Wandering and Autism: 7 Prevention Strategies
April is National Autism Awareness Month. According to the National Autism Association, “Nearly half of children with autism engage in wandering behavior. Wandering occurs across all settings, under every type of adult supervision”.
There are safety precautions and prevention strategies families can put in place to secure a child that may run, bolt or wander. I’ve had a few scares with my son over the years. My son Nick is 25 years old and has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism (DS-ASD). Nick has no concept of the danger, and he can be fast; so we are always on high alert both at home and in the community.
A few years back, I wrote a blog addressing elopement which includes 7 prevention strategies. Here is our story of a scary day when Nick went missing, and what we’ve put in place to avoid wandering since then.
Click to read 7 Prevention Strategies for Wandering and Autism: https://nickspecialneeds.com/2013/07/01/blog-60wandering-and-autism/
Wandering is a real risk for individuals with autism and other special needs. Putting a plan with prevention strategies in place at home, school and in the community can reduce the risk of your child to elope and provide security for you as a family. That’s what is in my noggin this week.
~Teresa 🙂
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Down Syndrome with a Slice of Autism 