Autistic teen who likes trains disappears again

By adamg on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 1:26pm

Boston Police are looking for Jeffrey Cooper, 15, of East Boston, last spotted around 7 a.m. outside Madison Park High School in Roxbury. He was wearing a black and green Celtics jacket.

Cooper, who has wandered away before, has trouble communicating. He likes trains and the Boston Garden.

If you see him, contact the anonymous tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting TIP to CRIME (27463).

Free tagging:

Jeffrey Cooper

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Comments

again?!

By anon on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 1:43pm.

Isn't this like the 3rd time in a month or two?

Some communities are now offering through their police departments devices made by LoJack (yes, the anti-car-theft company) which are worn like watches and are intended to help track persons with autism, Alzheimers and other severe cognitive disabilities. It sounds like this young man would be a good candidate for one.

Only effective if worn

By eeka on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 8:30pm.

I have a client with autism who takes off running seemingly randomly. His residential program has tried such a device, but he won't leave it on. I'd guess that probably more than half of the folks I've worked with with an autism spectrum disorder would take off something that they don't get what it's doing on their arm.

I wonder ...

By SwirlyGrrl on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 9:51pm.

Could the workings of the bracelet be put into something he is used to wearing? Something he might be convinced to wear?

I know people who work with autistic and intellectually impaired people and sometimes things need to be packaged properly to make them work.

If they put the lojack in a special "train badge" or "transit watch" or something else that he might treasure or value, he might be willing to wear it.

Lojack has a new tracking device for people who wander.

By O-FISH-L on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 2:25pm.

Not sure if Jeffrey would wear the bracelet (maybe they could fit him with something else), but Lojack has a great new device for people who wander. I know personally from friends still on the force that it has helped quickly recover both children and elderly who've gone missing.
http://www.lojack.com/safetynet/Pages/index.aspx

I believe the Sherrifs office has a program.

By Pete Nice on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 2:28pm.

For elderly who have a tendency to wander away.

Yep

By Allstonian on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 2:28pm.

Yes, you mentioned this the last time this happened:
http://www.universalhub.com/2010/police-seek-help-...

Allstonian is correct

By O-FISH-L on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 4:54pm.

Yes, I've mentioned the Lojack program before and continue to mention it with hope that someone who knows Jeffrey will look into it. Thanks for remembering. In fact, I've sent Lojack a copy of Adam's postings on this kid in case they decide to donate a bracelet. With the advent of the Lojack stolen car recovery program in the 80's, each local police department was given a free system for one cruiser in each town (more in cities I think). Might be time to donate a bracelet to Jeffrey. In addition to potentially saving alife, it's great PR for them.

And I mentioned the last time

By eeka on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 8:35pm.

that his family and treatment team have probably thought of this, since it's pretty well known amongst people who work with folks on the autism spectrum. It's also pretty well known that many folks with ASD will take off such a thing, because they don't get what the hell it's doing on their arm.

You know what autism is, right? It's characterized by very strong sensory preferences, dislike of change, dislike of things that don't make sense to the person, impulsivity, self-centeredness...

Re: You know what autism is, right?

By O-FISH-L on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 9:25pm.

@eeka. Honestly, no I don't know what exactly autism is and neither does the medical community. I'm glad that you seem to have appointed yourself expert and have determined (apparently without metting him) that Jeffrey couldn't be fitted with a device that could be used to track him. Isn't that stereotyping? The Irish are all drunks, the Italians are all gangsters, the Jews own the media and the autistic won't wear bracelets? Sheesh. Sorry I even threw it out there that Lojack might help this kid.

It's not stereotyping...

By Michael Kerpan on Sat, 10/30/2010 - 12:46pm.

...as a parent of such a child (now grown) I can say that anything sensorily irritating (even mildly so -- in the minds of most people) will get removed. If we forgot to cut off tags on clothes (which bothered him), he'd remove these in his own way (usually not too good for the item of clothing involved). Luckily, we never faced the wandering off problem (except in big stores -- where one blink and he might disappear). ;~}

There is no way to say whether this child has tried the (completely sensible) method you suggest. If not, it should be tried. but, as eeka notes, it is also possible this has been tried unsuccessfully.

The bracelet or something

By Sally on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 2:46pm.

The bracelet or something sounds like a good idea. I have to admit I'm kinda charmed by this kid and his perpetual yen towards trains and the Garden. It reminds me of the guy in New York, also Aspergers/autistic spectrum, who actually ended up running the train and seemed to know more than the actual employees. If they figure a way to manage his wanderings via some kind of tracking technology, then it seems manageable--you wouldn't want to see this kid institutionalized but this must be stressful for the family and the authorities.

i think you mean darius mccollum.

By bandit on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 3:20pm.

he also had aspergers and an intense fascination with the subway system. he constantly would impersonate transit officials, and he kept getting arrested for it. by most accounts, darius has spent 1/3 of his life locked up for transit related offenses.

he was also well known for being one of the first (if not *the* first?) people to try to use his disability to mount a not-guily offense. he failed, but he helped to bring aspergers syndrome into the view of the american public.

there was an amazing article about him in Harper's, by jeff Tietz, titled "The Boy Who Loved Transit: How the System Failed an Obsession." worth the read.

Also

By eeka on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 8:39pm.

To better clarify what we're most likely dealing with here, let me say that the word usually used with people with ASD is "bolt," not "wander." Most people with ASD who leave from where they're supposed to be don't space out and wander off. It's more like they get a sudden impulsive idea accompanied by a huge charge of adrenaline and run off faster than pretty much anyone else can.

Not a bad idea...

By anon-o-mus on Sun, 10/31/2010 - 3:35pm.

This isn't a bad idea at all. Last time he got lost he was wearing his New Balance shoes....just pop one on his laces. But who really knows what factors could be standing in the way of that. One of which *may* be cost, so why is everyone here so testy? Meow. Hiss.