What is Elopement?
Elopement is defined as running away from, wandering, bolting or leaving a designated area such as a classroom or the home. Why is it a problem? Individuals with autism may have challenges with communication and intellectual delays. This makes elopement a highly dangerous behavior. In 2011, the Autism Research Institute, the Autism Science Foundation, Autism Speaks, and the Global Autism Collaboration partnered with the Interactive Autism Network (IAN) to create a national survey on elopement in ASD. 1 More than 800 families of children with ASD from across the U.S. completed the Elopement and Wandering Questionnaire. The survey yielded the following statistics: • Nearly half (49%) of children with ASD between the ages of 4 and 10 have engaged in elopement behavior. ° This rate is nearly four times higher than for the children’s unaffected siblings. • 30% of children with ASD between the ages of 7 and 10 are still engaging in elopement behavior. ° This rate is nearly eight times higher than the children’s unaffected siblings.
Nearly half (49%) of children with ASD between the ages of 4 and 10 have engaged in elopement behavior. This rate is nearly four times higher than for the children’s unaffected siblings.
1 IAN Research Report: Elopement and Wandering. (2011, April 20). Interactive Autism Network. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/ian_research
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