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Daughter tried to escape school

CatD17

Looking for advice from other parents of autistic children.

My daughter is 6 years old and has an EHCP at a mainstream school. Today she tried to leave school and got as far as the locked exit doors before being stopped. Thankfully she didn’t get out, but it’s really shaken me.

Over the last few months her behaviour has become increasingly challenging both at home and at school. We’re seeing more distress, emotional outbursts, refusal, and now attempts to escape situations when she’s overwhelmed.

I’m concerned that something is driving this behaviour and that her current support may no longer be meeting her needs. I’m planning to speak to the school, SENCO and EHCP team, but I’d really appreciate hearing from parents who have been through something similar.

What did you do when your child started trying to run away or leave school?
Did you request an emergency EHCP review, risk assessment, increased support, or anything else?
How did you work out what was triggering the behaviour?
Were there any services or professionals that helped?

I feel worried about her safety and want to make sure she’s getting the right support before things escalate further.

Any advice or experiences would be hugely appreciated. Thanks.

  • Good morning, and thanks for reaching out.  What you're going through at the moment sounds incredibly stressful and frightening, and I am so sorry to hear that your daughter is having such difficulty at school.  You are not alone in going through this struggle, and I'm sure fellow parents and carers on the community will be able to give you some advice on your situation.

    In the meantime, you may like to have a look at some NAS guidance pages that might be useful to you:

    Extra help at school - since you mention your daughter's EHCP and your plan to meet with the staff, this page contains ideas for how to request a meeting and what you might like to discuss, among other information.

    Distressed behaviour - this may help with understanding and potentially mitigating your daughter's distress in the meantime, and also suggests actions like keeping a behaviour diary, which might help to track the times and potential triggers causing your daughter distress.

    NAS also offers the Parent to Parent service.  The Parent to Parent Emotional Support Service provides emotional support to parents and carers regarding their autistic children. The service is provided by trained volunteers with personal experience as the parent of an autistic child or adult. Our focus is on emotional support and understanding what it is like for you as a parent. We offer empathy, understanding, and a safe space to talk through your feelings and experiences. To request a call, complete a web enquiry form here: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/help-and-support/parent-to-parent-helpline

    We wish you and your daughter the best, and please do let us here at the community know how meeting with the school goes, if you would like to.