Kevin and Avonte’s Law Signed into Law Today as Part of the Omnibus Spending Act of 2018
SafeMinds is excited to announce that Kevin and Avonte’s Law, which provides $2 million in funding for training law enforcement, schools, and other community organizations to prevent and address wandering in people with developmental disabilities and people with Alzheimer’s Disease, has passed both houses of Congress and is on its way to be signed into law by President Trump. The legislation can be found on page 1937 of the Omnibus Spending Act of 2018.
Make a Difference: Kevin and Avonte’s Law
SafeMinds has been ardently advocating for Kevin and Avonte’s Law for two years now. This bill provides much-needed training for law enforcement and other community groups, including schools, on preventing and addressing wandering in people with developmental disabilities. It also provides funding for the voluntary use of non-permanent, non-invasive tracking devices for children with developmental […]
Autism Prevalence in the United States: It’s a Ducking Epidemic
Guest Blog by Shelley E. Hendrix In March 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released official new autism prevalence numbers. No one screamed. The press barely covered it. Everyone went to bed, and woke up the next morning for the first day of Autism Awareness Month. Maybe it was because we have […]
Autism & Wandering: A Heartbreaking Start to July
Wandering deaths in the autism community have significantly increased in recent years, but the last ten days alone have been especially heartbreaking. It began last Monday when, according to media reports, a four-year-old girl with autism slipped away from her home in Florida, climbed a fence, and entered a neighbor’s pool. Her body was found that evening.
SafeMinds Welcomes New Board Member, Dr. Michael Cummings, M.D.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Michael Cummings, M.D. to the SafeMinds board of directors! Dr. Cummings has over 15 years of experience treating children, adolescents, and adults for all major psychiatric conditions and developmental challenges in a wide array of community and institutional settings. He currently serves as vice chair of community affairs and […]
April is Autism Awareness Month
Autism affects 1 in 68 children in the U.S. Lisa Wiederlight, is the executive director of SafeMinds. She joined ABC2’s In Focus to discuss “Resolving the Autism Epidemic.”
