Did you read that the young boy was autistic
Yes I did, it's more than remarkable. Interestingly enough, when it comes to survival ,experience and skills is not the determining factor to survive.
There is an article from CNN called "Miraculous survivors: Why they live while others die"
that talks about this:
Here's a snippet:
-- Article --
Gonzales says many of the disaster survivors he studied weren't the most skilled, the strongest or the most experienced in their group.
Those who seemed best suited for survival -- the strongest or most skilled -- were often the first to die off in life-or-death struggles, he says. Experience and physical strength can lead to carelessness. The Rambo types, a Navy SEAL tells Gonzales, are often the first to go.
Small children and inexperienced climbers, for example, often survive emergencies in the wilderness far better than their stronger or adult counterparts, he says.
They survive because they're humble, Gonzales says. They know when to rest, when they shouldn't try something beyond their capabilities, when it's wise to be afraid.
"Humility can keep you out of trouble," Gonzales says. "If you go busting into the wilderness with the attitude that you know what's going on, you're liable to miss important cues."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/08/survive/index.html