Help has arrived for parents of kids on the autistic spectrum in the form of an app that locates wanderers and run-aways. Regardless of how loving and vigilant parents may be, too many tragic stories of lost kids with autism—eventually found dead—appear in the news.  I still remember when Sarah was three, and we lost her on the beach in West Hampton.  Imagine my horror: chest on fire, throat closing on a silent scream.  Had my little Sarah been swallowed by a wave? Abducted by a pedophile? Run over by a car?  I ruled out the ocean, because my daughter was too terrified to go near it, but the other possibilities still loomed.  Fortunately, Sarah had simply meandered further down the beach where we found her standing near another family.

But those agonizing ten minutes of loss and terror are etched in my mind—the very essence of every parent’s nightmare.

Now there’s an app to help quell the horror of parental panic and fear when their children disappear. Ryan Davis, creator of the Whistle Network, offers an app that works as a social network with a built in emergency function. Davis was inspired to invent the app after his family lost their autistic son Michael in Disney Land (and elsewhere) whenever they turned their backs for a moment. The Whistle app allows parents of a missing child to set up a radius, depending how far they want their message to go out, where  a warning will flash onto users’ phones with a description and photo of their son or daughter. This app can help locate lost people no matter what kind of condition they’re in, as long as others nearby are equipped with smart phones and willing to help.

According to autismspeaks.org, about 49% of parents reported a child with autism who’d tried to run away at least once after age 4. Nearly 53% of these children were missing long enough to cause concern.  Even more worrisome are close calls with traffic (as high as 65 %!) and kids who almost drowned (24%), the autism website reports.

The Whistle app will be free to download on Android and Apple phones, but the emergency button will cost $4.99 a push to discourage people from misusing it.  Davis said his goal is not to get rich from emergency fees, and he plans to donate a percentage of his earnings to autism groups.

Autism families will not be the only ones to benefit from the Whistle app.  Drivers whose cars break down can message others in the area, asking for help. Elderly people with Alzheimer’s who are lost could also be located by sending a message and photo.  This app could end up being a life saver for many. Davis expects his Whistle app to come out by the end of February.  For more information, go to his Facebook page at https:www.facebook.com/whistlenetwork.