything from clinical services and a specialized K-12 school to community programs for individuals of all ages on the spectrum.
The conversation centered on Florida's Spectrum Alert system, which launched July 1st. Similar to Amber and Silver Alerts, this notification system activates when a person with autism elopes—a frighteningly common occurrence that affects over 50% of individuals with autism. What makes this particularly dangerous in Southwest Florida? Water attraction. Many children with autism are drawn to water for sensory reasons, and with Cape Coral's abundant canals and waterways, the risk is significant. Last year alone, over 60% of childhood drowning deaths in Florida involved children with autism.
This partnership goes beyond alerts. The Cape Coral Police Department is implementing scannable identification bracelets and receiving specialized training from Family Initiative to better interact with nonverbal individuals. Meanwhile, Stephanie Hoffman shared both professional and personal perspectives as both an organization leader and mother to a child with autism, offering practical safety measures families can implement: specialized locks, alarms, tracking devices, and proactively introducing children to neighbors and "safe strangers" like police officers.
Perhaps most important was the reassurance that parents should call police immediately when a child wanders—not wait until they've exhausted their own search efforts. Officers would much rather respond and find a child already safe than arrive too late; their goal is safety, not judgment.
Reach out to the Cape Coral Police Department or Family Initiative to learn more about Spectrum Alert and available resources. Together, we're building a community where our most vulnerable members are protected through understanding, preparation, and swift action.
Learn more about Family Initiative here: https://www.fi-florida.org/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome back to another episode of the Cape Cop
cast.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I'm one of your hosts Lisa Greenberg and I'm Officer
Mercedes Simons.
Today we have two amazingguests from Family Initiative
and I don't want to spoilanything, so I will just let
them introduce themselves andtheir organization Perfect.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Awesome.
So I'm Anjali Vandri, one ofthe co-founders and vice
president of Family Initiative.
I'm Stephanie.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Hoffman, and I'm Anjali Vandery, one of the
co-founders and vice presidentof Family Initiative.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I'm Stephanie Hoffman and I'm the director of
community development.
We're so excited to have you.
We usually have people on fromour department A couple of times
we've done some partnerships,like with the fire department,
but this is the first time thatwe've been able to do something
like this.
We thought it was reallyimportant to have Family
Initiative on because ofeverything that you guys do and
how involved you are with ourcommunity and how it relates to
us.
So if you could just start bygiving us a brief overview of
family initiative and what youguys do, sure.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
I will do my best to keep it brief, but we do a lot
of things I love talking aboutit.
We're a nonprofit organizationbased here out of Cape Coral, so
we actually started like 10years ago in 2015, really to
support the autism communityacross the region.
So we have a whole array ofcommunity-based programs, which
are either free or low cost,every day of the week.
Basically, that are socialskills groups, art programming,
(01:13):
sports programs, sibling groups,parent groups, all sorts of
things that are running duringthe week and that's really to
give our kids and our familiesopportunities to come together,
learn skills in a fun andexciting way.
So whatever they like to do, wetry to create opportunity for
that.
We also provide clinicalservices, so applied behavior
analysis and occupationaltherapy.
So we have a large team ofclinicians that every day are
(01:36):
out there working in schools, inthe community, in home and our
locations, wherever we can tohelp support families.
We have a private school, so westarted that about two and a
half years ago, so this is oursecond full year in our location
.
So we were excited to just kickoff the school year.
So that's a private autismspecialty school that is now
(01:56):
kindergarten through 12th, so,yeah, so it's all ages and our
programs are really for everyone.
So we start with our babies, sowe have free screenings and a
baby MA program all the waythrough our teens and young
adults, so we have programs forthem as well as like workforce
development and jobopportunities.
So we do a lot as the prevalenceof autism has increased we've
(02:17):
definitely increased the numberof families we serve and adding
on the programs.
So when we started theprevalence was about one in 110.
And last year the CDC reportedthe prevalence is one in 31.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
So it's definitely increased significantly over the
last decade and continues torise and you guys are based here
in Cape Coral.
So, it's nice for familiesliving here in the Cape to have
that resource available.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
And you guys said that people actually move from
other states to come here foryour guys' program, which I
think is great.
There's not a lot of resourcesin communities in general
specifically for that.
I think they get thrown intoschools and maybe kind of of
lost along the way, probably.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Yeah, it's cool we have.
I think one of my favoritestories is one of the families
who did relocate here.
They're from New York and itwas cute because she's like
everyone told me, don't move toFlorida, they have terrible
resources, and she's like joke'son you, I got the best services
down here, so she's thrilledabout it.
So it's cool to hear that andwe're happy we can fill that gap
(03:28):
for families.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
That's amazing.
I know one of the main thingswe wanted to make sure we talked
to you guys about, and what'sactually great is you guys came
to us and we're like we wouldlike to talk about this on the
podcast, which I think isawesome.
