Nine-year-old’s clear backpacks help first responders treat autistic patients

Ledger Mann, a nine-year-old from Virginia, was named TIME’s Kid of the Year in November 2026. The honor recognizes his development of a specific tool designed to help first responders communicate with and comfort children on the autism spectrum during emergency situations.

The program, known as LGM Bags, utilizes clear backpacks filled with sensory-friendly items, communication boards, and therapeutic tools. To date, the initiative has distributed more than 432 of these kits across four states: Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. The bags are now standard equipment on all frontline ambulances and EMS captain vehicles in Henrico County, as well as with police crisis intervention officers.

The concept originated in Prince George County after Ledger’s father, Sergeant J.T. Mann, was dispatched to search for a missing child with autism. The 28-year veteran of emergency services located the child safely under a grill cover behind a residence. Following the incident, Mann asked Ledger, who was diagnosed with autism at age 2, what would make him feel safe if found by responders. Ledger identified stuffed animals, noise-canceling headphones, and fidget spinners as essential comfort items. He also insisted the bags be transparent so non-verbal children could see the contents and point to specific items.

Ledger funded the initial prototypes by removing $100 from his piggy bank. "He said, 'Dad, I want to do this myself initially,'" Mann recalled. "He took a hundred dollars out of his piggy bank and made the first bags himself and didn’t want the money back or anything. And those were the first bags we distributed, actually out of his own money."

The expansion of the program into Henrico County was driven by Lakeside Station 5 Firefighter Courtney Koppelman. Koppelman, who recently transferred from Hanover County, grew up with a brother who had spina bifida and a learning disability. She had previously carried personal sensory bags on calls to help patients cope with the loud and visually stimulating environment of an ambulance. "Ambulances are very overwhelming, with the engine revving, monitors beeping and other loud sounds," Koppelman said. "The noise-canceling headphones alone provide a much more comfortable ride for our patients."

Dr. Anjali Ferguson, the on-call medical director for Henrico, noted that the bags address a gap in pre-hospital care. While hospitals employ child life specialists to use toys and distractions, emergency crews in the field lacked similar resources. "But we don’t have that in the field. So this sort of bridges that gap between what we have available to us in the field and what we have in the hospital," Ferguson said. The tools also benefit elderly patients with dementia and adults with severe anxiety or trauma.

The program has received national and international attention, including features in TIME and People magazines. It has also been recognized through billboards in Australia. Koppelman stated that the initiative allows responders to meet patients where they are, making them feel safe and heard.