What to do if your autistic child wanders or runs away

Autism and wandering

Many autistic children and teenagers wander or run off, even when adults are supervising them.

Autistic wandering is sometimes called elopement or escapism.

Why do autistic children wander or run away?

Your autistic child might wander for many reasons. For example, they might want to:

avoid or get away from something in their environment, like noise
go somewhere in particular – for example, a favourite place like the train station
avoid something they’re scared of, like dogs or balloons
seek out a sensory stimulus, like water
feel in control
be chased.

If your child is ever in immediate or life-threatening danger, call 000 straight away.

How to work out why your autistic child wanders

When you understand why your autistic child wanders, it can help you work out the best way to manage the wandering.

Steps

Look at what triggers your child to wander or run away.
Look at what your child gets from the wandering behaviour.
Think about whether you can change or manage the wandering by changing either the triggers or what your child gets out of it.

Steps in action

For example, your child is sensitive to noise and light and often tries to run away when you’re at the supermarket together.

In this situation, the trigger for wandering seems to be too much noise and light. Running away is your child’s way of reducing the discomfort caused by the noise and light. You might be able to manage this by:

not taking your child to the supermarket
going at a quieter time
encouraging your child to use noise-cancelling headphones or sunglasses
praising your child when they stay with you.

It’s OK if you can’t work out what triggers your child’s wandering. A professional, like a psychologist, can help you understand your child’s wandering.

How to handle your autistic child’s wandering

Here are simple, practical things you can do around your home and in your family to handle your child’s wandering:

Practise holding hands in the backyard, so your child knows how to hold your hand and walk beside you when you’re out together.
Install physical barriers like security gates, window locks, high gate latches and fences around your yard and garden.
Use an alarm on doorways and other entry and exit points.
Use a tracking app.

Safety tips in case your autistic child wanders

These tips can help to keep your autistic child safe if they do wander.

Help your child learn safety skills

If your child knows some safety skills, it can help them avoid danger. You could use social stories to help your child learn about car and road safety, stranger danger, fire safety and water safety. If your child has a fascination with water, it’s a good idea for them to learn to swim, as well as when it’s OK to be in the water.

Dress your child in distinctive clothes

If you dress your child in a distinctive piece of clothing when you go out, this will help you and other people spot your child if they wander off.

Use an identification necklace

Your child could wear an identification necklace, bracelet, shoelace or clothing tag that has your contact details and a statement that your child is autistic. You could also use a temporary tattoo. If your child wanders or gets lost, people will know who to call.

Use a tracker

If you’re visiting a crowded place, you could put a personal tracking device in your child’s pocket to help locate them in case they wander and get lost.

Ask for community help

If there are places your child is likely to go to – for example, the local train station – you could introduce yourself and your child to the station staff. You could ask the staff to watch for your child and call you if they see them.

Talk to your child’s school

As part of preparing for your child to start primary school or move on to secondary school, you can meet with school staff to talk about your child’s needs. This can include your child’s wandering and ways to manage it. You could talk about how the school will keep your child safe, both at school and on school excursions and camps.

Talk to local police

If you have a local police station, it’s good to introduce the police officers to your child. Or you could visit the station and give the officers details of your child and your contact information. You could let them know about your child’s wandering, where your child is likely to go, and why.

You could also tell the police about your child’s developmental level, communication skills, preferences and support needs. For example, will your child be afraid if a police officer approaches them? Will they understand what the officer is saying? This can be particularly important for autistic teenagers, because it can sometimes look as though they’re being uncooperative on purpose.

Emergency plans for your wandering child

If your autistic child is prone to wandering, it’s a good idea to have an emergency plan. The plan should include:

your child’s name, photo and description
places your child might go
dangerous places to check first – for example, your pool or the local train station
information about how your child might react to people they don’t know or to being lost
contact details for the local police, your neighbours and any places your child might go – for example, the train station
your contact information.

Share your emergency plan with carers, friends, neighbours, family, your child’s school and the local police. You can also help people get to know your child, so that they’re more likely to act – and know what to do – if they find your child unsupervised.

Where to get professional help for wandering

An experienced professional can help you understand your autistic child’s behaviour and develop strategies to keep your child safe. This can help if you’ve already tried other strategies to manage wandering, but these haven’t worked. A good first step is talking with your GP, paediatrician or psychologist, your child’s other health professionals, or school support staff.

Looking after yourself, especially your physical and emotional wellbeing, is good for you. It can help you stay calm and consistent when things get tough, which is good for your child too. Friends and family can be a great source of support, as can other parents.