Hello readers welcome to this week’s blog post! It is hard to believe we are almost at the end of March! This year is going by fast! Speaking of going fast let’s talk about my child being fast! I know what your thinking, of course he is fast he is a child. However, did you know there is a term for kids on the spectrum who run fast. It is called Eloping!
Not the Eloping where a couple runs off and ties the knot. I don’t even want to think about that yet! I am talking about Eloping where your child runs or wanders away from you. Sounds scary right? It is! The scary part is that most of the time the child isn’t aware of the dangers around them. There are other challenges we face ,as parents, with our child eloping. Other than the concern of safety, there is the challenge of timing, communication, as well as prevention. To be frank it does get hard for this mama.
What is Elopement?
To define Elopement, it is a behavior where the child leaves a designated safe area or environment. Elopement occurs in 49% of children on the spectrum. Mostly under the age of 10, and is more common with boys. (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (2014). Elopement is unpredictable, has to do with sensory overload, and involves communication challenges.
Why Elopement happens? : Understanding the triggers
Children may Elope to escape a situation or environment that is overwhelming for them. They also could Elope out of pure excitement! Like our son does at times! They Elope because they could be seeking out a specific item or place. Like a chair at church! Majority of the time the cause of Elopement is sensory overload. When this occurs it often becomes a challenge to communicate. When your child is not responding to verbal cues or commands. When Eloping is their way of communicating.
The impact of Elopement on families!
Elopement is a common fear for parents because it can lead to dangerous situations. There is always that constant fear for their child’s safety. I just pray that a hedge of protection will always be placed around our son. I also pray during moments of strain. From being parents of a child on the spectrum and having to balance this behavior of eloping and other aspects. I also pray during moments of embarrassment. Just because, depending on where we are at, strangers may view my child’s behavior disturbing.
Preventing Eloping
Preventing Eloping can be difficult and is a challenging behavior. The main reason being that Eloping happens unexpectedly. As well as the challenge of the child not responding to verbal cues. There are however ways to address Elopement. The first is to always take safety precautions. Assess the environment and make modifications as needed. For us that is keeping a constant watch on our son. Also avoiding certain places ,if possible, and limiting social activities. The biggest factor in how we try to prevent Eloping is we maintain a consistent routine. This gives predictability which reduces stress and less of a chance of our son running off.
Real story about overcoming Elopement
The first time we encountered our son Eloping ,was when we were traveling. We stopped at a gas station to use the facilities. Our son had crawled underneath the stall and out the bathroom he went. Thankfully his daddy was outside the bathroom to catch him! We began to notice this behavior was happening frequently. Especially anytime we went in public restrooms! Though this is not a funny matter, I do have a funny story about my child Eloping. Me and my son went out Black Friday shopping with a good friend of mine. The first store we went into off he went! The funny part being while catching him the song that was playing happened to be, “RUN RUN RUDOLPH”! Talk about a movie scene moment!
We had to quickly find a solution to this behavior. After research we found TJ’s new best friend, Mr. dinosaur. Which is a vest placed on his back with a leash attached. A device used to prevent Eloping. You never know what to expect when you have a child on the spectrum. The only thing you can do is learn to adapt and do your best to keep them safe. All while praying that God keeps a hedge of protection around them. I thank God for his protection when my son has ran!
Speaking of running, I got to run! Thankyou for reading this weeks blog post on Eloping. Learning about what Eloping is. Being made aware of the motives and impact of Eloping or escaping. The hope is there are ways of preventing and managing Eloping. Along with other aspects when it comes to your child who may be on the spectrum.
Until next time, God Bless! The Kruckenberg Family!