Study: Autistic children are apt to wander or abscond in social situations

By Staff Writer

A new survey reveals that approximately half of all autistic children have went missing long enough to cause concern among their family members.

The report, which was conducted by the Interactive Autism Network, questioned more than 800 parents of children with autism. They discovered that many kids who have the developmental disorder wander or run away, which puts them at risk for trauma, injury or even death.

More than 50 percent of respondents said that their children went missing long enough to worry them about their physical and emotional well-being. Of those who reported that their autistic children elope, more than one-third are usually incapable of communicating their name, address or phone number.

Approximately 67 percent of parents whose autistic children have wandered off said that they have had a "close call" with a traffic injury, while 32 percent reported an incident where their child almost drowned.

Of the families who have the wandering problem with their children, a total of 62 percent said that it prevents them from attending and enjoying activities outside of the home.

Teens who have developmental disorders may benefit from summer camps, where there are strong surveillance systems that carefully monitor the campers' whereabouts.