After boy is abandoned, professionals remind parents of kids with autism to ask for help

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - After a young boy with autism was reportedly abandoned by his mother on Thursday, experts want to remind parents of children with autism that there are places they can reach out to for help.

Heather Adkins was arrested over the weekend in Georgetown, Kentucky on an unrelated charge.

Thursday night, drivers called Colerain police after spotting a boy who turned out to be Adkins' six- year-old son walking alone along the side of Sheed Road.

Her son is non-verbal, so it took police a while to identify the boy, who is now in the care of children's services.

It appears Adkins, who is from Shelbyville, Indiana, drove to her best friend's house in Tennessee and dropped off her other children on Thursday, before driving all the way to Colerain Township and leaving her son.

Those who work with people and kids who have autism want to remind everyone there are plenty of resources in the Greater Cincinnati area to turn to. One of those is The Autism Society of Cincinnati.

The organization offers a variety of services, including support groups, parenting classes, and other training. They are on a journey with families, and offer a helping hand in whatever way they can.

Most children like Heather Adkins' son, who has autism and is non-verbal, require many resources and a stable environment to thrive.

“It takes a village to raise a child, it takes more than a village to raise a child with autism,” said CEO of the Autism Society of Cincinnati, Mary Helen Richer.

Richer says 1 in 44 kids have autism, and those families face a lot of similar challenges.

“Research shows that parents or families with autism have PTSD at the level of military soldier in active duty in active war zones,” said Richer.

Richer cited a few reasons for that stress. First, there aren't enough resources at the federal, state, or local level. While the Autism Society works tirelessly to help every family that reaches out, there are 40,000 families affected by autism in the Greater Cincinnati area, and only 700 call the hotline each year. Resources are also often expensive.

“On average, it costs families $60,000 a year to raise a child with autism every year for the rest of their life,” said Richer.

The median household income in the Tri-State is around $40,000.

It's unclear what Adkins did for a living, and the boy's father is in jail in Indiana on unrelated charges.

“The most capable parents feel incapable," said Richer. "They just do."