We're happy to provide thatchannel to the community to talk
about this, because it is soimportant.
We wanted to talk aboutSpectrum Alert, and I think this
is extremely important.
This is something that wentinto effect on July 1st, but
(03:52):
correct me if I'm wrong thecities and everyone that's
taking part in this.
They have a whole year to kindof get their feet under them
when it comes to this.
Tell me about Spectrum Alert,though.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Sure, so I'll tell it from my perspective.
And then, steph, if you, wantto join in.
Spectrum Alert was part of abill that was passed this past
legislative session and reallythe intent of the alert was just
like we have, like the AmberAlerts and Silver Alerts is to
create an alert system forindividuals with autism when
they elope or leave or wanderoff.
(04:23):
So over 50% of individuals withautism are known to elope and I
think, despite all the bestefforts, families put into place
and Stephanie and I had somereally good conversations about
this and there's a lot offamilies we work with that have
this anxiety about their childleaving without an adult.
Having a resource like thiswhich, very quickly, that law
(04:44):
enforcement is able to put out,that alert same channels, like
those other alerts, thatnotifies everyone in our
community that there's a childwith autism who has wandered off
or has eloped, I think it'shuge to get the word out there.
I know there's a lot ofadditional things that are with
it some of the trainingcomponents and communications
part of it, which we're justreally excited about to bring
more resources and awareness tothe autism community and do work
(05:08):
together to help keep kids andfamilies safe.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Yeah, I think that was the best thing about you
guys coming to us is we needtraining on these things.
It's not like we'reautomatically experts.
I mean, we have crisisintervention training in place.
They've offered classes foradvanced CIT specializing in
autism, but that only goes sofar.
It isn't until you guys comeinto play that we get the
personal stories and experiencesto be able to apply to law
(05:34):
enforcement, because it gives usa hands-on learning,
essentially with you guys whohave the knowledge and expertise
and local feedback to bring tothe table.
So like, for instance, withinCape Coral, we know we have a
ton of water and a ton of canals, and you guys know that kids
who wander are often attractedto water.
So that specific knowledge tothis exact area is going to be
(05:57):
one of those things that'sreally helpful.
That'll hopefully save lives.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
No for sure and unfortunately, like you
mentioned with the water, it'severywhere.
Unfortunately, an elopement canhappen anywhere.
It can happen at home, it canbe happening when you're out in
the community.
So that's where we talk aboutour programs at Family
Initiative being a safe placefor them.
But you also want to be able totake your kids and do things in
the community and feel safe athome as well.
So just hoping that we can dowhatever we can to help educate
(06:24):
parents and families on how tokeep their kids safe and then
working with, obviously, thepolice department, local
authorities, to make sure thatwe can all come together,
because it really truly I alwayssay this it takes a village to
keep our kids safe and do whatwe can do to help whatever we
can do to help.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I think having this spectrum alert in place is so
important because it justcreates a systematic.
This is what you do.
This is the different ways thatpeople are going to be notified
.
It's not just like, oh okay,someone's missing, we got to
find them.
What's next?
It creates like the plan, whichI think is helpful in keeping
(07:01):
the situation uniform, organized.
All of that, all thenotification that gets out.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
It's also great because you guys know your kids,
so you know who's local.
So if we're like they'remissing, I don't know anything
about them you guys do, soyou're very familiar.
It's just a quick phone call ofhey, this is who's missing.
What should we know?
Absolutely, and that'scompletely something that's
priceless.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
And I know for us over the years, because we do
have such a great relationshipwith your department, we've had
law enforcement call and say wefound an individual who's
nonverbal, can you help.
And I think because we are sucha close community, we've been
able to reach out and, even ifwe don't know who the child is,
to be able to reach out to otherpeople we know who might some
(07:43):
of the group home providers,things like that agency for
persons with disabilities, someof the schools, and be able to
quickly work together to help.
And one of the things I know wewere talking about, the
elopement and the water thing.
I think for us that's why partof why this is so important,
because so many of our kids aredrawn to those water sources as
like a sensory thing, because itis very calming and it is a
(08:09):
find our kids quickly.
We were looking at the data oflike the over a hundred kids
that were a drowning death lastyear in the state of Florida.
Over 60% of those are childrenwith autism.
So, that is an anxiety I know welive with, that our families
live with.
So anything we as a communitycan do to help minimize that and
help support the families whoare doing it like I said,
everything they can to keeptheir kids safe is a huge
(08:32):
accomplishment and we're supergrateful to the legislators and
the governor who signed thisbill into law to be able to help
more families.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Yeah, absolutely, and to act quickly because,
unfortunately, time is of theessence when things like this
happen.
So then you have a plan.
