Wandering for children with special needs can lead to children getting lost and parents needing to contact local police or fireman to help locate their child. Because of core behavioral and communication challenges associated with children with special needs, they may not realize they are wandering off or be able to ask for assistance once they do. An example is Mary and her 4-year-old son with Down syndrome, Jake. He has to be watched constantly or he will wander off from her. It only takes a minute while her back is turned for this to happen, even in her own home.

Mary has installed locks requiring keys on the inside of all her doors. “It is harder to get out of my home, then in my home” explained Mary. However, she still has a lot of anxiety about visiting friends and going to public places that aren’t equipped to handle Jake’s ability to escape and wander off in a matter of seconds.

AbilityPath.org Tips for Parents of Children that Wander

Elaine has a 9-year-old with autism, Andy, who wandered off in the middle of the night. She was woken by the police knocking on her door returning Andy to her. She will “Andy-proof” her house and it will work for a while until he figures out how to get past the barriers.

“He will slip thru a window I forgot to latch. He is a regular Houdini in getting out of my house,” said Elaine. “As a result, I don’t sleep much at night as I always have one eye on Andy. In case I do nod off, I have installed a lock on the refrigerator and oven for safety reasons. I have also been known to sleep on the bathmat in the bathroom so I can hear if he decides to turn on the bath.”

Elaine is fortunate that Andy is known by her local police, partly due to her efforts. She created an info sheet on Andy so they better understand his specific behaviors and that he is nonverbal and unable to communicate.
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