Update 2 in Post 19: Wandering/Elopement

[Gena]

Has anyone had to head with wandering/elopement with their child with ASD or other special needs?

DS has always been a runner. In the past it's been more of a problem when we are out in the community: running away from us at the mall, the zoo, etc. Until recently, he did well staying in more structured environments, like home at school.

Lately, DS has had a surge of independence. Overall, this is a good thing, but with it has come 2 difficult issues:defiance (or non-complaince, as the autism professionals perfer to call it) and wanderlust (aka elopement).

We have had a couple of incidents of DS leaving the house without us knowing about it. Both times were frightening, but he didn't go far. Yesterday DS managed to get out of the fenced and gated playground at his after-school care program. He only got a few feet before a staff member caught him, but if he had been quicker he probably could have gotten farther away.

If your child has a tendency to wander (run away/elope), especially at a school or daycare setting, what steps have you and the staff taken to prevent this from happening?

[vludmilla]

Gena,
I don't have any BTDT experience and this may not be appropriate for your interests or your son's needs right now but it made me think of Project Lifesaver. It started in my area a couple of years ago and I know some parents who have been very happy with it.
http://mentalhealth.westchestergov.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2198&Itemid=3470

[elliput]

:hug::hug::hug: This is one of my biggest fears. I don't have any advice or resources to suggest.

Just recently, DD has been talking about going to find her grandparents (this stemmed from a Valentine's card they send), and one evening even put her coat on, had a shoulder bag into which she had placed her card, and was headed for the door saying she was going to look for the grandparents. :eek: I told her she couldn't go looking for them alone and several times since then have had to remind her she is not allowed to go out the front door by herself. Luckily, she can't get the gate from the backyard unlatched and hasn't figured out that she is most likely capable of climbing the short picket fence, but I know that won't last long.

[Gena]

Gena,
I don't have any BTDT experience and this may not be appropriate for your interests or your son's needs right now but it made me think of Project Lifesaver. It started in my area a couple of years ago and I know some parents who have been very happy with it.
http://mentalhealth.westchestergov.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2198&Itemid=3470

Thanks for your response. Project Lifesaver is a really great program. Unfortunately our town doesn't participate, although I know one of the neighboring recently started . (I saw their flyer at the Peds office a couple of weeks ago.)

DS does wear a medical bracelet with his diagnoses on the front and our cell phone numbers on the back. It's not a tracking device, but if he were to get away and someone finds him, they can contact us. It's not a solution, but it does give me some small piece of mind.

I really want to focus more on what we and the school/daycare staff can do to keep him from getting off the grounds in the first place. The daycare (where his after-school care program is) is going to change the latch on the playground gate to one where an adult needs to reach over the fence and pull a pin. So that should help.

[o_mom]

At home, do you have an alarm system? Can you set the doors to 'chime' when they are opened? If not, you can buy stick-on alarms at Lowes or BBB. They are not expensive - like $10 for 4 or something and they can be set to either alarm or chime when the door is opened.

For the school - they are putting in a new latch, what about a self-closing mechanism on the gate? Basically a spring that will close the gate after someone goes through so that you don't get the gate left open. An alarm/chime on that as well would be good.

[Gena]

At home, do you have an alarm system? Can you set the doors to 'chime' when they are opened? If not, you can buy stick-on alarms at Lowes or BBB. They are not expensive - like $10 for 4 or something and they can be set to either alarm or chime when the door is opened.

For the school - they are putting in a new latch, what about a self-closing mechanism on the gate? Basically a spring that will close the gate after someone goes through so that you don't get the gate left open. An alarm/chime on that as well would be good.

We have door alarms that go off when the door is open. Originally we got them for me, due to sleepwalking. We generally only use them at night, but I do turn them on if I'm going to be in a different part of the house than DS.

That's a good idea about the self-closing mechanism for the gate at school. I'll have to ask about that.

[elliput]

I just saw this article on autism & wandering and thought it would make a good addition to this thread. Dangerous wandering a lesser known side of Autism. (http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/03/24/dangerous-wandering-a-lesser-known-side-of-autism?PageNr=1) The little boy, Mason, who is mentioned in the article was from my area and received therapy at the same facility DD does.

[Gena]

To update: DS's elopment/running away at his aferschool daycare program has gotten worse rather than better.

His autism teacher at school gave us some ideas to manage this and other behavior problems, but these have not been much help.

Now DS does not leave the playground, but leaves the classroom through the emergency/fire exit and runs into the parking lot. This door cannot be blocked or locked from the inside due to the fire code. Some days he does not run out the door at all, other days he will run out up to six times in a single day. The staff does not know how to deal with this behavior and we have been advised that if DS continues to do this he will have to leave the daycare. Since DH and I both have to work full time, it will be disasterous for our family if DS has to leave.

We have hired a behavior specialist to help with DS's behavior in his afterschool daycare setting. She will focus on his elopment, but will address other negative behaviors as well. The specialist we hired is a Board Certified ABA therapist, but is trained in other techniques. She will observe DS in the setting, develop a behavior plan, train the daycare staff, and do follow-up as needed.

