“Occurence and Family Impact of Elopement in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders”
A new study finds that nearly half of children diagnosed with autism have tried to wander away from home, school, or other places, and that many wind up missing, even temporarily.
The study, published online in the journal Pediatrics, captures what parents of children with autism have described for years: Their children wander off, or elope. It confirms preliminary findings by researchers from the Interactive Autism Network and the Kennedy Krieger Institute.
For the study, researchers surveyed more than 1,200 families with children, ages 4 to 17, who have autism. Of them, nearly 600 reported their children had tried to elope at least once. About 30 percent also wandered away from a classroom or their schools.
