Expert: Valerie Herskowitz - 11/20/2010

Question
my 17 y.o. son has a big problem with running away from caregivers he will run without respect to any dangers at all.this started early in life about 10 years ago we thought it was cute and did not think much about it. He is in a residential program 3 years and a private school for 6 years now he has figured out that when the staff goes out the door he sits fairly close because the door shuts slow he also figured out the 30 second delay when the door handle is depressed also they did an experiment using a door card with no strip to open the door they laid it down and left the room and in no time he was trying to swipe it he runs out to the major highways he got out a few times but did not get hurt thank you GOD also he started to spit mostly in his hands but now all over the place i told them use firm do not do that that no nice so we gave him a chewy on a lanyard this also seemed to help him with chewing his shirts also i can use any suggestions you can help me with thank you  

Answer
Hi Charles

My son used to elope, so I know what you are going through. He did it since he was 5 years old. He would also be very aware of when a teacher would turn their back and run out the door. Once he even climbed out a window. I used to have the school keep him on a leash because they couldn't keep up with him. Eventually, he got a 1-1 aide who kept vigilant eyes on him. At home, we put in high key locks on all the doors. Eventually, it stopped when he realized he couldn't get away with it. But I kept the high locks at home. Of course, now he is 19 and taller than any of us so the high locks are useless. But he stopped the behavior.He lives in a house on my property and has 24 hour supervision. However, I also keep an ID bracelet on him as well as a LowJack. See if LowJack (Project Lifesaver) is available in the area in which he lives. If he were to get out, the police would be able to find him quickly.

You have to have caregivers that are acutely aware of his elopement issue so that they can make sure that he never sits near a door and that they must wait until the door completely closes before they can walk away. If his efforts to try to leave are completely obstructed, he will eventually realize that attempts are futile. But you have to be sure that the staff is on alert all the time.  

As far as the chewing-he obviously is having a sensory need for proprioception in his mouth. So give him stuff to chew on (chewy tubing is what we use as it has the right texture to help him get the sensory he is craving.)We also use food products like beef jerky (though not too often as it contains a lot of salt). Also, salt water taffy has a good chewy consistency.

Spitting-is he getting a lot of attention for this? I imagine when he started, everyone was telling him to stop-this may be the attention he is looking for. If it doesn't stop, I would try ignoring it for awhile or perhaps using some negative reinforcement moving him into a room where he doesn't want to go (like a Time-out.) I think if they yell at him or use a strict voice, it will just promote it as he is getting the attention he wants.

Let me know how you progress