GPS Security Trackers for Wandering

When Declan was younger, he was a runner.  Any chance he could get to elope, he would take.  From the home, from his classroom.

At home we put alarms on all the doors.  In the nicest of days our windows stayed locked.

In the classroom Declan was assigned a 1/1 aid.  And although he no longer elopes from the classroom, the 1/1 aid is still by his side.

As Declan aged his elopement changed.  His frustration gained a purpose: “I’m running away!”

Declan still “runs away.”  Although I have found that “running away” equivocates to “I am going to  hide behind the car.”

Yesterday I wrote about Wandering and Autism.  The post generated a lot of discussion about GPS trackers for kids with autism.

Through the years we have had a couple of security trackers for Declan.

I should point out that I am in no way trying to sell a tracker and am not getting paid to promote a product.  I just wanted to give my feedback on our experience with the items.

The first tracker we had for Declan was called the Proximity Button.

It was a white rubber button that had a magnetic clasp to cling to a shirt.

The item was originally made for individuals with dementia.  But after a father mentioned to the makers he was using it for his autistic son, the button was marketed towards the autistic population as well.

The button was simple – you downloaded the app, paired the button with the app, and if your special person went out of a certain allowed distance from you, an alarm on your phone sounded.  You went to get your person closer to you.  That’s it.

There was one cost – the cost of the button.

The issue was the button was easy to remove.  And for the first five years of Declan’s life, clothes were NOT appreciated.  Through summer, spring, winter or fall Declan walked around our house in a diaper (he did not potty train until he was six).

Diaper walking left few options to attach a button to.  And even clothed, the button was easy for Declan to remove.

So, after researching other products, we settled on AngelSense when there was a deal (In April – autism awareness month).  We bought the tracker and downloaded the app, registered the addresses where Declan frequented.

The AngelSense tracker goes into Declan’s bag every day for school.  I know what time he gets there, when he leaves from there and I know how fast the bus goes.  I get handy notifications detailing the information.

Declan has arrived at School at 8:39 AM.

The trip took 4 minutes and the maximum speed measured was 33mph.

Declan has arrived at Home at 3:33 PM.

The trip took 6 minutes and the maximum speed measured was 32mph.

I can follow Declan’s journey on my phone.  I see the streets he is on as he travels.

I can listen to what is happening around Declan and there is a feature that allows us to talk to each other.

The device locks onto his clothing with a magnetic locking device.  I lock it onto Declan’s clothes when we are going to a busy place.  I bought cargo pants/shorts and lock the device into his cargo pocket, so it won’t bother him too much.

Towards the end of our outings is when Declan wants the tracker off.  He is mentally shutting down and having something stuck to him he can’t remove just aggravates him.

AngelSense does recognize the difficulty some kids may have wearing the device and even send a reward chart for kids to earn stickers with attempts.  Cool idea.

I have not had Declan wear the device to walk around our street.  In the parameters I set he is always in plain view in front of our house.

But as Declan has wandered farther than was allowed and does not know the pertinent information yet to get home, I just started putting it on him to go outside.

Happy to oblige!

There is a monthly charge of about $30 with AngelSense.  So far, the cost has been worth it to us!