Oct. 8, 2012 -- Like many parents with an autistic child, Lori McIlwain worries that her 12-year-old son, Connor, will wander away from school, home, or other safe places.

It has happened more than once.

When he was 7, Connor left his school’s playground unnoticed and walked toward a busy four-lane highway because of his fascination with highway signs.

“A man picked him up before he got there, but Connor couldn’t tell him who he was so they just drove around,” McIlwain says.

The man ended up taking him to another school where the police were called. But since Connor’s school had not alerted the police when they discovered he was missing, they did not know where he belonged either.

By the time McIlwain finally got to her son, he was hysterical.