Like you said, it's a processand you guys are more helpful on
knowing what you're dealingwith, who to communicate with if
the child is verbal ornonverbal, who the parents are.
These are all just important,quick questions that we need to
hopefully work through quickly.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
And I know you come at this from multiple
perspectives, because not onlydo you work with Family
Initiative, but you said thatyour child has autism as well,
correct, yes, correct.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
So seeing something like this, she's a lot smaller,
so she's only three, and so it'sbeen a learning curve for me as
a parent and for joining theteam at Family Initiative to see
with all of our kids like it'struly a spectrum.
So every kid is so different andhas different challenges and
behaviors.
But, that being said, it'sreally helpful to work with
these families to create a planthat's best for your child.
(09:30):
Do you know that your child isprone to just walk out the front
door, which mine is?
So you have to make sure tohave those appropriate locks and
boundaries and barriers andwhen you're traveling, if you're
in an Airbnb which I've learnedabout recently as well or
anywhere that you're going,making sure it's safe for your
child.
So it's just creating thoseeducation with the families to
(09:51):
think about things.
Families are overwhelmed.
Parents are overwhelmed.
They're worrying about schooland therapies and all kinds of
things.
Just making sure this stays ontop of conversation, because we
want to make sure every kid issafe.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I would think as a parent too, having this spectrum
alert now in place anddeveloping is probably a comfort
to you as well.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Well, yeah, and we kind of we discussed a little
bit too more about how this caneven grow farther in alerting
your neighbors, talking to them,this is what my child faces.
If you see them outside, canyou please let me know?
Here's my cell phone number,here's their photo, and just all
coming together as a communitybetween the neighborhoods, the
police, family initiative, anyother organizations that want to
(10:31):
help, because I think if we allwork together, these kids will
be brought home a lot quickerand safer, for sure.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
I know we talked to you guys too about bringing you
guys in for an added level oftraining for our officers and
that's something that I knowwe're actively pursuing.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
That's something that we want to brag on you guys
about is you came to us and yousaid hey, we're willing to offer
you absolutely free training.
We just want to get involvedwith you and help out.
So I think what we're going todo, I think what we've worked
out on our side, is to doin-service training, because
it's not just roll call thatonly patrol gets, it's something
that all of us get, to includeall the school resource officers
too, which I think isinvaluable right.
Even if somebody doesn't go toyour school, they probably go to
(11:16):
a school with kids with autismand it's just good to know who
all's involved, what to look for, because I've ran into on
patrol kids that we found thatare nonverbal and it's kind of a
challenge initially of who isthis?
Where do they live?
How do we get in contact withthe parents when they can't tell
you their name?
And who is this?
Where do they live?
How do we get in contact withthe parents when they can't tell
you their name and who they are?
(11:37):
And one of the things thatwe're working on our end is
getting these bracelets thathave the ability, if you scan it
, it'll pop up with all of theirinformation, which I think is
really great.
That's something that we'reworking on as a resource to the
community, because I think justsomething like that, when there
is a whole entire languagebarrier there in place to just
(11:58):
help us out, and that's anotherone of those things with parents
for them to know, when we comein contact with your kid, you
can always just call the policestation and we can take down the
information photo, everythinglike that, because just that's
another step in in letting usknow who your kid is, for us to
document, especially if they'reprone to wandering.
We want to know who those kidsare where they live, so that if
(12:22):
something happens, weimmediately know who it is, who
their parents are and who tocall, so that we can get them to
their safe place so much faster.
Because all the parents knowtheir kids far better than we
ever could, and you're theirplace of comfort too.
So the faster that we can getthem home, the better.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Absolutely, and it's cool, I think, for us.
We're honored to partner withyou guys because I think what we
love so much about being ableto do this work in our community
is how accepting and inclusivethey are, and I think we're
always looking for opportunitiesto share education and
awareness.
We do a ton of training.
We're always open to doing thatand partnering, because autism
occurs across everysocioeconomic status, with every
(13:02):
race, every ethnicity.
I mean it is something thatwhen you talk to families these
days, everybody has some sort ofinteraction, whether it be
within their family or withintheir place of work.
That I feel like it's definitelybecome more prevalent.
So the more that we can cometogether and help support.
We've been lucky.
We do a lot of training and Ithink what's cool when we do the
(13:23):
training, the more we talkabout it, the more people feel
comfortable saying, hey, that issomething I'm dealing with.
I do need help, but I think forus to come together and build
those resources to help support,because we want to live in a
place where everyone feels safeand included and comfortable.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
So I think it's been cool to be able to work together
with agencies like yours to beable to create those spaces well
, I think that's one of, like,my favorite things is you guys
are really good about invitingus to different events that you
have, which is great because Iknow like the whole uniform,
especially with the outertactical vest.
Sometimes I'm sure that can bea little bit intimidating for
(13:59):
kids who might not understand.