I'm really hoping this works, because we cannot afford to have DS expelled from daycare.

[egoldber]

I'm so sorry! I hope it works. :hug:

In the meantime, can you look around for alternative after care? I am thinking of my older DD's after care situation and just by virtue of how it is laid out, there is no way for a child to escape in that manner. All classrooms either open out onto a fenced playground (including the emergency exits) or they are in an underground, interior space.

[Gena]

I'm so sorry! I hope it works. :hug:

In the meantime, can you look around for alternative after care? I am thinking of my older DD's after care situation and just by virtue of how it is laid out, there is no way for a child to escape in that manner. All classrooms either open out onto a fenced playground (including the emergency exits) or they are in an underground, interior space.

We had a really hard time finding an afterschool care program for DS. We called/visited many programs and this was the only one that was acceptable and willing to work with DS. The others all had issues including:

- No transportation from DS's school
- Playground without fences on a busy street
- Large combined classrooms (no walls) causing sensory overload
- Staff attitude of "We'll take him because the law says we have to, but we're not happy about it." (Yes, some actually said this!)

This is why we are desperate to make this setting work.

[crl]

I hope the specialist is able to help!

I recently saw the special Ed teacher at ds' former preschool/current after care program putting up STOP signs to help with a child who has elopement issues. I know a lot of special needs kids are very visual. You all may have already tried this, but I though I would pass it along, especially as it is simple and cheap.

Also, does your son have a "safe" place in the classroom he is allowed to retreat to? Maybe giving that as an alternative would help?

Catherine

[Gena]

I hope the specialist is able to help!

I recently saw the special Ed teacher at ds' former preschool/current after care program putting up STOP signs to help with a child who has elopement issues. I know a lot of special needs kids are very visual. You all may have already tried this, but I though I would pass it along, especially as it is simple and cheap.

Also, does your son have a "safe" place in the classroom he is allowed to retreat to? Maybe giving that as an alternative would help?

Catherine

STOP signs were among the first thing we tried. They put STOP signs on every door and gate. DS knows he is supposed to stop, but is choosing not to.

There is an area set up in the classroom that is supposed to be a safe/comfort place. I'm not sure the staff is using it appropriately. Hopefully this is something the behavioral consultant can help with. Thanks for reminding me to talk to her about this.

[Uno-Mom]

Gena - has anybody done a serious analysis of what your son is running FROM and what he's running TO?

The way I've been trained, there is no meaningful way to change this behavior until you've figured out why it's working for him. There's something inspiring the behavior. That's especially true since you've proven that he understands the rules but chooses not to follow them.

The caregivers could probably coerce a behavior change by either just rewarding his "compliant" behavior and consequating his "non-compliance" ... but what you clearly want much more is to teach him a new skill that will generalize to settings other than school. For that, they need to come up with a more creative solution. If he's got a need to escape something about that room, he needs a legit way to get what he needs.

Sort of OT, but I have to add: I hate, hate, HATE the term "non-compliance!!!" I train scads of staff on how to implement behavior supports and I tell them up-front that if they ever use that term in front of me, I'll engage in "non-compliant, aggressive behavior" towards them. And yep, I've followed through on that threat a couple times. :) (I'd do a bitch post about this pet peeve but it probably would only make sense to parents in this forum.)

I love your term "wonderlust." May I steal it? In all seriousness - do you think he's wandering out of curiousity and wonderlust?

[Gena]

Gena - has anybody done a serious analysis of what your son is running FROM and what he's running TO?

The way I've been trained, there is no meaningful way to change this behavior until you've figured out why it's working for him. There's something inspiring the behavior. That's especially true since you've proven that he understands the rules but chooses not to follow them.

The caregivers could probably coerce a behavior change by either just rewarding his "compliant" behavior and consequating his "non-compliance" ... but what you clearly want much more is to teach him a new skill that will generalize to settings other than school. For that, they need to come up with a more creative solution. If he's got a need to escape something about that room, he needs a legit way to get what he needs.

This is exactly why we have hired a behavioral specialist to do a functional behavioral analysis, develop a behavior plan, and work with the staff. Believe me, we live and breathe functional behavior techniques in our household. But I cannot be at the daycare, so I have a professional stepping in to help figure out what is going on there.



Sort of OT, but I have to add: I hate, hate, HATE the term "non-compliance!!!" I train scads of staff on how to implement behavior supports and I tell them up-front that if they ever use that term in front of me, I'll engage in "non-compliant, aggressive behavior" towards them. And yep, I've followed through on that threat a couple times. :) (I'd do a bitch post about this pet peeve but it probably would only make sense to parents in this forum.)

Why do you hate the word "non-compliance"? I often call it definance, because a lot of times that's what it looks like to me; but I think non-compliance is a more accurate term. Defiance has such strong negative emotional connotations and implies things that don't always fit DS. "Non-compliance" is a more emotion-nuetral term that encompasses both the choice to not comply and the inability to comply. I think it's a fine word for professions to use and a much better word than I sometimes hear in daily life.



In all seriousness - do you think he's wandering out of curiousity and wonderlust?

