Elopement - any suggestions??

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My nine year old with ASD has elopement issues. Very inconsistently, he runs away. After careful observation, it appears that it is either attention getting or sensory seeking. The behavioural specialist at his school is currently working on a plan to use at school and at home.... but curious if any of you have any suggestions..... it's really starting to become a huge problem, and before long he's going to be able to reach the locks at the top of the doors. I would love to solve this problem, if at all possible.


Thanks!

The most simple solution is window locks, and 2 way locking of the doors where only the adults have the key. The only other solution that I can imagine, given that I take care of adults with elopement issues as well, is constant observation and/or alarm systems. That is what we have to do. Hopefully it will only be temporary, until a psychological breakthrough is made.

I have heard of service dogs being used for this problem. The dogs can be trained to "strapped" to the person and sit down when the person tries to run away. They also provide emotional support, but are very expensive and may not be allowed in schools.

Could he "run away" to an agreed open spot in the school? That way they would know where to look.

Two issues here.

First, safety. Locks, supervision, etc. Obviously. But if you assume this is the only issue, and that locks are the only solution... ouch!! (One thing that needs to be mentioned is the possibility of needing to evacuate the house quickly--gas leak, fire, etc. It needs to be possible to get the child out of the house no matter what goes wrong. Do NOT use locks that require keys. If you lose the keys, you have to either break down the door or wait for the firemen with the child inside.)

Second. You have to figure out why, and you have to find something else that safely fills that need. Many kids run when they're scared or overwhelmed. I've occasionally done it myself; even as an adult. For me, it's only embarrassing, not unsafe, because I still have enough left to not run into the street or get myself lost. A safe way to run away might be one solution. So might finding whatever forces him to run and removing that. So might teaching him to warn people before he does it. If he's truly doing it for attention, then find a way to give him the attention he needs without him grabbing it in such a dangerous manner. If he's looking for sensory input he can't get anywhere else, find a way to get it to him. If he just loves running, find a way to let him run--often--without getting into danger. It's probably going to be tricky to figure out, but I think it's possible.