The link above is an article my aunt sent me this morning I found
very interesting on the subject of wandering. Do you have a wanderer? I sure do
and I would say it is a constant issue when we leave the home. At home we have a
routine, even outside, but when I step away or the routine changes outside he
will just go and go. A huge worry for me when we are in a crowd or near roads
but even at home he has given me a scare with his intense desire to investigate
and not respond when I call for him. In fact I can’t even get us in a situation
that I lose sight of him at all. I absolutely have to have a visual on him no
matter what.
I remember the first time I realized
how serious that visual needed to be taken and what it really meant. He was not
diagnosed with autism yet and we were outside working in the yard. Phillip was
just down at the edge of the house. I was digging weeds out of the flower bed
and I took my eyes off of him for maybe thirty seconds. When I looked over he
was gone and I assumed he had gone into the garage only a few feet away. I got
up and walked to the garage saying his name but he wasn’t there. Then I assumed
he made his way to the back of the house while I was walking to the garage so I
continued around yelling his name. I wasn’t sure why I was yelling his name
because I knew he wouldn’t answer, he never had. Once I rounded the back side of the house and
didn’t see him I started to panic, and really started yelling his name praying
he would just make a sound for me to hear but nothing, just silence.
We live on the side of a mountain
and our home is one story. The back yard is rather large and sits on somewhat
of a flat off the mountain, but the forest is dense and lots of trees and brush
to hide in. At the point I realized I had in fact lost him not only was I
terrified and shocked from how fast it happened but I didn’t know what to do.
If I was to run in my house to get the phone I may lose a chance to spot him or
hear him and because he doesn’t respond that was the only way to find him. I stood
there yelling for him for what was maybe seconds but to me it felt like an
eternity. I noticed one of our shed doors was slightly open and that’s not a usual
thing. Ran over still yelling by the way, looked inside and there he was. Standing
there spinning a tire on a bike without a care in the world. He had been in
this shed a few times and had wanted to get his hands on that bike so it made
sense he went there to satisfy his desire to investigate. I can say I nearly
had a stroke that day at the thought of him wandering the mountain side or even
close by and me not seeing him. Wandering happens with any toddler but the lack
of response is what frightens me the most. There has been a time he has simply
stepped behind a large tree and I have frantically yelled for him with no
reaction.
Wandering is a serious issue for
kids with autism. Some are injured, lost for a long time, and even horrible accidents
that end a life can come from wandering. No the child is not confused when the
wandering begins. I think it’s an extreme focus and desire to investigate that
can lead to dangers the child is unaware of. Preventing it is an unknown and no
I have never heard anyone from his diagnosis on address this issue. I have
learned therapy dogs are a very good way to prevent this from happening if you
are lucky enough to have one available to you. Even in a public place a therapy
dog will notify a parent when the child begins to go off track. I know with our
own family dog, and she is no guide dog, he will follow. I can sometimes call
the dog and he will turn around with her and stay within a safe distance.
I have considered the old backpack
harness you see some kids wearing but he is nearly three and I am afraid I
waited too long to introduce him to something like this. I always think about
the news story a couple years ago with the woman dragging her child through the
store. It may have worked great if I had
known early on this was going to be such a dangerous problem with his autism. I
could have introduced it as soon as he started walking but I was unaware he had
autism for one and for two the ego in me said I wasn’t putting my child on a leash.
I was wrong big time on that one and introducing him to a harness early on
would have made things much easier. Who knows, it may have even instilled a
routine of staying close so when the time came he may have learned to stay
within a safe distance. I would say anyone who has a new autism diagnosis and
it’s early enough….get yourself a little monkey backpack with the leash and
consider it a life saver and a fence, a nice big tall eye sore of a fence. Be
very clear to anyone who cares for your child of just how much of a danger wandering
can be and pray, pray a lot.
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