I think he's eloping for a number of reasons. He has had a recent surge of independence that has caused him to test boundaries - both physical boundaries and the limits of authority. The less structured environment of the daycare setting, overstimulation, and hyperactivity also come into play. And right now he is enjoying negative attention. In many ways he is a child with a 7 year old body going through a "terrible twos" stage.

[egoldber]

Is the after care just open ended play or do they also offer structured activities?

Older DD was having trouble with the open ended free play aspect of our old after care. The new one offers a variety of structured activities (swimming, piano lessons, yoga, etc.) and that has made it easier for her.

[Gena]

Is the after care just open ended play or do they also offer structured activities?

Older DD was having trouble with the open ended free play aspect of our old after care. The new one offers a variety of structured activities (swimming, piano lessons, yoga, etc.) and that has made it easier for her.

The program is loosely strucutred during the school year. There is a lot of free choice time. One of the things we have discussed is creating more sctructre for DS by giving him a personal schedule of activites to follow.

Their summer program will be more structured.

As an aside, DS has had a string of relatively good days there since the middle of last week. I decided to take him off Singulair and I think that medication had been contributing to his negative behavior. (Obviously it is not the sole source of his difficulties.)

[egoldber]

Interesting. DD reacts to meds for asthma as well. She had terrible side effects with Pulmicort and milder ones with Singulair.

I am really anxious to take her off her allergy meds as soon as her season is over. Counting down the days to June 1!

[Uno-Mom]

It sounds like you're really on top of it. I hope the specialist has great ideas and works well with the daycare. It must be SO stressful to be worrying about this situation.




Why do you hate the word "non-compliance"? I often call it definance, because a lot of times that's what it looks like to me; but I think non-compliance is a more accurate term. Defiance has such strong negative emotional connotations and implies things that don't always fit DS. "Non-compliance" is a more emotion-nuetral term that encompasses both the choice to not comply and the inability to comply. I think it's a fine word for professions to use and a much better word than I sometimes hear in daily life.



I'm sorry - when I hastily read your post last night, I misread it and thought you were saying that you, too, disliked the term! Otherwise I wouldn't have gone off on my little soap box. But since I did ... I'll explain:

It might be (1) a regional thing, and (2) because much of my experience is working with adults, not kids, who have disabilities. At least in my region and with the adults population, that term represents some pretty painful ideas. It was used heavily in the sorts of old-school behavior plans that micro-managed folks' lives, often forcing them to do things they disliked and not showing much respect for their preferences, dreams and talents. Kind of a: "you must do what I say b/cause I am your staff and you have a disability" approach. Besides leading to a pretty crummy life for folks - it's not an effective way to change behavior for the better.

Now...it is OBVIOUS to me that that is NOT how your specialists are using that term. And it clearly isn't how anybody is approaching your son. Like I said, it may be a regional or generational thing. And, too, I think it's different when working with kids: kids, all kids, do need to learn obedience ... because they're children. So it's a different situation than with grown-ups.

Your point about it being a "neutral term" is interesting. I hadn't ever thought of it like that. That's a really good point.

Anyway, wow - I really really hope you all can get this resolved for your son. Your insight about the medication seems right - on. I hope you continue to see the improvement!

[Gena]

Update #2: The behavior specialist (let's call her Mrs L) observed DS at daycare one day last week. She provided a written summary of her observations that day and then she and I talked for a while the next day. Yesterday we had the meeting with myself, Mrs L, the daycare director, and the assistant director.

Mrs L believes that DS elopes as a form of entertainment. He does not really engage in the group activities that are going on and during "free play" he has too many options to choose from. She had a lot of great suggestions to help get DS involved in classroom activities, provide him with more structure, manage his sensory issues, and limit his choices to a smaller variety that will not overwhelm him. None of her suggestions were radical, but involve some changes in classroom management techniques including scheduling, providing visual supports, better use of positive reinforcement, sensory diet, and token economy. Many of her suggestions are things that can benefit the other kids in the group as well.

The director and the assistant were very open to trying new techniques and I think they got a much better understanding of how to work with DS. They are going to spend the next 2 weeks getting the new strategies in place. Then Mrs L will come back and see what they need help implementing and how things are going so far and help tweak things as needed.

I feel very hopeful that the new strategies will not only prevent DS form eloping, but will make his time at the daycare more productive and enjoyable.

Lesson learned: If you tell a child with autism, "Go find something to do", you should not be surprised if what he finds is going to see if there is something more interesting in the parking lot.

[egoldber]

I hope that the new strategies work out!

[Uno-Mom]

Lesson learned: If you tell a child with autism, "Go find something to do", you should not be surprised if what he finds is going to see if there is something more interesting in the parking lot.

That made me smile. What a great update. Sounds like your daycare is one in a million!

[hillview]

Wow what a great update. Hurray! I hope it goes better soon!
/hillary

[elliput]

Lesson learned: If you tell a child with autism, "Go find something to do", you should not be surprised if what he finds is going to see if there is something more interesting in the parking lot.
This is so true! I have learned that I need to be very specific with DD about certain things or she will push the boundaries.