So having us be more involvedand the kids getting to know us
and know what the uniform lookslike and hey, don't touch this
um, that one's important becauseI mean, because you know they
it's, it's their sensory thing,sometimes they just want to
touch, so knowing, hey, don'ttouch this, but this person is
(14:20):
safe for you is so important wewere talking about that.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
That's one of the things like we work with our
kids on who's a safe stranger.
So if they are out and getseparated from their family, who
do you go to, who can you trust, and so we do a lot of work.
So it's been fantastic.
I know we've had members fromthe police department out all
summer long to meet with ourkids and hang out and not just
like in a formal way but justspend time together so they do
(14:45):
get to know different officersand get to spend time with them
and know this is a person Icould go to if I need help.
So because I think for any ofus reaching out to law
enforcement, it can beintimidating and particularly
when you're in the moment whereyou need that is usually a
stressful situation.
So to help our kids understandthese are people who are going
to help us and who are there toprotect us and be a safe
(15:08):
stranger, I think is huge for us.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Yeah, For those who are not involved in your school
but involved in the communitywith autism, feel free to
introduce yourself to anyofficer that you see and we're
more than happy to talk to you,interact with you.
Some officers may have stickers, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Toy cars.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
That's awesome, all the cool stuff For sure.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Well, and we?
Speaker 4 (15:29):
briefly talked a little bit, and the kids
obviously have their sometimesfears when you see all the
uniforms and badges and things.
But sometimes parents arenervous to talk with the police
as well, Especially whensomething like that happens.
If a child elopes out of yourhome, you feel like you know you
did something wrong as a parentand you're afraid to call or
maybe talk about this and how toprevent it the next time.
(15:51):
So we just want to make surethat parents feel safe to talk
about because this unfortunatelyis common but how to prevent it
so it doesn't happen again, andthen get the proper places and
people in place to stop it.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yeah, and I know, while we have people listening,
I think it's really important toreiterate some of the tips and
information that you guys tellparents and other family members
when it comes to this.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
So I think there's a number of safety measures and a
lot of this depends on yourchild and knowing your child.
So I know there's differentsorts of quote tracking sort of
devices.
So there's some pretty advancedones which are pricey, but I
know some of our families dopurchase those because their
child's behavior is prettyintense and they want to make
(16:34):
sure they have all that.
So there are ones that you canpay for all the way down to ones
that are free.
I know we talked about evenwith some of the smartwatches
and things like that.
Some of our kids will wearthose.
It's hard because thosetracking devices are a sensory
thing.
So to make sure our kids keepthose on, we were talking a
couple of our families thatwe've worked with sew in pockets
into the clothing or into thebackpack so they can put in
(16:55):
devices there so they can helpif their child does.
Yeah, if their child does alittle.
But I think those safetyprecautions, the locks I mean
some of our families will havethe keyed locks on both sides or
higher up locks, the cameras inthe home and alert, like alarms
, so when you open the door itnotifies you that the door or
window is open.
But, like Stephanie said, evengetting to know your neighbors
(17:16):
and saying, hey, this is ourfamily, this is my child, if you
see him, please call me, calllaw enforcement.
He shouldn't be outside.
This is his name.
Here's some of the things helikes just to, because we also
don't want our kids to feel likethey're in trouble when they're
out.
We want to make sure that we'retrying to protect them too.
So, having everyone understandthat I know we've had some
experiences in the past whereone of our young people did
(17:39):
leave the house and they were intheir neighbor's garage and the
poor family was lookingeverywhere but they had, like,
cool stuff in their garage, sohe just wanted to check it out.
So, understanding, our kids areexploring and it's not like
they're trying to do anythingnefarious or bad like they're
really just exploring.
I may not understand thatthey're very inquisitive.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
Yes, yes, yes, I want to explore and want to explore
exactly, and unfortunately theydon't understand what is could
be harmful or not safe.
Um, so it's just up to us totry to protect them as a
community.
So anything that we can do tohelp, share and educate, it's
just so helpful.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Yeah, for sure, and it's nice that if all of that
fails right, if the locks andthe alarms and the air tags and
the neighbors and all that,there is this spectrum alert
that's going into place, thatwill help.
And then, of course, once weget there, the bracelets I think
will be super helpful and ofcourse, once that does become
available within our department,we're going to blast that out,
we're going to partner with youguys to make sure it gets to the
(18:35):
right families and all of that.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
So yeah, and we're not judging if your kid gets out
or whatever.
We're here for you, we're here.
We're like.
We send everybody that we have.
The fire department comes outto help.
That's our top priority is toget your kids safe.
So don't wait to call.
I know a lot of people try tojust check everywhere and then
call.
Don't do that.
We want to help.
(18:57):
We would love to help, becausethe sooner they get home, the
safer they are.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Exactly.
