A-utism

L-ook

W-ater

A-nd

Y-ell

S-ongs

This beautiful 3 year old boy, Ali Mohamed, wandered and drowned in Minnesota. The A-L-W-A-Y-S is a way to remind folks that they need to search near water first. And rather than shout out the person's name, blare SONGS that they love. Cocomelon, Paw Patrol, Bubble Guppies (Line Up, Everybody!) Bananaphone, Barney, Blippi, Sunny Day Sweeping The Clouds Away, Thomas... any song they will recognize, as a way to get their attention and make them MOVE toward the sound and away from danger.

Please, never forget the very real dangers that follow an autistic person like the grim reaper. We won’t.

You can order a FREE Big Red Safety Box from NAA right now.  Click HERE.

Missing boy found dead in Minnehaha Creek

On Monday, officials said they think the incident was an accident but plan to investigate what happened.

HOPKINS, Minn. — At a Monday afternoon press conference, officials announced a missing 4-year-old boy with autism was found dead in Minnehaha Creek. 

During the search on Monday morning, KARE 11's Lou Raguse was near Minnehaha Creek, just off the 7800 block of Powell Road, when he witnessed law enforcement and search crews pouring into the area. Officers put up police tape to keep the public away, and the mood of the first responders was described as grim. 

Hopkins Police Department Captain Craig Krieling told those gathered at the press conference that Minnehaha Creek is running fast due to recent rains. Krieling said officials believe at this point that the boy drowned after leaving his apartment on his own. 

"Get to know your neighbors, get to know the people within your communities. Possibly, if there could have been somebody that might have seen him at a particular moment," said Krieling, when asked what the public can do to prevent an incident like this from happening again. 

"We ask for those people to step up, take some action, call the police is something is out of the ordinary. Let people know." 

On Sunday, police said Waeys Ali Mohamed wandered away from the Chorus Apartments on the 1200 block of Lake Street around 7:30 a.m. wearing only blue pajama pants. Family members say Waeys had autism, could not speak and was easily startled or scared by loud noises. 

KARE 11's Audrey Russo reported that more than two dozen volunteers were on hand as the search for the missing child kicked off Monday morning. Many of them are parents or grandparents of children who are Waeys' age, or have connections to the Twin Cities autism community. 

Kreiling said Hopkins law enforcement personnel first began searching for Waeys shortly after he was reported missing and were soon joined by firefighters, search and rescue teams, drone pilots and State Patrol aircraft, and multiple K-9 units from departments across the metro. Searchers worked the area all day Sunday but did not locate the boy. 

Like many children with autism, Kreiling said Waeys was drawn to water, and Minnehaha Creek runs near his family's apartment. Firefighters got in the water Sunday with their safety suits, and various types of watercraft were also utilized in the search. 

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Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill wrote this book several years ago. It's more important than ever. The whitewashing of autism costs lives.

Denial: How Refusing to Face the Facts about Our Autism Epidemic Hurts Children, Families, and Our FutureDenial: How Refusing to Face the Facts about Our Autism Epidemic Hurts Children, Families, and Our Future