Family’s plea after autistic son escapes school

• Elopement risk is a significant safeguarding concern in autistic individuals; clinicians should assess wandering behaviour and lack of danger awareness during developmental assessments and risk evaluations.
• Schools and families require robust safety planning for autistic children who demonstrate climbing ability or fence-breaching behaviour; this should be documented in individual healthcare plans and communicated across settings.
• GPs and paediatricians should discuss elopement risk and safety strategies with families of autistic children, including environmental modifications and coordination with educational settings to prevent serious harm or fatality.

A mother says her son regularly climbs fences in their back garden and has "no sense of danger".

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