What is a Spectrum Alert? Florida implements new system to protect autistic children

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—A new law aims to protect some of Florida's most vulnerable children through special notifications that alert the public when an autistic child goes missing. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 711 into law last year, but it didn't fully go into effect until July 1. It creates the 'Spectrum Alert.'

Law enforcement agencies can issue an alert if investigators believe a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder is in imminent danger of death of serious injury. It's similar to an AMBER Alert, which blasts statewide notifications in child abduction cases. 

The Spectrum Alert is more targeted. It sends alerts to phones within a five mile radius of where a child was last seen, according to Melissa Bujeda, director of the missing persons and offender enforcement division at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Nearly half of children with autism will try to wander away at some point, Bujeda said, potentially putting them in very life-threatening situations.

Drowning is among the leading causes of death for children with Autism. Florida ranks fifth in the nation for autism-related drownings, Bujeda said. 

"I think the biggest fear families bring to us is the fear that their child is going to elope or go missing," said Anjali Van Drie, co-founder of Family Initiative, a Cape Coral non-profit that supports children on the spectrum. 

Autistic children can have difficulty communicating, Van Drie said, putting them at elevated risk of danger. She said it is critical that law enforcement act quickly if a child on the spectrum goes missing. Family Initative recently partnered with the Lee County Sheriff's Office to create a special needs database. Families can voluntarily register information about their loved ones with autism or developmental disabilities to help deputies better respond in an emergency. 

Jessica Van Hart, whose son has autism, said the new alert addresses a critical need.

"Our kids don't always ask for help," Van Hart said. 

The alert is already being used. Police in central Florida issued the very first Spectrum Alert on Wednesday after an autistic teenager was reported missing following a sleepover. The teen was found safely less than 12 hours after the alert was sent, according to police. 

"It got people wondering, it got people looking," Holly Hill Police Chief Byron Williams told FOX 35 Orlando.