Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Nov;130(5):870-7.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-0762. Epub 2012 Oct 8.

Occurrence and family impact of elopement in children with autism spectrum disorders

Connie Anderson  1 , J Kiely Law, Amy Daniels, Catherine Rice, David S Mandell, Louis Hagopian, Paul A Law
Affiliations

Occurrence and family impact of elopement in children with autism spectrum disorders

Connie Anderson et al. Pediatrics. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: Anecdotal reports suggest that elopement behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) increases risk of injury or death and places a major burden on families. This study assessed parent-reported elopement occurrence and associated factors among children with ASDs.

Methods: Information on elopement frequency, associated characteristics, and consequences was collected via an online questionnaire. The study sample included 1218 children with ASD and 1076 of their siblings without ASD. The association among family sociodemographic and child clinical characteristics and time to first elopement was estimated by using a Cox proportional hazards model.

Results: Forty-nine percent (n = 598) of survey respondents reported their child with an ASD had attempted to elope at least once after age 4 years; 26% (n = 316) were missing long enough to cause concern. Of those who went missing, 24% were in danger of drowning and 65% were in danger of traffic injury. Elopement risk was associated with autism severity, increasing, on average, 9% for every 10-point increase in Social Responsiveness Scale T score (relative risk 1.09, 95% confidence interval: 1.02, 1.16). Unaffected siblings had significantly lower rates of elopement across all ages compared with children with ASD.

Conclusions: Nearly half of children with ASD were reported to engage in elopement behavior, with a substantial number at risk for bodily harm. These results highlight the urgent need to develop interventions to reduce the risk of elopement, to support families coping with this issue, and to train child care professionals, educators, and first responders who are often involved when elopements occur.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Reported rates of elopement at specific ages: a comparison of children with ASD and unaffected siblings. Children with ASD, n = 901; unaffected siblings, n = 1076.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) 4th, text revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2000.
    1. Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Year 2008 Principal Investigators; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 sites, United States, 2008. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2012;61(3):1–19. - PubMed
    1. Mouridsen SE, Brønnum-Hansen H, Rich B, Isager T. Mortality and causes of death in autism spectrum disorders: an update. Autism. 2008;12(4):403–414. - PubMed
    1. Shavelle RM, Strauss DJ, Pickett J. Causes of death in autism. J Autism Dev Disord. 2001;31(6):569–576. - PubMed
    1. McIlwain L, Fournier W. National Autism Association; 2010. [Accessed March 12, 2012]. Wandering and autism: the need for data and resources. Available at: http://iacc.hhs.gov/events/2010/slides_fournier_mcilwain_102210.pdf.

Publication types