Have you wandered/eloped? Why?

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Have you ever run away or wandered after the age of 4? I mean during childhood, or as an adult if you live in a group home or with a legal guardian? If so, why did do it and what was your living situation. I'm curious to hear about it from the an autistic point of view.

I tried to when I was 7, but then realized I couldn't carry all my books... I told my parents I was running away and they laughed as I tried to lug all my books in a crate.

I never ran away, but I had my "hide outs" as a teen and I went on "regular" wanderings. I would take off on my bike and ride for miles. I lived in the woods and had a special rock I hung out at by myself. I always let people know that I was heading "out" as a courtesy. No one asked when I was coming back (unless to see if I'd be back by supper), so I guess they assumed I *would* be back.

In college, I occasionally skipped class to head out to walk. Mostly, I would try to fit in a long walk in-between classes. I usually tried to find somewhere remote.

When my kids were young, this was the hardest time because I was a stay at home mom and the kids were too little to leave alone. My husband was working a tremendous amount and in school for a while, so I had NO TIME TO MYSELF EVER. I was going nuts not being able to just "drop life" and leave. Out of the need to responsibly care for the children, I had no choice but to ignore the desire to ditch.

Now that they are teens, I am free again to take off, and I do sometimes. If I had the money (and a freer schedule), I would take off for a weekend by myself. But since I don't, I will take a few hours to get away. I usually hike/get out into nature. I call it "needing to clear my head." It seems the busier I get or the more stressed, the more I need these. I can feel the "four walls" of life closing in on me.

I would absolutely hate it if I had a schedule with no flexibility in it. If I had to be at a work place all day everyday and the only time I could get a break was with a scheduled day off, I'd go nuts. I need to be able to spontaneously take off if the weather is nice. I did that just last week, two days. It's part of how I regulate my mental health.

I think it is responsible and respectful to let someone know you are heading out and how long you will be. You don't want to make them wonder if something bad has happened. Also, it is nice to let them know where you are going/how to reach you, in case of an emergency.

My autistic uncle would often take off and not meet up with his ride where & when it was agreed upon. This was long before the days of cell phones. That was not cool. The police were often called to help find him. A neighbor's autistic daughter has run off before (young - under 10 at the time.) That was not cool, either. We live deep in the woods - not a great place for a kid to wander off. The parents were especially concerned because I think they were threatened with being accused of negligence if the police had to help find their daughter again. I know other parents of autistic kids who have to find ways to lock their kids inside the house so they don't escape unnoticed. It's hard!

Hmm ... no running away but once in a while I completely skipped school (junior high) and just spent the whole day walking home 10 miles (the school was located in a nearby town). I didn't enjoy school and felt like an outcast. At least walking home I could be free just for a while.

My older brother (who I'm fairly sure have AS) could go for long walks be lost in his thought when he was in his upper teens. I remember one time he took my shoes and went on a 12-hour walk. When he showed up back home in that evening he was barefoot and couldn't tell us where he been. I never got my shoes back.

I've done several runners. Almost always when I am very upset and need s p a c e and paranoid or well-intentioned people won't give me any.

I ran out of a hospital dragging an IV pole once. I was having a miscarriage; I had been shut in there for +8 hours without water, anything to do, or any clue what was going on. My hubby kept trying to calm me down-- bad idea. I demanded he leave, punched a wall, threw a table, and took myself for a walk. They were not very happy with me; by that juncture, I really did not give a crap.

I started playing truant from school at the age of 14, because it was unbearable for me from a social standpoint. I was bullied, never fit in, managed to have a best friend for a while but when that friendship faded away I had no-one, and just not showing up was preferable.

So I started taking the train into the centre of London. The funny thing is, I went to museums and tagged along with school groups having guided tours, like an autodidact -- learning by myself even when I was playing truant.

Indeed. I am fond of long walks and runs along different routes. If I am made to wait for longer than five minutes, it's off I go. I am a curious explorer by nature, so wandering seems to be hard-wired into my brain. Fortunately, I can find my way back.

As for elopement, that has only happened during fire drills or any other situation where sensory stress was just too much.

When I was 6 years old, I wanted to live with my teacher. I was always mad at my parents, I think because I was so difficult to them and they were tired of me and I could tell. I got really mad once, and resolved to live with my teacher. My parents helped me pack my clothes, but alas! the school closed that day due to flooding. Dad couldn't make it to work either. I lived in Augusta, GA, at the time in late 1990. There was a major flood event in the area due to the remains of Tropical Storm Marco, about which there is a Wiki article and an article about Augustans remembering that:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_ ... arco_(1990)

http://www.wjbf.com/story/21703013/augu ... 1990-flood

The flooding gave me time to think it over and by the time school reopened I had rethought my decision to move in with my teacher and decided to stay with my parents.

This flood I have always perceived as having a major impact on the trajectory of my life, even when now as an adult I question whether I was really going to move in with my teacher at all.

Occasionally I do run away. Causes - sensory or emotional overload, mental illness, lack of awareness.

I've did various times as a kid because I had lots of fights with my parents over lots of things & I had meltdowns really easily with them.

I have wandered off, not in a run away from home sort of sense, though. It's a need. I have to go. I have to wander. Sometimes it's just a walk, though sometimes I've driven to the beach just to be near the water. Sometimes the need is so strong, it's like the need to eat or drink.
Since having kids, it's been so much harder and I feel like I'm trapped in a cage. The kids are young, and the eldest (3 yrs old) has already gone through testing for autism and fits the criteria. He doesn't do spontaneous trips, he has full blown meltdowns, so I can't just drop everything and disappear. It's driving me insane.