Elopement & Autism: Questions to Ask When You Have Students Who Flee, Bolt, Run, and Elope

Inside elopement and autism, wandering and autism, strategies for autism and elopment.
Disclaimer: This is not behavior advice. Please collaborate with your team for behavior support.

Elopement in an autism classroom can be terrifying. Students who bolt, run away, or elope from the area need extensive supervision. Elopement or wandering is defined as "the tendency for an individual to try to leave the safety of a responsible person's care or a safe area, which can result in potential harm or injury,” according to the Wandering - National Autism Association. For individuals with autism, sometimes this includes leaving the room or area of the classroom when the adult is not looking or bolting away from an adult who may be holding their hand.

The IAN Network study (2011) discovered that 49% of kids with autism elope or flee from a safe environment. This behavior is dangerous and terrifying to the adults who care for loved ones with autism, as I’m sure you know. With so many students doing this, what can you do to reduce, remove, or react to wandering?

First, it’s important to recognize that wandering can happen in any setting, location, or environment. Also, it can happen with any adult present, even the most conscientious and vigilant person.

What is a person to do when faced with elopement?

First, make sure all adults in the classroom are aware that you have a child with a history of elopement and autism. Be sure to do this discreetly so that the child does not hear you or know that you are referring to them.

Second, as you think of some of the autism elopement concerns, ask yourself these questions:

Have I created environmental supports that will work to my advantage and minimize the accessibility of the exit?
Did I tell the student where to be?
Did I tell the student what activity is occurring using a personalized schedule?
Have I sectioned off areas of the room?
Do I have an adult between the student and the exit at all times?
Have I given the student a meaningful task?
Have I given the student something to hold in both hands that makes it difficult to run?
Have I childproofed the exit?
Have I installed alarms at the exit?
Have I established a code to let others know when the student has exited the room without permission?
Have I established or figured out why the student is trying to leave the area?

Of course, due to the seriousness of behaviors, these questions will not be a solution, but at least they will get you thinking about strategies that may work for your student!

Elopement Within the Classroom

Even if you are not dealing with a student who leaves the premises, you may have a student who will not leave the classroom. However, this same student might not stay with the group in the area where the rest of the students are working or playing.

This may be true for many of you. The first thing to do would be to create clear visual boundaries in the classroom. Focusing on elopement and autism support classrooms requires some quick thinking. Areas of the classroom should be explicitly divisible and clearly sectioned off. If there are students prone to leaving the area, be sure to have sturdy furniture that can serve as a physical and visual boundary when possible.

Place the furniture in such a way that there is only one entry point to that area of the classroom. Sorry, this may mean that the group table no longer sits in the middle of the floor! It may need to be placed in a corner so that partitions can provide a physical and visual boundary.
Second, pay attention to seating. During the lesson, have an adult sit behind the student with autism and elopement challenges. Be sure to have yourself seated between the student and the door. Rearrange the table if needed, so that the back of the students’ chairs are facing the wall (and very close to the wall) and the teacher is looking towards the wall. This will allow the wall to serve as one of your physical boundaries.

Additionally, think about seating the student in the middle of the group with a peer on each side, along with having the back of his/her seat facing the wall. This could make it a little more difficult for him or her to elope.
Third, try to establish the reason or function for the behavior. This step is super important because it lets you know what intervention to try. If you don't have a good "diagnosis" for the issue, you may end up with a treatment or strategy that does not work. You have to know the function of the behavior to come up with an effective strategy.
So think about a few of these questions:
- Do they want to get out of doing the work?
- Does the activity seem to hurt their ears?
- Is there something they are trying to get to instead?
- Where do they go when they leave?
- Do they just want to play and not know how to tell you?
- Are they doing this to gain attention?
Don't worry, if you need a little more insight into the functions of behaviors or dealing with autism and running away, frequently check out this free ebook on the topic
Fourth, make coming to the area fun. Provide a small container (with a tight lid) of 5 small cause-and-effect toys or sensory items that are available in just that area. Try placing that on the student's desk before the activity begins. Allow the student access to the toys only if they sit in the area. (See our blog describing how to do this here.) Let them interact with the toy that they picked during the lesson. When it is their turn, have them complete a very small amount of the task, then allow them access to the toy again. If you need ideas for fidgets or small toys you HAVE to subscribe to our Youtube channel that has tips on fidgets and sensory toys!

What I always recommend is to focus the first 3 days on having the student stay in the seat and stay in the area. I tend to worry about task completion at a later time. At first, it will seem as if they are playing more than working, but this will gradually shift to a situation where the toys are available for the first 1 minute, then they are put to the side and available after the task is completed. However, this takes some time.

Wandering & Autism: Questions to Aid in Reducing Elopement

Earlier in this blog, we discussed some general ideas for dealing with in-class elopement for a student who may leave the area, but not leave the classroom. (If you need assistance with making a clear definition for the exact behavior you are working on, we have a fantastic article about target behaviors you can check out after this one.) But now, let's take a look at strategies based on the function of the behavior of students who do try to leave the classroom. We know that wandering, bolting, and fleeing (also known as elopement) can cause stress to those who care for individuals with autism. Within the classroom, it may be difficult to pinpoint when this behavior will occur, but here are a few things to ask yourself when you are planning a strategy to reduce, remove, or react to wandering/eloping.

Function: Eloping for Attention.

