View in EDS

A Randomized Trial of Caregiver-Mediated Function-Based Elopement Treatment for Autistic Children.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: A Randomized Trial of Caregiver-Mediated Function-Based Elopement Treatment for Autistic Children.
Authors: Scheithauer, Mindy1,2 Mindy.Scheithauer@choa.org, Lomas Mevers, Joanna1,2, Scahill, Lawrence1,2, Freeman, Sarah Slocum1,2, Muething, Colin1,2, Rock, Chelsea2, Gillespie, Scott1, Johnson, Laura1, Call, Nathan1,2
Source: Autism: The International Journal of Research & Practice. Aug2025, Vol. 29 Issue 8, p1973-1986. 14p.
Subject Terms: *Patient education, *Autism, *Caregivers, *Asperger's syndrome, *Behavior therapy, Treatment of autism, Patient safety, Research funding, Wandering behavior, Statistical sampling, Questionnaires, Treatment effectiveness, Randomized controlled trials, People with mental illness
Abstract: Elopement is a common and dangerous behavior among autistic children. Behavioral treatments can reduce elopement, but most evidence comes from small-N evaluations in specialized settings with strategies varying across studies. The current study compared the efficacy of the caregiver-mediated function-based elopement treatment to parent education program (PEP) in a 16-week randomized clinical trial of 76 autistic children (age = 4–12 years). Function-based elopement treatment involves 12 weekly appointments aimed at improving safety, identifying the function of elopement, and implementing subsequent function-based treatment strategies. No group differences were observed on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Hyperactivity (primary outcome). Significant improvement from baseline to endpoint in function-based elopement treatment compared to parent education program participants was observed for secondary outcomes, including caregiver ratings of safety measures (p < 0.01), severity of elopement based on the Elopement Questionnaire (p < 0.01), and caregiver-collected data on elopement (p < 0.01). The Clinical Global Impression–Improvement Scale (CGI-I) rated by a treatment-blind evaluator found 31.6% of function-based elopement treatment participants improved compared to 2.6% in parent education program (p = 0.001). Improvements were maintained at a 28-week follow-up. Attrition was 5.26%, and no significant adverse events were deemed related to treatment. Function-based elopement treatment was superior to parent education program on elopement-specific outcomes and appears safe and acceptable. Many autistic children exhibit wandering or running away from supervision (i.e. elopement), which can include leaving the house in the middle of the night or getting lost from a parent in a crowded location. Elopement can result in injury when the child is not supervised and is incredibly stressful for parents. Research suggests that behavioral intervention can help with elopement. However, most studies include only a few children. In addition, treatment strategies differ across studies, making it difficult to compare outcomes. The function-based elopement treatment has compiled strategies across different studies to build a 12-session treatment manual that can be followed by clinicians. The manual guides the therapist on the delivery of parent-training strategies to improve the child's safety and reduce elopement. We compared function-based elopement treatment to a control condition where parents met weekly with a clinician for more general parent training. Children whose parents received function-based elopement treatment showed greater improvement in elopement than children whose parents received more general parent education. This result suggests that the treatment works. Further study is needed to move function-based elopement treatment into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Autism: The International Journal of Research & Practice is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: ehh
DbLabel: Education Research Complete
An: 186601740
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: A Randomized Trial of Caregiver-Mediated Function-Based Elopement Treatment for Autistic Children.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Scheithauer%2C+Mindy%22&quot;&gt;Scheithauer, Mindy&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1,2&lt;/relatesTo&gt;&lt;i&gt; Mindy.Scheithauer@choa.org&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Lomas+Mevers%2C+Joanna%22&quot;&gt;Lomas Mevers, Joanna&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1,2&lt;/relatesTo&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Scahill%2C+Lawrence%22&quot;&gt;Scahill, Lawrence&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1,2&lt;/relatesTo&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Freeman%2C+Sarah+Slocum%22&quot;&gt;Freeman, Sarah Slocum&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1,2&lt;/relatesTo&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Muething%2C+Colin%22&quot;&gt;Muething, Colin&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1,2&lt;/relatesTo&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Rock%2C+Chelsea%22&quot;&gt;Rock, Chelsea&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;2&lt;/relatesTo&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Gillespie%2C+Scott%22&quot;&gt;Gillespie, Scott&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1&lt;/relatesTo&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Johnson%2C+Laura%22&quot;&gt;Johnson, Laura&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1&lt;/relatesTo&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Call%2C+Nathan%22&quot;&gt;Call, Nathan&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;relatesTo&gt;1,2&lt;/relatesTo&gt;
