Wandering. Eloping. Running. Whatever you call it- it’s a terrifying part of many kid’s lies. Most commonly, it can impact kids with Autism, but it can also affect kids with other special needs, and even ADHD.
Strategies to keep kids with ADHD, Special Needs, and Autism from Wandering
The strategies to address wandering are unique, because this behavior is such a huge safety risk. While you’re trying to work with your kid on resisting this urge, you’re also going to need to put every measure possible in place to ensure their safety.
Kid-Based Solutions for Wandering:
- Develop a routine path for common trips, (like home to school) so if their body starts going on auto-pilot, they’ll know where they are when they start paying attention again.
- Use visual stories about how dangerous wandering can be
- Emphasize the need for the buddy system. Help them identify who can be a buddy, and how to ask.
- Help identify why they may be wandering. This can help you know when the likelihood for wandering may increase, and may alert you to where they’re going.
- Parents of kids on the autism spectrum report some of the most common reasons for wandering as:
- Enjoying running, and exploring new things
- Desire to be at their favorite place
- The need to escape an anxious situation
- The strong desire to pursue a special topic of interest (like trains, cars, etc.)
- Trying to avoid an uncomfortable sensory stimuli
- Parents of kids on the autism spectrum report some of the most common reasons for wandering as:
Parent & Community-Based Solutions for Wandering:
- Consider a GPS bracelet, especially a water-proof one. It is possible that your insurance, or a local grant, may cover this, and you may want to ask your pediatrician, or even the local police department, about recommendations.
- There are trackers, like AngelSense, which will allow you to locate your child and monitor their GPS location.
- Consider that this is not a kid who can be out of your sight yet- create a plan for how you get a chance to shower, take care of yourself, make dinner, etc., while your kid is still monitored.
- Install chime alerts on the doors and windows in your house to give you a heads up if a child is eloping.
- Provide them with wearable ID.
- Think about making the local police department aware of your child’s tendency toward this behavior. Provide them with up to date pictures, and your contact information.
- Develop a plan to prevent wandering at school, and a recovery plan, in case the worst happens.
- Alert neighbors to alert you if they see him/her walking alone.
- Many kids who wander are drawn towards water, since it can be so calming. Identify bodies of water (drainage ponds, pools, wells, lakes, etc) near you as first places to check. If you are very tied into your community, you may even know people near those locations and can set-up a sort of alert system with them as a first step for where to check if your child is missing.
Autism Wandering Devices
One tracking device that consistently rises to the top is AngelSense. It’s a device that can be worn, and allow the parent to access from their phone- and you can even hear what’s going on from the ‘walkie talkie’ function!
The device can be worn in pockets, or even in special undershirts so it can’t be removed.
One of the best benefits of the AngelSense, when it comes to kids with autism wandering off, is the GPS locator, which is specific enough to find a kid in a certain area of a large school campus. There’s also an alarm that a parent can set-off remotely to alert adults or authorities in the area that your child may be in danger. (It’s also come in handy for kids who like to play ‘hide-and-seek’ with school staff- without letting anyone know.
Here’s more about what parents have to say about AngelSense.
Can I Completely Prevent My Kid From Wandering?
Unfortunately, completely preventing elopement is unlikely. The real goals here are to a) prevent it when possible, and b) catching it as soon as possible to avoid/reduce the negative consequences.
Being prepared is the best way to handle any emergency.
There’s a lot you can do to get prepared, but a good place to start would be to find the easiest step to put into place, and start with one step per week (or day if you’re ambitious). Then choose the 2nd easiest, and so on, working up to the most challenging option for you.
If it seems like too much to think about right now, I would encourage you to save this article for later.
Looking for more practical fixes?
