After two freezing nights on Mount Disappointment, William Callaghan was found by rescuers who sung instead of called for him, used barbecue smells and played Thomas the Tank Engine music.
After two freezing nights on Mount Disappointment, William Callaghan was found by rescuers using a search strategy "tailor-made" for his autism, an effort advocates say we can all celebrate and learn from.He survived two nights of freezing temperatures lost in the bushIt was one of Victoria's largest searches, with more than 500 police and volunteers involved, and the risks were high right from the beginning.
To find William in the thick bushland, about 80 kilometres north of Melbourne, police had to adapt their search methods. But she said rescuers and William's mother Penny Callaghan remained optimistic even as the search stretched into Wednesday."I think it is important to not lose hope and to stay optimistic."She said it was crucial that police had an understanding of William while searching for him.
The way police shaped the search to William has been praised by autism advocates and friends and family of William's."They were listening to Penny and the people who know about autism so that they could personalise the search and not just do a standard search that they might have done in the past," she said.Ms Thompson said police were trying to understand how William would likely behave while missing and where he would likely go.
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