The variables investigated and analyzed on the report of a large-scale survey with families of children with autism about wandering behaviors can be used a a template to assess wandering behaviors before planning an intervention. For those not trained on functional relations between behavior and antecedents and consequences, it will alert to the variation of situations in which wandering or elopement (the definition used in the survey is described and can also be used to streamline the use of the term, which is always beneficial) commonly occur and consequently, hopefully, the importance of understanding each case before proposing any strategy to address the concerns from a skill acquisition perspective. Safety ensured first, of course. From assessment of function on, considering carefully the child's abilities is paramount to then plan for alternative behaviors that can be taught to promote safer ways to access things encountered when wandering, safer and as efficient and effective ways to escape unwanted things, and stimulus control strategies to signal what to do and when.
"Preliminary results of the IAN Elopement and Wandering Questionnaire demonstrate that elopement behaviors are a major problem for approximately half of families with a child on the autism spectrum at some point between the ages of 4 and 17; that eloping children encounter significant dangers; and that families of elopers are often stressed and socially isolated. This data validates long held concerns of families and advocates regarding elopement and ASD. It also gives us our first glimpse into the motivations and states of mind of these children while they are “wandering,” a word that may not fit what parents report: children who are often happy, playful, and focused on a goal when they depart safe spaces."
IAN Research Report: Elopement and Wandering
