![[ Visit Client Website ]](images/banner.gif)
Why do Autistic people sometimes "elope": leave suddenly, run away, or wander?[i] Many authorities and professionals can be notified when someone elopes: teachers, parents, police, group home workers, and more. Autistic children can face particular dangers such as drownings and accidents (McIlwain & Fournier, 2012), and there can be deadly consequences for Autistic people when police are involved in crisis response (McConnaughey, 2021; ASAN, 2017). Studies also document the significant impact of elopement on caregivers (Anderson et al., 2020; Solomon et al, 2018).
However, the vast majority of research on elopement has excluded the perspectives of Autistic people. This exploratory pilot study asked 3 central questions:
- What factors do Autistic people say have led them to elope?
- How does eloping relate to well-being?
- What do Autistic people say about other people’s responses to eloping?
Methods
This study used an online survey that was co-designed with a group of 4 Autistic co-researchers to learn about Autistic respondents’ experiences of eloping. The project was informed by disability studies theory and used a Participatory Action Research approach (Hagey, 1997; van Katwyck & Ashcroft, 2016). The survey was disseminated through organizations such as the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. Eligible respondents needed to be at least 13 years old, identify as Autistic/ having Autism Spectrum Disorder, and have experienced eloping. The survey was developed and analyzed using Qualtrics with a focus on descriptive and bivariate statistics given the exploratory nature of the project.
We received surveys from 205 eligible individuals, from 13-78 years old. A majority (77%) were white. Gender identities were diverse; of those who endorsed binary genders, 77 identified as women and 26 as men. A substantial minority (44%) of respondents indicated that they could not always communicate through spoken language.
Results
People outlined many different reasons for eloping: the most common was “I was anxious, overwhelmed, or confused” and the next was “I wanted to be away from people or a specific person”. A substantial percentage of respondents indicated that eloping was a response to conflict or violence.
In terms of eloping and well-being, far more people indicated that “leaving usually makes me feel better” than “leaving usually makes me feel worse”. The people who were most often involved in responding to elopement were parents, teachers, other family members, and strangers. While some respondents indicated that these people were helpful, others rated their actions as unhelpful or harmful.
Conclusion and Implications
These findings challenge the dominant belief that Autistic “eloping” is a singular and negative behaviour. Respondents had many reasons for their departures; simply trying to prevent eloping disregards important experiences and can put people at further risk. Broad change efforts are needed to improve outcomes when others respond to Autistic elopement. Social workers and researchers need to involve Autistic people in supporting effective responses and developing further community-based research.
[i] Following the identities and preferences of the co-researchers, this project uses identity-first language of “Autistic people”, while recognizing that some community members prefer “people with ASD” or other identities.