Autism Alliance of Michigan Partners with AngelSense to Distribute Innovative GPS Based Monitoring Solution to Families in Need

Updated on December 24, 2019

Initiative Grants Autism Families a personal monitoring solution (which includes a GPS Device and app for guardians) Designed By AngelSense to Keep Children with Autism Safe

[Michigan, January 23rd, 2018]

The Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAOMI) Sean Taglione Memorial Global Positioning Program has partnered with AngelSense, an innovative GPS & Voice-Monitoring solution designed specifically for children with special needs, to keep children with autism in Michigan safe . The GPS scholarship program honors the memory of Sean Taglione who died, at age 12, when he wandered away from his house. This GPS scholarship aims to prevent wandering deaths in the autism community.

“Wandering is ranked as one of the most stressful behaviors parents have to deal with. We have made it our mission to prevent, or at the very least limit, the potentially disastrous effects of this behavior,” said Doron Somer, co-founder of AngelSense and an autism dad. “We have developed a highly reliable alerting mechanism that detects deviations from the child’s daily schedule and enables parents to act immediately to protect their child.”  During an emergency, every minute is crucial, and the first 30 minutes are critical in determining whether the child will be found. AngelSense’s unique features dramatically reduce time searching; with the click of a button, parents can share their child’s real-time location with a predetermined group, consisting of first responders, family members, teachers, neighbors and friends. AngelSense’s instant mobile notifications, real time map view, Angel-Call which allows you to speak with the child, and First Responder Alert make it the most powerful tool on the market for coping with elopement incidents.

 

 

Kat Nelson, who runs the GPS Scholarship Program at AAOMI, reports how beneficial AngelSense has been for their families. “Our Michigan families of children with special needs who struggle to communicate verbally, or struggled to keep other devices on, are already reporting an increased sense of security and peace of mind with AngelSense. Both the app as well as the unique and secure attachment options for wearability are life changing for these families. AngelSense’s top-notch customer support team, made up of special needs parents who use AngelSense with their own children, is always available when we need them. AAOMI is so happy to be collaborating with AngelSense to better serve our families.”

Autism afflicts approximately 1 in 68 children in the United States according to the CDC with nearly half wandering and potentially going missing at least once before their 17th birthday, according to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Many of these cases result in death by accidental drowning, due to the fact that many children with special needs have limited sense of danger and are often drawn to bodies of water. According to the National Autism Association, a new record was broken in 2015 with over 32 wandering fatalities recorded in individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and over 200 missing person cases that year.

Laurie, from Northville, is one of the many parents benefitting from the AAOM and AngelSense partnership. She shares, “I got a phone call telling me that my son was missing from school. He had wandered away during recess, walked out to the parking lot and got into a car that was unlocked. He was found laying down in the backseat with a blanket. The Autism Alliance of Michigan heard what happened and actually hand-delivered that day an AngelSense GPS device. I was so blown away by that gesture. AngelSense has given me my sanity back. I cannot thank AAOM or AngelSense enough!”

 

About AngelSense

AngelSense is a GPS & Voice-Monitoring solution designed for children with special needs, with the mission of creating a safer world for these special children while bringing peace of mind to their families. With AngelSense, parents have a full view of their child’s day in both diary and map format, and can easily monitor their level of safety. Parents can even talk with their child or anybody in the child’s surroundings through a uniquely designed speaker phone feature.  Some key features include: immediate mobile notifications sent to the parent for every unexpected location, car stop and location change; non-removable GPS wearables and accessories designed to adapt to sensory sensitivities of children with special needs; ability to listen-in to the child’s environment and surroundings; ability to call and speak via speakerphone;  a unique diary that captures the child’s route and locations throughout the day; and a proven Wandering Child Solution in case of a lost child or elopement.