Wandering and Elopement

Jul 9, 2024

3 min read

Wandering and elopement can be a serious concern for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is important for parents and caregivers to understand the potential risks and take necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their child. There are different reasons kids with ASD may wander, from something as innocent checking out an item of interest, to trying to leave a stressful, overstimulating situation. There are steps we can take, as caregivers, to help minimize the chances of wandering and eloping.

Secure the home. We use laminated stop signs on our doors, and practice what this means. For us, it means don't leave the house by yourself, unless there is an emergency. If there is an emergency, meet me across the street (at the designated neighbor's house). You can find free printable stop signs in our store. Home security alarms can be expensive to set up and maintain. If that is outside the budget, there are battery powdered alarms for windows and doors for under $10. They can be found at Amazon, Walmart, Target, and sometimes even the Dollar Tree.

Come up with safe zones. Our safe zone grew as our son got older. When he was a toddler, the safe zone was where he could physically reach his parent(s). My husband and I got in a habit of announcing, "I have him." As he got older, the zone grew into where he could see his parent(s). As a teen now, it is still situational. If we are at a small location, that isn't very crowded, the location is the safe zone. If it's a large or crowded location, then the safe zone might still be where he can see his parent(s). We also pick a safe location to meet at, in case we get separated. While you're out, keep checking in with your kiddo. How are they feeling? If they are over stimulated, is there a chance that they will wander to get out of the situation? Are they fixated on an object that they might try to find again?

Get to know your neighbors. A friend told me about an early weekend morning, when he was awakened by a neighbor at the door. At first, he was irritated by the intrusion, until he opened the door to see his stepson standing behind the neighbor. Thankfully, the neighbor was able to calmly redirect the stepson home. This only happens if neighbors know what to look for. When I see a neighbor water the grass, or taking a walk, I take just a moment to say hi, let them know of my son's diagnosis, and just ask that if they seem him wandering, they try to encourage him to go home and if unsuccessful they come ring my doorbell. Most are more than happy to help.

Practice lost scenarios with kids. Kids should also know how ask for help if they get lost. This, again, can present particular communication challenge among our kiddos. To help overcome this challenge, we another have a script that we practiced until memorized, and periodically afterwards. We've instructed our kiddo to go to community helper and what that helper looks like. For example, a police officer will have a uniform and badge. A store employee will have a shirt or name tag with the store name on it. A parent acts as the community helper when we practice:

Child: Hello, my name is <name>. I have Autism. I am lost. Can you call my mom (dad, grandmother, etc.)

Community helper: Yes. Do you know their phone number.

Child: Yes, their phone number is... (it is important that the child has memorized at least one parent/caregiver's phone number before starting this process).

It may be easier for your child, especially a younger one just to say "I'm lost," and hand the community helper their ID Diagnosis card. Visit our store for a free ID Diagnosis card that includes space for the child's picture, name, diagnosis, parents' phone numbers, and helpful tips on the back.

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