Elopement

[Aspie_With_Attitude]

I had for this week made a video presentation about "Autism and Elopement".

I had explained in this video mainly about children on the autism spectrum who go wandering off or run away from some strange circumstances. I had suggested a few ideas in this video content like GPS tracking and autism awareness with security guards at shopping malls\centres and also through the neighbourhood watch.

Have you ever went wandering off?
Where did you wander off to?
Why did you wander off?
ETC.

Please leave video feed backs in the comments if you subscribed to my YouTube channel because we should discuss "Elopement".

 

[Suzanne]

I was perhaps 8 or even a bit younger, not sure really, but anyway, all I can remember is the sensation and sense of feeling cornered and terribly frightened and tried to run away, but realised with shame, that I could not run away, because my mind was in terror of what would happen; where to go etc etc and so, I slumped back "home" and faced the ridicule.

 

[Judge]

Nope. Can't say this is something I do as a result of being on the spectrum. Though I know others here who have. I do sometimes wonder how this sort of thing might be related in some way to sleepwalking and such.

In my own case I suppose the close as I've become in doing such a thing is in the event of a shutdown, where I simply seek a quiet refuge...like sitting in my car. However I can't consider this "wandering" as such. Hopefully others here can chime in on this.

 

[Pats]

I mostly wander off in stores when shopping with someone and I always have. I remember as a child my mom having to look for me. It took my daughter in law a while to get used to it - she'd want to shop together. She's used to it now and she knows that when she's done she can always find me outside waiting.

 

[Progster]

I did once wander off when I was a small child about 8 or 9 years old into the neighbouring countryside, and I totally lost track of time and my parents were getting frantic and about to call the police. I came home eventually and couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

 

[Judge]

I did once wander off when I was a small child about 8 or 9 years old into the neighbouring countryside, and I totally lost track of time and my parents were getting frantic and about to call the police. I came home eventually and couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

To me this is the part that fascinates and disturbs me about it all. Whether or not you were relatively aware of your surroundings, apart from your intent to go somewhere.

The thing is, one can become terribly vulnerable at any age if they lose a conscious sense of purpose in real-time. Potentially scary stuff.

 

[Pats]

I never wander when traveling. When I was around 12 we were in middle of nowhere, Montana, having stopped for gas. It was my turn to walk the dog and I squeezed by my dad to step out of the camper as my dad stepped in. They drove off. I just looked at the dog and said, "Tell them bye Thumper". They were gone for hours - it was quite a while before they realized I was still out walking the dog. I was mad, but not scared. But the one thing I will never understand is that hours down the road, realizing I was not in the camper, it was funny to them. I would have been panicked, to say the least, if I had left my child - well - anywhere.

 

[Adora]

I was a wanderer as a child,I vaguely remember around the age of 3 or 4 I left my backyard with my Labrador at the time and ended up walking all the way to a primary school in my area,I was told that there was a radio announcement about me because I was missing for most of the day but I was found near the canteen in the school.

Even now I am still a bit of a wanderer and actually enjoy going on walks by myself and also wander around if I have been upset for some some reason.

 

[inkfingers]

I don't remember running off on my own. I was a pretty well-behaved child (in regards to obeying my parents).

 

[Bolletje]

I used to walk off as a kid when I was about four years old. I didn't know why my parents got so upset every time, because even if I did cross very busy roads, I did look left and right first as they taught me. In the end my parents ended up hiring a nanny to keep an eye on me so I didn't wander off.

 

[tlc]

When I was a kid I used to hide in the clothes racks at stores. But so did my NT sister. My mom didn't know where we were.

When I was 5 or 6 I got on the wrong bus because I listened to the principal telling everybody to get on the first bus. I knew it was wrong but figured I'd better listen to the big guy. So I ended up at a classmate's house. She says I fixed her bike while I was waiting for my mom to pick me up. Don't remember doing that but I probably did.