An autistic teenager who spent two nights lost in dense, near-freezing Victorian bushland may have an insect stuck in his ear and other health issues.
William Callaghan, 14, who is non-verbal, was found alive and well about midday on Wednesday after being missing for nearly 48 hours.
The youngster raced ahead of his family while hiking up Mount Disappointment on Monday and became separated from them, sparking the desperate search.
Experienced local bushman Ben Gibbs found William off the main track, giving him socks, chocolate and a jacket before he was reunited with his mother.
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The teen spent the night at the Royal Children's Hospital with a suspected broken foot, cuts and bruising as a result of the ordeal.
Hospital staff are also investigating if he has an insect inside his ear.
"He's going to be potentially in hospital for a little while because we think he has an insect stuck in his ear and the ENT is going to potentially remove that today," the teen's mother Penny Callaghan said.
"There are difficulties with that because he's not going to be compliant," she told reporters outside the hospital.
She said her son had demonstrated how amazing he was by staying put during his two days in the bush.
"What probably surprised me about him is that he stayed in the area, obviously off the track, but he didn't go too far. He was clearly waiting to be rescued," Ms Callaghan said.
"This was a massive ordeal for him but to him, it was probably just an adventure as well and he was happy I'm there and he slept pretty well last night - a lot better than I did."
Ms Callaghan thanked Mr Gibbs for rescuing her son, describing him as an "amazing guy".
There's now a push to rename Mt Disappointment after the ordeal.
"I would love to give him a hug, I'm incredibly thankful," Ms Callaghan said.
"It was incredible to hear his family connection to the mountain. I would prefer the mountain to be named after him."
She said her son's first request was McDonald's after going hungry for days and he got his wish.
"He had four boxes of chips, large, and some nuggets."
Damien Beasley, who is William's autism practitioner, also helped in the search.
Rescuers blasted the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song during the search because William finds it soothing.
"People on the spectrum find it really hard to filter the sounds and the environment around them, so they go to those things like Thomas or quiet music, and when Will's running around at home, he's got that constantly in his ear," Mr Beasley told the Today Show.
The practitioner said he was amazed by William's survival skills.
"Will, because he is non-verbal, so I was really fretting about his wellbeing... if he had fallen down a wombat hole or shaft, he just whimpers. That is about the loudest you're going to get," Mr Beasley said.