We would rather show up andthey're found and everything's
safe and good, than wait toolong and show up and it'd be a
different story.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
So good, then wait too long and show up and it'd be
a different story.
So that's great to hear, andI'm sure a lot of parents need
that reassurance.
So it's so wonderful to hearthat?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Yeah, absolutely Well , we are so glad that you guys
could join us today.
I think this is a greatpartnership that we really enjoy
having.
What a blessing to have a localplace, a local partnership,
that we have to cross-referenceeverything that we have, because
we don't know everything.
You guys are the subject matterexperts.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
You guys are doing a great job.
Seriously, thank you Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Well, thank you, guys so much.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Thank you so much.
Thank you, thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Yes, and we will see you next time.
If you're listening or watching, have a good one, stay safe.
Welcome back to another episode of the Cape Cop
cast.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I'm one of your hosts Lisa Greenberg and I'm Officer
Mercedes Simons.
Today we have two amazingguests from Family Initiative
and I don't want to spoilanything, so I will just let
them introduce themselves andtheir organization Perfect.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Awesome.
So I'm Anjali Vandri, one ofthe co-founders and vice
president of Family Initiative.
I'm Stephanie.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Hoffman, and I'm Anjali Vandery, one of the
co-founders and vice presidentof Family Initiative.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I'm Stephanie Hoffman and I'm the director of
community development.
We're so excited to have you.
We usually have people on fromour department A couple of times
we've done some partnerships,like with the fire department,
but this is the first time thatwe've been able to do something
like this.
We thought it was reallyimportant to have Family
Initiative on because ofeverything that you guys do and
how involved you are with ourcommunity and how it relates to
us.
So if you could just start bygiving us a brief overview of
family initiative and what youguys do, sure.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
I will do my best to keep it brief, but we do a lot
of things I love talking aboutit.
We're a nonprofit organizationbased here out of Cape Coral, so
we actually started like 10years ago in 2015, really to
support the autism communityacross the region.
So we have a whole array ofcommunity-based programs, which
are either free or low cost,every day of the week.
Basically, that are socialskills groups, art programming,
(01:13):
sports programs, sibling groups,parent groups, all sorts of
things that are running duringthe week and that's really to
give our kids and our familiesopportunities to come together,
learn skills in a fun andexciting way.
So whatever they like to do, wetry to create opportunity for
that.
We also provide clinicalservices, so applied behavior
analysis and occupationaltherapy.
So we have a large team ofclinicians that every day are
(01:36):
out there working in schools, inthe community, in home and our
locations, wherever we can tohelp support families.
We have a private school, so westarted that about two and a
half years ago, so this is oursecond full year in our location
.
So we were excited to just kickoff the school year.
So that's a private autismspecialty school that is now
(01:56):
kindergarten through 12th, so,yeah, so it's all ages and our
programs are really for everyone.
So we start with our babies, sowe have free screenings and a
baby MA program all the waythrough our teens and young
adults, so we have programs forthem as well as like workforce
development and jobopportunities.
So we do a lot as the prevalenceof autism has increased we've
(02:17):
definitely increased the numberof families we serve and adding
on the programs.
So when we started theprevalence was about one in 110.
And last year the CDC reportedthe prevalence is one in 31.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
So it's definitely increased significantly over the
last decade and continues torise and you guys are based here
in Cape Coral.
So, it's nice for familiesliving here in the Cape to have
that resource available.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
And you guys said that people actually move from
other states to come here foryour guys' program, which I
think is great.
There's not a lot of resourcesin communities in general
specifically for that.
I think they get thrown intoschools and maybe kind of of
lost along the way, probably.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Yeah, it's cool we have.
I think one of my favoritestories is one of the families
who did relocate here.
They're from New York and itwas cute because she's like
everyone told me, don't move toFlorida, they have terrible
resources, and she's like joke'son you, I got the best services
down here, so she's thrilledabout it.
So it's cool to hear that andwe're happy we can fill that gap
(03:28):
for families.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
That's amazing.
I know one of the main thingswe wanted to make sure we talked
to you guys about, and what'sactually great is you guys came
to us and we're like we wouldlike to talk about this on the
podcast, which I think isawesome.
We're happy to provide thatchannel to the community to talk
about this, because it is soimportant.
We wanted to talk aboutSpectrum Alert, and I think this
is extremely important.
This is something that wentinto effect on July 1st, but
(03:52):
correct me if I'm wrong thecities and everyone that's
taking part in this.
They have a whole year to kindof get their feet under them
when it comes to this.
Tell me about Spectrum Alert,though.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Sure, so I'll tell it from my perspective.
And then, steph, if you, wantto join in.
Spectrum Alert was part of abill that was passed this past
legislative session and reallythe intent of the alert was just
like we have, like the AmberAlerts and Silver Alerts is to
create an alert system forindividuals with autism when
they elope or leave or wanderoff.
