593 - Education and Safety for Children with Autism to Prevent Elopement (ESCAPE) Kits: A Pilot Study

Poster Number: 593
Publication Number: 593.309

Silvia Pereira-Smith, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Charleston, SC, United States; Andrea D. Boan, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Charleston, SC, United States; Jessica Montezuma, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Charleston, SC, United States; Nicole Vonada, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Charleston, SC, United States; Laura Carpenter, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Charleston, SC, United States

Background: Elopement (a.k.a. wandering) is a potentially life-threatening behavior that can be exhibited by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A prior study by our team showed that 68% of pediatric ASD patients eloped at least once in their lifetime. We developed an elopement preventive measures (EPM) toolkit named Education and Safety for Children with Autism to Prevent Elopement (ESCAPE). With the original version, caregivers reported some EPM to be more useful than others, but post-intervention data was very limited.

Objective: One of the study goals was to gauge caregiver perception of decrease in child’s elopement behavior (EB) directly related to the use of an expanded ESCAPE kit, their personal stress related to EB since receiving a kit, and financial burden in having obtained EPM at no cost.

Design/Methods: The study sample included 65 caregivers of U.S. children ages 4-11 years with ASD who exhibit EB. Baseline information about impact of EB and sociodemographic characteristics were collected from caregivers via pre-intervention online surveys prior to mailing the ESCAPE kit. Post-intervention online surveys were completed 3 months after kits were mailed.

Results: Of the 65 kit recipients, the mean age of the child was 6.6 years (sd = 2.2), with 80% identified as male and 77% as non-Hispanic White. All 65 caregivers identified as the child’s mother, and 75% had a college education or higher. Fifty-seven (95%) of caregivers completed 3-month post-intervention surveys. All 57 caregivers reported that the kit helped decrease their child’s EB, with 58% reporting the kit was “very helpful.” Fifty-six percent of caregivers reported that the kit had a “very helpful” impact on their personal stress related to the child’s EB, with only 1 participant reporting that it had no impact on their personal stress. All caregivers endorsed that the kit helped alleviate financial burden related to EB. Additional questions related to various lifestyle factors (e.g. ability to take their child on routine outings) showed statistically significant improvement with use of the kit; please see Table 1.Conclusion(s): Most caregivers conferred the highest possible positive scores to ESCAPE kits’ impact on their child’s EB, their personal stress related to EB, and overall financial burden with addressing EB. Statistically significant improvement on various lifestyle factors impacted by EB was found across the board with its use. Future directions for this study include expanding the age range of eligible youth as well as recruiting more diverse populations in order to provide equitable access to potentially life-saving EPM.
Impact of ESCAPE Kit on Child’s Elopement Behavior and Caregiver’s LifestyleTable 1. Wilcoxon signed-rank test results of ESCAPE kit impact.