BOCA RATON, Fla. — Staff at Florida Atlantic University want to raise awareness on the resources available if parents have children on the autism spectrum.
The body of Aleenah Fenelus, a missing 6-year-old girl on the spectrum, was found in a body of water Tuesday night behind her home in the Timberline neighborhood near West Palm Beach.
The FAU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities said when families register with them, they work to go through their children's special needs.
They supply families with safety kits and provide electronic tracking bracelets for children that broadcast traceable radio frequencies if a child goes missing.
Law enforcement can find a child with the bracelet in 15 to 20 minutes, and they have helped in 4,000 searches in the U.S., FAU's executive director for the center, Jack Scott, told WPTV.
"It's pinging all the time, but the parent has to call it in or the school or a caregiver," he said. "They say, 'My code is X' and then the officers can dial it in and they can help track the child. It's relatively simple technology, but it's very solid and robust."
