11-year-old boy with autism loses therapeutic iPad

WASHINGTON (WJLA) - As one of the worlds great destination cities, Washington D.C. attracts travelers from around the globe like the Mackay family from Australia. But their month long trip to the U.S. was derailed Tuesday morning when they arrived.

"Yeah, it was a slip up," said Louise Mackay.

Mackay and her husband Tim said their 11-year-old son Jasper left his blue backpack in a red taxi that picked them up Tuesday around 11:30 a.m. outside Union Station. Inside the backpack is Jaspers iPad which he uses for therapy.

Mackay said, "This iPad actually calms him down and to go the next four weeks in a foreign country without it is going to be difficult.

Jasper has autism. His parents said with years of therapy, Jasper is verbal and engaging. But they said without the comfort of the familiar pictures and apps stored on the device, they fear he could soon unravel in a foreign place.

Mackay said, All the things that he loves, these photos, these videos all of the little games he played for comfort and for his therapy theyre all on it, he cant do them here until we get back home.

ABC 7 On Your Side reached out to multiple cab companies and the D.C. Taxicab Commission but there's no word on the iPads whereabouts. Jasper has been told, and it has served so far as a source of comfort, that everyone in America is looking for it.

Karma and all the good things that he does, might come back, to reward him, said Mackay.

So here's the critical information you need to know to get Jasper's iPad back. The device and a green baseball cap were in the blue backpack. It was left in a red D.C. cab that had a sliding side door, a back hatch and is accessible to people with disabilities. If you see one of these kinds of cabs please check under the seats for the backpack and if you find it, call ABC7 On Your Side.