National autism missing alert initiative launches

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with the Department of Justice and FEMA, unveiled the National Autism Missing and Endangered Person Alert Initiative to bolster nationwide coordination among emergency management, law enforcement, first responders, and communities. The effort includes a national framework of best practices to address leading causes of preventable injury and death among autistic people, such as accidental drowning linked to wandering or elopement. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said every minute matters when someone with autism goes missing, and noted President Trump prioritizes improving the lives of autistic Americans. The initiative aims to create an autism-specific alert capability (AMBER-style) to rapidly share critical information with authorities and the public. Officials from the DOJ and DHS emphasized strengthening response times and collaboration to bring missing autistic individuals home safely. The plan builds on existing alert capabilities and comes with broader coordinated actions to improve safety, healthcare, and services for autistic individuals across life stages.