Spike of autistic children drowning

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Jonisa Cook gets teary-eyed talking about her son four months after his death. She still struggles to walk past kids' clothing racks in stores, or grocery aisles with his favorite foods, like Dino Nuggets and pudding cups.

Joshua Al-Lateef Jr., a 6-year-old diagnosed with autism, drowned in a pond at the family's apartment complex in November.

Joshua is one of at least 69 children with autism who drowned in 2024, almost double the typical annual average of 35 wandering-related drowning deaths, according to the National Autism Association.

Experts unsure how to explain jump in autistic children's deaths
The National Autism Association, a nonprofit that provides education, tools and research for the autism community, has tracked deaths of children and adults with autism for decades. McIlwain said drowning deaths among autistic children had not been trending up before 2024. There was a record low number of these types of deaths in 2020.

"Last year was an outlier," she said. "There's no real indication as to why."

Other factors – like the average age of children who drowned, which was 6 – were similar to past years. The risk of drowning went up if the child was under 14 and nonspeaking.

"If they wander away, drowning is pretty imminent, meaning more times than not they are going to drown," McIlwain said.

Children with autism sometimes wander away, or elope, from parents or caregivers. Many autistic kids are also drawn to water, regardless of its temperature, because it offers a calming sensory effect.

The risk of drowning for autistic children is more than 160 times greater than the general child population, according to a 2017 study by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Drowning deaths are more common during warmer months, but can still happen in winter.

Families all over are affected: 26 states had one or more wandering-related drowning deaths last year, according to the National Autism Association.

A 2013-2022 study by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found that 83% of all accidental deaths of missing autistic children were due to drowning. The study also found drownings were most common among boys between 3 and 8 years old.

Education, police training could lead to more rescues
Training first responders and parents to check nearby ponds, pools or creeks when a child with autism goes missing is critical, McIlwain said, and there's evidence that message is becoming more widespread. Though there was a record high number of autistic child drownings last year, there was also a record number of rescues.

"Even though it was such a tragic year, there's more awareness than we've ever seen," McIlwain said. "First responders knowing where to search, knowing the water piece. So, that's all very encouraging. It's bittersweet."

The National Autism Association launched its #SearchWaterFirst campaign in 2013 to spread awareness. Groups like Autism Connections train first responders to check bodies of water first when an autistic child is reported missing.

Large police agencies typically offer this kind of training, but smaller jurisdictions may not have the resources to provide it, McIlwain said. To fix that, McIlwain would like to see autism-specific training taught at police academies and in criminal justice programs.

What does 2024 jump in deaths mean for 2025?
Five kids with autism have drowned so far this year, according to the National Autism Association.

"We had a couple of deaths so far in January. Last year we didn't have any January deaths," McIlwain said. "I don't know if it's going to continue trending up, but this is definitely different from previous years."

At the same time, new policies are going into effect. Last summer, Kentucky created the "Ian Alert," which works like an Amber Alert for children with disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, who go missing. It's named for 9-year-old Ian Sousis, who drowned in the Ohio River in 2022. The alert hasn't been used yet in the state, according to Kentucky State Police.

"The alert system is one piece, but it's a critical piece," McIlwain said. "Just like the tracking devices and home security, supervision, all of these are critical pieces. Combining these pieces is going to be what keeps our kids safe."

Cook's petition to implement a similar "Joshua Alert" in Ohio has more than 15,000 signatures. Through her foundation, Cook hopes to make tracking devices better and more affordable, and help parents navigate child care.