(04:23):
So over 50% of individuals withautism are known to elope and I
think, despite all the bestefforts, families put into place
and Stephanie and I had somereally good conversations about
this and there's a lot offamilies we work with that have
this anxiety about their childleaving without an adult.
Having a resource like thiswhich, very quickly, that law
(04:44):
enforcement is able to put out,that alert same channels, like
those other alerts, thatnotifies everyone in our
community that there's a childwith autism who has wandered off
or has eloped, I think it'shuge to get the word out there.
I know there's a lot ofadditional things that are with
it some of the trainingcomponents and communications
part of it, which we're justreally excited about to bring
more resources and awareness tothe autism community and do work
(05:08):
together to help keep kids andfamilies safe.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Yeah, I think that was the best thing about you
guys coming to us is we needtraining on these things.
It's not like we'reautomatically experts.
I mean, we have crisisintervention training in place.
They've offered classes foradvanced CIT specializing in
autism, but that only goes sofar.
It isn't until you guys comeinto play that we get the
personal stories and experiencesto be able to apply to law
(05:34):
enforcement, because it gives usa hands-on learning,
essentially with you guys whohave the knowledge and expertise
and local feedback to bring tothe table.
So like, for instance, withinCape Coral, we know we have a
ton of water and a ton of canals, and you guys know that kids
who wander are often attractedto water.
So that specific knowledge tothis exact area is going to be
(05:57):
one of those things that'sreally helpful.
That'll hopefully save lives.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
No for sure and unfortunately, like you
mentioned with the water, it'severywhere.
Unfortunately, an elopement canhappen anywhere.
It can happen at home, it canbe happening when you're out in
the community.
So that's where we talk aboutour programs at Family
Initiative being a safe placefor them.
But you also want to be able totake your kids and do things in
the community and feel safe athome as well.
So just hoping that we can dowhatever we can to help educate
(06:24):
parents and families on how tokeep their kids safe and then
working with, obviously, thepolice department, local
authorities, to make sure thatwe can all come together,
because it really truly I alwayssay this it takes a village to
keep our kids safe and do whatwe can do to help whatever we
can do to help.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I think having this spectrum alert in place is so
important because it justcreates a systematic.
This is what you do.
This is the different ways thatpeople are going to be notified
.
It's not just like, oh okay,someone's missing, we got to
find them.
What's next?
It creates like the plan, whichI think is helpful in keeping
(07:01):
the situation uniform, organized.
All of that, all thenotification that gets out.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
It's also great because you guys know your kids,
so you know who's local.
So if we're like they'remissing, I don't know anything
about them you guys do, soyou're very familiar.
It's just a quick phone call ofhey, this is who's missing.
What should we know?
Absolutely, and that'scompletely something that's
priceless.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
And I know for us over the years, because we do
have such a great relationshipwith your department, we've had
law enforcement call and say wefound an individual who's
nonverbal, can you help.
And I think because we are sucha close community, we've been
able to reach out and, even ifwe don't know who the child is,
to be able to reach out to otherpeople we know who might some
(07:43):
of the group home providers,things like that agency for
persons with disabilities, someof the schools, and be able to
quickly work together to help.
And one of the things I know wewere talking about, the
elopement and the water thing.
I think for us that's why partof why this is so important,
because so many of our kids aredrawn to those water sources as
like a sensory thing, because itis very calming and it is a
(08:09):
find our kids quickly.
We were looking at the data oflike the over a hundred kids
that were a drowning death lastyear in the state of Florida.
Over 60% of those are childrenwith autism.
So, that is an anxiety I know welive with, that our families
live with.
So anything we as a communitycan do to help minimize that and
help support the families whoare doing it like I said,
everything they can to keeptheir kids safe is a huge
(08:32):
accomplishment and we're supergrateful to the legislators and
the governor who signed thisbill into law to be able to help
more families.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Yeah, absolutely, and to act quickly because,
unfortunately, time is of theessence when things like this
happen.
So then you have a plan.
Like you said, it's a processand you guys are more helpful on
knowing what you're dealingwith, who to communicate with if
the child is verbal ornonverbal, who the parents are.
These are all just important,quick questions that we need to
hopefully work through quickly.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
And I know you come at this from multiple
perspectives, because not onlydo you work with Family
Initiative, but you said thatyour child has autism as well,
correct, yes, correct.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
So seeing something like this, she's a lot smaller,
so she's only three, and so it'sbeen a learning curve for me as
a parent and for joining theteam at Family Initiative to see
with all of our kids like it'struly a spectrum.
So every kid is so different andhas different challenges and
behaviors.
But, that being said, it'sreally helpful to work with
these families to create a planthat's best for your child.
(09:30):
Do you know that your child isprone to just walk out the front
door, which mine is?
