BENGUET, Philippines – After his five-year-old son on the autism spectrum wandered out of their home and went missing, Dean Cuanso feared the worst.

“I was beside myself, I didn’t know where or how to find him. My cousins joined us in the search. It’s a good thing someone saw that the local police had posted a community bulletin on their social media page that they had found him. I immediately went to the police station,” Cuanso said.

His son was found at a busy intersection in La Trinidad, Benguet. It was one of several incidents that prompted Cuanso to help lead a community effort aimed at making it easier for police to identify and reunite children on the autism spectrum who wander off from home.

Cuanso’s group, Ausome North, is compiling a database of children on the autism spectrum and children with other disabilities in Benguet, including photographs and contact details of parents or caregivers, which they plan to submit to local police stations to speed up reunification.

“What if the parents are at work in their vegetable gardens when their children go missing? What if they’re not always on social media?” he said.

The database already contains close to 70 entries.

About one in every 100 people in the country is on the autism spectrum, according to Autism Society Philippines. In Benguet, the Department of Education has recorded 230 cases.

Cuanso has three sons, two of whom have been diagnosed on the autism spectrum: Roga, 10, and Rhemus, 9. He said he and his wife noticed developmental differences when the boys were toddlers but only sought formal assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he had more time to research autism.

In 2021, a developmental pediatrician assessed both boys. Roga was classified as level 3, “requiring very substantial support,” and Rhemus as level 1, “requiring support,” under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

“Even if I already suspected it before, I was still shocked. I went from denial to acceptance,” Cuanso said.

He said the diagnosis forced the couple to confront the long-term responsibility of caring for their sons.

“What will happen to them when we’re gone? Who will take care of them?” he said.

Cuanso’s initiative grew out of repeated incidents in which his children went missing, a behavior social workers say is common among children on the autism spectrum.

“All the different possibilities run through your head,” he said. 

In one incident, Rhemus ended up disoriented at a traffic intersection and was brought by a passerby to a police traffic office. Authorities posted about him on social media, which helped Cuanso locate him. 

Roga has also gone missing several times and was once brought to the La Trinidad police station’s Women and Children Protection Desk before being reunited with his father.

Social worker Chit Habon said children on the autism spectrum may wander to escape noise, crowds, or other overwhelming situations. She advised parents, guardians, and carers to do the following:

• Install home safety measures, such as door alarms.
• Provide ID necklaces or bracelets with the child’s name, guardian contact, and optionally their diagnosis.
• Use wearable GPS devices if possible.
• Keep recent photos and share them with relatives, neighbors, and school staff.
• Teach safety and communication skills, such as asking for help or recognizing safe places.
• Establish structured daily routines and prepare children for changes.
• Inform neighbors, barangay officials, and school personnel on how to approach the child calmly.
  

Police Major Edwin Sergio, public information officer of the Benguet police, said there is currently no standard operating procedure for handling cases involving children on the autism spectrum but keeping basic information on file could help. He advised parents to coordinate with the Women and Children Protection Desk at the police station nearest them.

Cuanso, who described himself as “ausome dad” to his “ausome sons,” has also been using his platform as a blogger and content creator to advocate for children on the autism spectrum and their families in Benguet.

His Autism Benguet page became a resource for parents, and by 2024, after parents from outside the province reached out, he renamed it Ausome North, which has grown into a community connecting families and sharing information and resources.

Seeing the network grow has eased one of his biggest fears.

“When I’m gone, there will be a community who will help these ‘ausome’ children,” Cuanso said. – Rappler.com