Questions to ask yourself if this autism elopement issue is related to attention:

Have I provided the child with a visual schedule so that they know what is expected during this time?
Have I taught the child how to use the schedule?
Are my classroom activities well planned and does the schedule leave out unstructured moments?
Is the environment set up with clear visual boundaries?
Did I eliminate using an open space to set up my main teaching area or is it in a cornered area to reduce elopement?
Did I use an in-task schedule to show the child what to do during this specific activity, how many tasks there will be, and when they will be finished?
Do I have an adult sitting near the child or keeping an eye out for the child who may elope?
Is the door closed or childproofed?
When they elope for attention, do I respond calmly?
When they elope for attention, do I bring them back to the activity by holding their hand and do I eliminate using words so that they do not get my verbal attention?
Do I provide attention many times before the elopement so that they get the same amount of energy that elopement usually provides?
Am I successful in teaching them that staying with the group gets excitement and attention but elopement gets a hand held and no conversation?
When they elope and then drop to the floor for attention, am I prepared to find them, hold their hand without conversation, and wait quietly (for up to 20 minutes) until they stand up?
Did I create a social narrative or social story about staying with the group?

Function: Eloping for Escape.

Questions to ask yourself if this autism elopement issue is related to escape:

Have I provided the child with a visual schedule so that they know what is expected during this time?
Have I taught the child how to use the schedule?
Are my classroom activities well planned and does the schedule leave out unstructured moments?
Is the environment set up with clear visual boundaries?
Did I eliminate using an open space to set up my main teaching area or is it in a cornered area to reduce elopement?
Did I use an in-task schedule to show the child what to do during this specific activity, how many tasks there will be, and when they will be finished?
Do I have an adult sitting near the child or keeping an eye out for the child who may elope?
Is the door closed or childproofed for the student who has autism and elopement issues?
Do I provide a small box of toys or preferred items during the lesson to encourage them to come to the area and stay in the area?
Am I okay with letting them use the toys for a while (in the area with the group, not off on their own) until they get used to the idea of sitting in that area with others?
Do I give them many choices within activities to keep them engaged throughout the lesson?
Have I considered whether the task’s time and expectations for sitting and completion are appropriate?
Did I teach them how to ask for a break? Did I honor their request?
When they elope for escape, do I respond calmly, but quickly when faced with a child with autism and running behavior?
When they elope for escape, do I have a plan in place to notify key school staff to help locate him or her?
When they elope for escape, am I prepared to find them, hold their hand (without conversation), bring them back to the work area, and proceed with the work task without discussion of the elopement?
Did I create a social narrative or social story about staying with the group?
Did I use a token board to teach the child so that they can earn a break? For example, the "I Need a Break Cards" can provide a quick way to facilitate teaching the skill of working for a break.

break cards for autism pic
I Need a Break Cards Available Here

Function: Eloping to Gain Access to Something.

Questions to ask yourself if this autism elopement issue is related to gaining access:

Have I provided the child with a visual schedule so that they know what is expected during this time?
Have I taught the child how to use the schedule?
Are my classroom activities well planned and does the schedule leave out unstructured moments?
Is the environment set up with clear visual boundaries?
Did I eliminate using an open space to set up my main teaching area or is it in a cornered area to reduce elopement?
Did I use an in-task schedule to show the child what to do during this specific activity, how many tasks there will be, and when they will be finished?
Do I have an adult sitting near the child or keeping an eye out for the child who may elope?
Is the door closed or childproofed?
Did I let the child know what time they would gain access to the item or activity that they want using a visual support or schedule?
Did I cover or remove the item from the classroom when it was not available?
Did I place access to the item on the student’s individualized schedule?
Did I teach them how to ask for the item appropriately?
Did I honor their request or show them what time it will be available? If it is not an option, did I tell them using a visual support or social story?
When they elope to gain access, do I respond calmly and without words?
When they elope to gain access, do I bring them back to the activity and show them their schedule so that they can begin working again?
Did I use a token board to teach the child that they can earn access to their activity or item?

Function: Eloping for Sensory Input or to Avoid Sensory Input.

Questions to ask yourself if this autism elopement issue is related to autism automatic reinforcement:

Have I provided the child with a visual schedule so that they know what is expected during this time?
Have I taught the child how to use the schedule?
Are my classroom activities well planned and does the schedule leave out unstructured moments?
Is the environment set up with clear visual boundaries?
Did I eliminate using an open space to set up my main teaching area or is it in a cornered area to reduce elopement?
Did I use an in-task schedule to show the child what to do during this specific activity, how many tasks there will be, and when they will be finished?
Do I have an adult sitting near the child or keeping an eye out for the child who may elope?
Is the door closed or childproofed?
Did I think about whether or not this activity is too loud, too busy, or too overwhelming for the child?
Did I cover or remove the item from the classroom when it is not available?
Did I place access to the item on the student's individualized schedule?
Did I ask the Occupational Therapist for help?
When they elope for sensory input, do I respond calmly and with support?
When they elope to avoid sensory input, do I respond calmly and with support?
When they elope for sensory reasons, do I try to provide the input they are seeking before they elope?
Have I talked to the Occupational Therapist about the possibility of a sensory input plan for the student?
Did I teach the child how to request the sensory input they are seeking or how to tell others if something is bothering them?
Did I use a token board to teach the child that they can earn access to their activity or item?

Autism and Elopement Issues - Resources for School Teams and Families

Autism and running do not go hand in hand, but sometimes you will find many students who will wander and you need to have a plan. This is such a serious topic and many of these suggestions and strategies for wandering and elopement are for support in the school setting. However, elopement occurs in the home and community setting as well. Here are a few bits of information from the AWAARE Collaboration that focuses on providing resources for families experiencing wandering. Click on the words to visit the site.

Safety Materials

Social Stories About Staying Safe

Big RED Safety Box