So you have to make sure tohave those appropriate locks and
boundaries and barriers andwhen you're traveling, if you're
in an Airbnb which I've learnedabout recently as well or
anywhere that you're going,making sure it's safe for your
child.
So it's just creating thoseeducation with the families to
(09:51):
think about things.
Families are overwhelmed.
Parents are overwhelmed.
They're worrying about schooland therapies and all kinds of
things.
Just making sure this stays ontop of conversation, because we
want to make sure every kid issafe.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I would think as a parent too, having this spectrum
alert now in place anddeveloping is probably a comfort
to you as well.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Well, yeah, and we kind of we discussed a little
bit too more about how this caneven grow farther in alerting
your neighbors, talking to them,this is what my child faces.
If you see them outside, canyou please let me know?
Here's my cell phone number,here's their photo, and just all
coming together as a communitybetween the neighborhoods, the
police, family initiative, anyother organizations that want to
(10:31):
help, because I think if we allwork together, these kids will
be brought home a lot quickerand safer, for sure.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
I know we talked to you guys too about bringing you
guys in for an added level oftraining for our officers and
that's something that I knowwe're actively pursuing.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
That's something that we want to brag on you guys
about is you came to us and yousaid hey, we're willing to offer
you absolutely free training.
We just want to get involvedwith you and help out.
So I think what we're going todo, I think what we've worked
out on our side, is to doin-service training, because
it's not just roll call thatonly patrol gets, it's something
that all of us get, to includeall the school resource officers
too, which I think isinvaluable right.
Even if somebody doesn't go toyour school, they probably go to
(11:16):
a school with kids with autismand it's just good to know who
all's involved, what to look for, because I've ran into on
patrol kids that we found thatare nonverbal and it's kind of a
challenge initially of who isthis?
Where do they live?
How do we get in contact withthe parents when they can't tell
you their name?
And who is this?
Where do they live?
How do we get in contact withthe parents when they can't tell
you their name and who they are?
(11:37):
And one of the things thatwe're working on our end is
getting these bracelets thathave the ability, if you scan it
, it'll pop up with all of theirinformation, which I think is
really great.
That's something that we'reworking on as a resource to the
community, because I think justsomething like that, when there
is a whole entire languagebarrier there in place to just
(11:58):
help us out, and that's anotherone of those things with parents
for them to know, when we comein contact with your kid, you
can always just call the policestation and we can take down the
information photo, everythinglike that, because just that's
another step in in letting usknow who your kid is, for us to
document, especially if they'reprone to wandering.
We want to know who those kidsare where they live, so that if
(12:22):
something happens, weimmediately know who it is, who
their parents are and who tocall, so that we can get them to
their safe place so much faster.
Because all the parents knowtheir kids far better than we
ever could, and you're theirplace of comfort too.
So the faster that we can getthem home, the better.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Absolutely, and it's cool, I think, for us.
We're honored to partner withyou guys because I think what we
love so much about being ableto do this work in our community
is how accepting and inclusivethey are, and I think we're
always looking for opportunitiesto share education and
awareness.
We do a ton of training.
We're always open to doing thatand partnering, because autism
occurs across everysocioeconomic status, with every
(13:02):
race, every ethnicity.
I mean it is something thatwhen you talk to families these
days, everybody has some sort ofinteraction, whether it be
within their family or withintheir place of work.
That I feel like it's definitelybecome more prevalent.
So the more that we can cometogether and help support.
We've been lucky.
We do a lot of training and Ithink what's cool when we do the
(13:23):
training, the more we talkabout it, the more people feel
comfortable saying, hey, that issomething I'm dealing with.
I do need help, but I think forus to come together and build
those resources to help support,because we want to live in a
place where everyone feels safeand included and comfortable.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
So I think it's been cool to be able to work together
with agencies like yours to beable to create those spaces well
, I think that's one of, like,my favorite things is you guys
are really good about invitingus to different events that you
have, which is great because Iknow like the whole uniform,
especially with the outertactical vest.
Sometimes I'm sure that can bea little bit intimidating for
(13:59):
kids who might not understand.
So having us be more involvedand the kids getting to know us
and know what the uniform lookslike and hey, don't touch this
um, that one's important becauseI mean, because you know they
it's, it's their sensory thing,sometimes they just want to
touch, so knowing, hey, don'ttouch this, but this person is
(14:20):
safe for you is so important wewere talking about that.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
That's one of the things like we work with our
kids on who's a safe stranger.
So if they are out and getseparated from their family, who
do you go to, who can you trust, and so we do a lot of work.
So it's been fantastic.
I know we've had members fromthe police department out all
summer long to meet with ourkids and hang out and not just
like in a formal way but justspend time together so they do
(14:45):
get to know different officersand get to spend time with them
and know this is a person Icould go to if I need help.
