![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dd53ef8377167f05d7b73e9503420a2a4f120ed052e1c47ad7e3ee6483150394-300x428.jpg\")
Parker, an 11-year-old non-verbal boy with autism seen in this undated photo, went missing from a day home in Calgary’s north end Thursday July 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Handout – Calgary Police (Mandatory Credit)CALGARY \u2014 The disappearance in Calgary of a non-verbal boy with autism has prompted some parents with neurodivergent children to push for changes to Alberta\u2019s emergency alert system.\nJennifer Ball, who has a seven-year-old boy who also has autism and is non-verbal, is one of the mothers launching petitions for an emergency public warning for missing neurodivergent children similar to Amber Alerts.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s definitely something that could happen to any one of our children, but I think it\u2019s especially close to home because I do have a son who is just like Parker and a lot of the similarities are there,\u201d Ball said in an interview.
\n\u201cWhen (Parker) went missing, it felt like he was my son.\u201d
\nAmber Alerts are warnings issued when police believe a child has been abducted and considered in serious danger.
\nLast Thursday, Parker, age 11, was reported missing from his daycare home in north Calgary. An Amber Alert was issued for him two days later. The Alberta government granted an exemption due to the circumstances of the case.
\nCalgary police have not released the boy\u2019s last name. They have asked residents to check their properties for any sign of him. The search continued Tuesday.
\nBall lives in the Calgary community where Parker disappeared. She said she learned of his disappearance before the Amber Alert was issued and realized, \u201cThere is a huge gap in the system.\u201d
\nAs of Tuesday, her petition had more than 2,100 signatures. She said she would call the new alert system an indigo alert since the deep purple colour is associated with autism awareness.
\n\u201cThe infrastructure is there,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it\u2019s something as simple as creating a separate template, and it can literally go out with the information for that child that\u2019s missing.\u201d
\nCalgary Police Staff Sgt. Scott Guterson, asked by reporters Monday about the delayed Amber Alert, said the focus for now must remain on the search.
\n\u201cThere is going to be plenty of time to quarterback any decisions on this investigation afterwards,\u201d Guterson said.
\nStephanie Karas, who has two children with autism, also started a petition for a new alert system after Parker disappeared. Her six-year-old son has limited speech and her three-year-old daughter is non-verbal.
\nKaras said Parker\u2019s case resonates because her daughter recently picked the lock of the fence of her daycare\u2019s playground ran toward a busy road.
\n\u201cOne educator caught her just before she hit the main road,\u201d Karas said.
\nHer petition calls for the province to establish a blue alert for missing vulnerable people. It had more than 780 signatures by Tuesday afternoon.
\nAmanda Pick, CEO the Missing Children Society of Canada, said she understands why families want broader alerts, but said officials must also consider alert fatigue if they become too common.
\n\u201cYou run the risk of people not paying attention or there being a backlash,\u201d Pick said.
\nPick pointed to the Child Search Network, a police-operated system developed by the Missing Children Society of Canada that sends geographically targeted text alerts in high-risk missing child cases that don\u2019t meet Amber Alert criteria.
\nMembers of the public must opt in to receive alerts in their area and view active missing child cases.
\nPick said wider public participation is essential because missing children cannot be found without community help.
\n\u201cIt is important to get this information to the people that can make the biggest difference right away, which is everybody in that geographically specific area,\u201d she said.
\nThis report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2026.
\n\u2014 By Daniela Germano in Edmonton<\/p>\n