Cape Breton search and rescue to get autism registry

First responders in Cape Breton should soon have access to a registryof children with autism that may help preventtragedies such as the one that befell a seven-year-old autistic boy who diedafter getting lost in the woods near his home.

The registry is part of a plan to train first responders on how to approach autistic children like James Delorey of South Bar, near Sydney, who died in hospital in early December after spending two frigid nights outside.

In the first few hours of the search for James,people combed the area near his home, yelling his name. They changed their tactics after learningthe young boywas autistic and would not respond.

"We did all we could with what we had, but looking back on it, was there more knowledge we could have had?" said Michelle Gardiner, executive director of the Autism Society of Cape Breton, Friday.

The society and the Cape Breton Regional Police have agreed to set up a registry of names of Cape Breton children who suffer from autism thatthey hope willhelp responders avoid losing valuable time in a search.

"And this would be something that fits in with [the] CPIC [CanadianPolice Information Centre] a database that police and law enforcement use to get information on people," she said.

Upon checking the name of a person against the registry, first responders will know immediately that they need to handle the situationdifferently, Gardiner said.

The registry could be available within a couple of months, she said.

"They are doing it in New Brunswick, so, you know, we are not re-inventing the wheel here," Gardiner said. "But I think that the only question will be the data-input question, and that will probably require monies and perhaps some time."

The registry would contain information a childs diagnosis and such things as behavioural traits. The information would be supplied voluntarily by families, and updated annually.

Cape Breton police will work with Gardiner and a committee of stakeholders to compile the information for the database.

James was the subject of a massive search that involved search-and-rescue crews from around the province and hundreds of community volunteers.

Hewas found huddled in an area of thick brush and snow about a kilometre from his home. He was unconscious and suffering from hypothermia and was rushed to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, where he later died.