So because I think for any ofus reaching out to law
enforcement, it can beintimidating and particularly
when you're in the moment whereyou need that is usually a
stressful situation.
So to help our kids understandthese are people who are going
to help us and who are there toprotect us and be a safe
(15:08):
stranger, I think is huge for us.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Yeah, For those who are not involved in your school
but involved in the communitywith autism, feel free to
introduce yourself to anyofficer that you see and we're
more than happy to talk to you,interact with you.
Some officers may have stickers, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Toy cars.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
That's awesome, all the cool stuff For sure.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Well, and we?
Speaker 4 (15:29):
briefly talked a little bit, and the kids
obviously have their sometimesfears when you see all the
uniforms and badges and things.
But sometimes parents arenervous to talk with the police
as well, Especially whensomething like that happens.
If a child elopes out of yourhome, you feel like you know you
did something wrong as a parentand you're afraid to call or
maybe talk about this and how toprevent it the next time.
(15:51):
So we just want to make surethat parents feel safe to talk
about because this unfortunatelyis common but how to prevent it
so it doesn't happen again, andthen get the proper places and
people in place to stop it.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yeah, and I know, while we have people listening,
I think it's really important toreiterate some of the tips and
information that you guys tellparents and other family members
when it comes to this.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
So I think there's a number of safety measures and a
lot of this depends on yourchild and knowing your child.
So I know there's differentsorts of quote tracking sort of
devices.
So there's some pretty advancedones which are pricey, but I
know some of our families dopurchase those because their
child's behavior is prettyintense and they want to make
(16:34):
sure they have all that.
So there are ones that you canpay for all the way down to ones
that are free.
I know we talked about evenwith some of the smartwatches
and things like that.
Some of our kids will wearthose.
It's hard because thosetracking devices are a sensory
thing.
So to make sure our kids keepthose on, we were talking a
couple of our families thatwe've worked with sew in pockets
into the clothing or into thebackpack so they can put in
(16:55):
devices there so they can helpif their child does.
Yeah, if their child does alittle.
But I think those safetyprecautions, the locks I mean
some of our families will havethe keyed locks on both sides or
higher up locks, the cameras inthe home and alert, like alarms
, so when you open the door itnotifies you that the door or
window is open.
But, like Stephanie said, evengetting to know your neighbors
(17:16):
and saying, hey, this is ourfamily, this is my child, if you
see him, please call me, calllaw enforcement.
He shouldn't be outside.
This is his name.
Here's some of the things helikes just to, because we also
don't want our kids to feel likethey're in trouble when they're
out.
We want to make sure that we'retrying to protect them too.
So, having everyone understandthat I know we've had some
experiences in the past whereone of our young people did
(17:39):
leave the house and they were intheir neighbor's garage and the
poor family was lookingeverywhere but they had, like,
cool stuff in their garage, sohe just wanted to check it out.
So, understanding, our kids areexploring and it's not like
they're trying to do anythingnefarious or bad like they're
really just exploring.
I may not understand thatthey're very inquisitive.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
Yes, yes, yes, I want to explore and want to explore
exactly, and unfortunately theydon't understand what is could
be harmful or not safe.
Um, so it's just up to us totry to protect them as a
community.
So anything that we can do tohelp, share and educate, it's
just so helpful.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Yeah, for sure, and it's nice that if all of that
fails right, if the locks andthe alarms and the air tags and
the neighbors and all that,there is this spectrum alert
that's going into place, thatwill help.
And then, of course, once weget there, the bracelets I think
will be super helpful and ofcourse, once that does become
available within our department,we're going to blast that out,
we're going to partner with youguys to make sure it gets to the
(18:35):
right families and all of that.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
So yeah, and we're not judging if your kid gets out
or whatever.
We're here for you, we're here.
We're like.
We send everybody that we have.
The fire department comes outto help.
That's our top priority is toget your kids safe.
So don't wait to call.
I know a lot of people try tojust check everywhere and then
call.
Don't do that.
We want to help.
(18:57):
We would love to help, becausethe sooner they get home, the
safer they are.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Exactly.
We would rather show up andthey're found and everything's
safe and good, than wait toolong and show up and it'd be a
different story.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
So good, then wait too long and show up and it'd be
a different story.
So that's great to hear, andI'm sure a lot of parents need
that reassurance.
So it's so wonderful to hearthat?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Yeah, absolutely Well , we are so glad that you guys
could join us today.
I think this is a greatpartnership that we really enjoy
having.
What a blessing to have a localplace, a local partnership,
that we have to cross-referenceeverything that we have, because
we don't know everything.
You guys are the subject matterexperts.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
You guys are doing a great job.
Seriously, thank you Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Well, thank you, guys so much.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Thank you so much.
Thank you, thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Yes, and we will see you next time.
If you're listening or watching, have a good one, stay safe.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.