Analysis and Treatment of Wandering and Elopement in School Settings

Elopement is a top problem in many schools, residential facilities, and private homes. Whether the population is children or adults, elopement and its sub-categories can be both time-consuming and dangerous for staff and the individuals they serve. This presentation focuses not just on the setting events and maintaining variables responsible for elopement, but on the functional sub-categories which include running from aversives, running to access reinforcers (locations/people/activities/tangibles), running to access “being chased” as a reinforcer and running as “confrontation seeking” (the reinforcer is not the chasing per se, but staff going “hands on” and the ensuing struggle and signs of damage). There will also be a focus on the variants of elopement which include wandering (in the right room, but moving all around the room almost constantly), out of area (not wandering around, but in the wrong place), and out of seat. Guidelines will be presented for differentially diagnosing the sort of elopement problem as well as some treatment directions.

1.5 CEUs