This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Silvia Pereira-Smith about keeping children with autism safe from wandering. Dr. Pereira-Smith is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and a developmental behavioral pediatrician at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Wandering is a common issue that children and families in the autism community face. Doctor Silvia Pereira-Smith is here to talk about keeping children with autism safe from wandering. Doctor Pereira-Smith is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and she's a developmental behavioral pediatrician at MUSC. Doctor Pereira-Smith. First, tell us about the potential issue of children with autism or other developmental disabilities wandering away from a safe area or from their caregiver.
Dr. Pereira-Smith: Wandering behavior, also known as elopement or bolting, is a potentially life threatening behavior where kids, when they escape from their caregivers, can put themselves in situations where they might be hit by cars or go to ponds.
Conner: And what are some of the triggers that might cause a child with autism to wander off.
Dr. Pereira-Smith: A big one is exploration, which is actually why toddlers often do exhibit wandering behavior and sometimes seeking certain things. So, if they're drawn to bodies of water, if they're drawn to bubbles, that might cause them to wander off, or if they're avoiding something. If the noise is very loud, if there's a sensory issue at play that causes them to become upset, that might be a trigger as well.
Conner: And is this mainly an issue with young children?
Dr. Pereira-Smith: The current research with wandering and elopement, there really doesn't seem to be an age where this goes away, and can persist throughout the age groups, which makes it tricky. The only known association thus far is maybe some limited communication skills.
Conner: Tell us about proactive strategies, then, that parents and caregivers can put in place to prevent wandering.
Dr. Pereira-Smith: There's so many things that can be done to help decrease wandering or elopement behaviors, and a lot of it is buying time, buying seconds to intervene. For example, locks at the top of doors, deadbolts, door knob covers, window alarms, house alarms. Having a medical alert bracelet is really important, that has a child's condition on there, as well as a caregivers phone number to call if found. Awareness of neighbors because they might be the first ones to notice that a child has left the home. Awareness by law enforcement, because they have a lot of resources they can use to help the child.
Conner: Is there therapy that can help prevent wandering?
Dr. Pereira-Smith: So, there's actually some robust research regarding applied behavior analysis or ABA therapy, and where they look at potential causes of it, and try to modify those to decrease elopement behavior. And there's also occupational therapy that can help address some of the sensory things that might be related to elopement and wandering.
Conner: And what else do parents need to know that might be helpful at preventing wandering?
Dr. Pereira-Smith: I think having really robust conversations with those that are part of their team, whether it's their therapy team, school team, medical team, to really help find unique ways to support the child. And just because something didn't work when they were two might not mean it doesn't work when they're 4, or 14. And so revisiting this is really important.
Conner: Kids during the warm spring and summer weather are outside more, at parks and, in their neighborhood. Anything else that we can do in the outdoor environment to keep them safe?
Dr. Pereira-Smith: There's various types of trackers, whether it be GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth that can help you be aware of your child's location. Another thing can be temporary tattoos with your phone number, or shoe bracelet tags that also have medical information. And I'm a big supporter of swim lessons as well.
Conner: Doctor Pereira-Smith, thanks so much for talking with us about keeping children safe from wandering.
Dr. Pereira-Smith: Thank you so much. Bobbi. I really appreciate this opportunity.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
