The Trump administration announced Thursday a first-of-its-kind national initiative aiming to help locate and bring home autistic people who have been reported missing.
The “National Autism Missing and Endangered Person Alert” initiative aims to bolster coordination among emergency management agencies, law enforcement, first responders and community partners nationwide to boost preparedness and response when autistic adults and children go missing, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a press release. The effort will also institute a national framework of effective strategies to address the leading causes of preventable injury and death among autistic people, such as “accidental drowning linked to wandering and elopement.”
“When an autistic child or adult goes missing, every minute matters,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said in a statement. “President [Donald] Trump has made improving the lives of Americans with autism and their families a priority. We are bringing federal, state, and local partners together to improve prevention, speed the response, and help bring autistic children and adults home safely.”
Kennedy said during a press conference that the administration’s “goal is in autism specific [AMBER-style] alert capability that gets critical information to authorities and the public quickly and helps bring missing persons home safely.”
Attorney General Todd Blanche praised the new effort in a statement, claiming it will “help law enforcement and emergency responders act quickly and effectively when an autistic individual goes missing.”
“Protecting vulnerable Americans is a core responsibility of the Department of Justice, and we are proud to join HHS and FEMA in launching this first‑ever National Autism Missing Person Alert initiative,” Blanche said. “This effort will help law enforcement and emergency responders act quickly and effectively when an autistic individual goes missing, strengthening coordination and saving lives. Families deserve to know that when every minute matters, their government is working together to bring their loved ones home safely.”
Along with the new national alert system, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has also issued an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Toolkit for state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) officials, according to the news release. Additionally, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is launching several efforts seeking to strengthen healthcare for individuals with autism by enhancing clinical training and broadening care access, per the announcement.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, [Department of Homeland Security (DHS)] is proud to work alongside Secretary Kennedy and HHS to help communities respond faster and more effectively when autistic individuals go missing,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement. “[Federal Emergency Management Agency’s] role is to support coordination across emergency management, law enforcement, first responders, and community partners so local officials have the tools and relationships they need before an incident occurs.”
“This initiative is about preparedness, rapid response, and protecting vulnerable Americans when every minute counts,” Mullin continued.
About 1 in 31 U.S. children aged 8 years have been identified with having Autism spectrum disorder, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. At least 78 autistic children or kids suspected of having autism, drowned in the U.S. in 2025, according to data from the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County.
(DCNF)
