A Study of the Elopement Prevention and Safety Training Program

Emory University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Elopement

Treatments: Behavioral: Proximity Training Module (Bolting Prevention Participants); Behavioral: Check-In Training Module (Wandering Prevention Participants); Behavioral: Universal Safety Measures Module (All participants)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02383732

IRB00076337

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of the Elopement Prevention Safety (EPST) program in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have engaged in eloping. This is a program created by the Behavior Treatment Clinics to help caregivers come up with a safety plan to prevent their children from running away or wandering off.

Full description

A large number of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a current or past history of elopement. For parents of a child with ASD, having their child go missing is potentially dangerous and far more likely compared to typically developing children. This behavior interferes with household routines, engenders vigilance, and restricts the family's participation in their community. Such restrictions contribute to the family's isolation and hinders development of community supports. Elopement can result in injuries and deaths of children with ASD.

Enrollment: 24 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 4 to 12 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Males and females, ages 4 to 12 inclusive
2. Diagnosis of ASD as determined by clinical interview and supported by standardized measures (i.e., Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2, Vineland, Stanford-Binet V)
3. Engages in elopement in the form of bolting or wandering, as determined by structured interview
4. A caregiver who expresses a willingness to participate in treatment and complete baseline/outcome assessments.

Exclusion criteria

1. Unmanaged psychopathology or problem behavior other than elopement that warrants immediate clinical care, determined by clinical interview and Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC)
2. Child and family currently in therapy that is likely to be redundant with the treatment program or interfere with proposed treatment
3. Presence of both of the types of elopement under investigation (i.e., both bolting and wandering).

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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24 participants in 2 patient groups

Treatment

Experimental group

Description:

Pediatric subjects between the age of 4-12 years with autistic spectrum disorder and elopement will begin the Elopement Prevention and Safety Training (EPST) program. EPST includes up to 12 120-minute weekly sessions delivered over approximately 12-14 weeks. EPST is a modular treatment, with three components: 1) Universal Safety Measures (USM), 2) Proximity training, and 3) Check-in training. All participants receive the USM module in the first two sessions. They then receive either the Proximity training or Check-in training module depending on the type of elopement exhibited by the child (i.e., bolting vs. wandering).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Proximity Training Module (Bolting Prevention Participants)

Behavioral: Universal Safety Measures Module (All participants)

Behavioral: Check-In Training Module (Wandering Prevention Participants)

Waitlist Control

Active Comparator group

Description:

Pediatric subjects between the age of 4-12 years with autistic spectrum disorder and elopement will be assigned to the Waitlist Control group. The subjects will be offered the intervention after completion of the 12-week waiting period. The subjects will then begin the Elopement Prevention and Safety Training (EPST) program. EPST includes up to 12 120-minute weekly sessions delivered over approximately 12-14 weeks. EPST is a modular treatment, with three components: 1) Universal Safety Measures (USM), 2) Proximity training, and 3) Check-in training. All participants receive the USM module in the first two sessions. They then receive either the Proximity training or Check-in training module depending on the type of elopement exhibited by the child (i.e., bolting vs. wandering).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Proximity Training Module (Bolting Prevention Participants)

Behavioral: Universal Safety Measures Module (All participants)

Behavioral: Check-In Training Module (Wandering Prevention Participants)