4 Steps to Prevent Wandering in Autistic Children

One minute you are watching your child with autism play happily in front of you. In the next minute, you are frantically looking for your kid. It is an experience many parents fear and hope not to experience. 

Autism wandering is a very common and serious issue that can put immense psychological and physical stress on families. Protect your child by implementing effective steps to ensure that your family doesn’t experience this tragedy.

Causes of Autism Wandering

Autism wandering is common among children with autism. Studies indicate that about half of all children with autism wander, and around 30% are missing long enough to throw their families into a panic. Autism wandering isn’t the same as a child walking away to gaze at some kids playing with their dogs. Autism wandering happens fast. It is purposeful and quite dangerous.

Children with autism are likely to wander toward water, which often results in accidental drowning (responsible for 71% of wandering-associated deaths). There are also traffic injuries, which can result from autism wandering.

If your kid has autism, chances are they’ll wander. But that shouldn’t make you fret. With the tips mentioned below, you can reduce or eliminate autism wandering.

1. Secure Your Home:

Keeping an eye on your kid is one of the best ways to prevent autism from wandering at home. But sometimes, you may have to take serious measures to ensure that your kid stays put. One of those measures is securing your home.

Contact a professional locksmith to spot vulnerabilities that your autistic child may want to take advantage of. You can hire a security company to install a home security alarm system or inexpensive battery-operated alarms on doors. If your locks aren’t firm, call in the locksmith to install secure deadbolt locks that require keys on both sides.

2. Pay attention to triggers.

Pay attention to your child to understand what triggers them to leave. Was the room too hot? Was the space chaotic and too bright? Tackling the triggers that result in autism wandering in your child can reduce the likelihood of your child wandering.

If you discover that a hot environment often triggers your child, you may want to steer clear of such areas. Develop an effective tactic to handle the triggers. If perhaps, you seem overwhelmed by your child’s behavior and don’t know what to do, you can seek help from a child development center—a center that caters to children with autism. Alternatively, you can consider therapy,

3. Teach your child how to swim

As mentioned earlier, children with autism are likely to wander to water bodies. If perhaps, your child leaves your side unnoticed and ends up in a water body, you will want to ensure that he can swim. If you have a pool in your home (or your neighbor does), teaching your child how to swim is necessary.

Mind you, teaching your kid how to swim may not always guarantee their safety in the water. If you own a pool, fence it. Also, if your neighbor owns a pool, inform them of your child’s tendency to wander so they can adopt safety measures as well.

4. Consider an ID Bracelet

ID bracelets are effective in helping individuals locate the parents or guardians of wandering children. This bracket often comes with the parent’s name, telephone number, and other important information. It may also state that a child has autism and is non-verbal if applicable.

Getting a medical ID bracelet for your child can be helpful. If, perhaps, your child isn’t comfortable with a bracelet or necklace, consider a temporary tattoo that has your contact details.

Conclusion

Autism wandering is something parents don’t want to experience due to the psychological and physical stress associated with it. You can protect your family from the aftermath of autism wandering by adopting the tips mentioned above. If you need help, don’t hesitate to contact a professional.