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;JN&quot; term=&quot;%22Autism%3A+The+International+Journal+of+Research+%26+Practice%22&quot;&gt;Autism: The International Journal of Research &amp; Practice&lt;/searchLink&gt;. Aug2025, Vol. 29 Issue 8, p1973-1986. 14p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subject Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: *&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Patient+education%22&quot;&gt;Patient education&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Autism%22&quot;&gt;Autism&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Caregivers%22&quot;&gt;Caregivers&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Asperger&#39;s+syndrome%22&quot;&gt;Asperger&#39;s syndrome&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Behavior+therapy%22&quot;&gt;Behavior therapy&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Treatment+of+autism%22&quot;&gt;Treatment of autism&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Patient+safety%22&quot;&gt;Patient safety&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Research+funding%22&quot;&gt;Research funding&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Wandering+behavior%22&quot;&gt;Wandering behavior&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Statistical+sampling%22&quot;&gt;Statistical sampling&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Questionnaires%22&quot;&gt;Questionnaires&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Treatment+effectiveness%22&quot;&gt;Treatment effectiveness&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Randomized+controlled+trials%22&quot;&gt;Randomized controlled trials&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22People+with+mental+illness%22&quot;&gt;People with mental illness&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Elopement is a common and dangerous behavior among autistic children. Behavioral treatments can reduce elopement, but most evidence comes from small-N evaluations in specialized settings with strategies varying across studies. The current study compared the efficacy of the caregiver-mediated function-based elopement treatment to parent education program (PEP) in a 16-week randomized clinical trial of 76 autistic children (age = 4–12 years). Function-based elopement treatment involves 12 weekly appointments aimed at improving safety, identifying the function of elopement, and implementing subsequent function-based treatment strategies. No group differences were observed on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Hyperactivity (primary outcome). Significant improvement from baseline to endpoint in function-based elopement treatment compared to parent education program participants was observed for secondary outcomes, including caregiver ratings of safety measures (p &lt; 0.01), severity of elopement based on the Elopement Questionnaire (p &lt; 0.01), and caregiver-collected data on elopement (p &lt; 0.01). The Clinical Global Impression–Improvement Scale (CGI-I) rated by a treatment-blind evaluator found 31.6% of function-based elopement treatment participants improved compared to 2.6% in parent education program (p = 0.001). Improvements were maintained at a 28-week follow-up. Attrition was 5.26%, and no significant adverse events were deemed related to treatment. Function-based elopement treatment was superior to parent education program on elopement-specific outcomes and appears safe and acceptable. Many autistic children exhibit wandering or running away from supervision (i.e. elopement), which can include leaving the house in the middle of the night or getting lost from a parent in a crowded location. Elopement can result in injury when the child is not supervised and is incredibly stressful for parents. Research suggests that behavioral intervention can help with elopement. However, most studies include only a few children. In addition, treatment strategies differ across studies, making it difficult to compare outcomes. The function-based elopement treatment has compiled strategies across different studies to build a 12-session treatment manual that can be followed by clinicians. The manual guides the therapist on the delivery of parent-training strategies to improve the child&#39;s safety and reduce elopement. We compared function-based elopement treatment to a control condition where parents met weekly with a clinician for more general parent training. Children whose parents received function-based elopement treatment showed greater improvement in elopement than children whose parents received more general parent education. This result suggests that the treatment works. Further study is needed to move function-based elopement treatment into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: &lt;i&gt;Copyright of Autism: The International Journal of Research &amp; Practice is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder&#39;s express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.&lt;/i&gt; (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=186601740
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1177/13623613251330388
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 14
        StartPage: 1973
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Patient education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Autism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Caregivers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Asperger's syndrome
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Behavior therapy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Treatment of autism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Patient safety
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research funding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Wandering behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistical sampling
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Questionnaires
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Treatment effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Randomized controlled trials
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: People with mental illness
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: A Randomized Trial of Caregiver-Mediated Function-Based Elopement Treatment for Autistic Children.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Scheithauer, Mindy
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Lomas Mevers, Joanna
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Scahill, Lawrence
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Freeman, Sarah Slocum
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Muething, Colin
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Rock, Chelsea
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Gillespie, Scott
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Johnson, Laura
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Call, Nathan
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 08
              Text: Aug2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 13623613
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 29
            – Type: issue
              Value: 8
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Autism: The International Journal of Research & Practice
              Type: main
ResultId 1