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Violent melt downs and running away

chezzy

My 5 yr old daughter has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS....in the last week or so when she has a meltdown she has become more violent than usual and has started to run away; if we are outside she just runs off if we are inside she goes out the front door. 

I now have to keep my front door locked and my keys hidden (keys have been lost several times as my memory is awful!) 

I just need ways to cope with her trying to run off/out...help? 

Parents
    • My daughter has autism and has a history of absconding from the age of 5 to 12.  She managed to find keys, unscrew window locks and run away at night time and day time.  She wasn't running away from me, rather she would be running to shops with chocolate in them.  Easter and Christmas were the worst times of years.  I now have contact alarms on front and back doors and better locks on windows.  I keep front and back doors locked and carry keys with me.  I sleep with them pinned to my nightwear.  In addition, interior doors are locked eg kitchen and lobby door.  I have a small walled garden as we are mid-terrace.  She had no difficulty getting over 3 walls in order to get to the end of terrace and get out onto the street.  The local police have a 'marker' on our house, and I update them with a photo of my daughter ever so often incase she absconds in the future.  I've always found the police to be amazing and understanding.  They have a duty to report these events to Children's Services.  My experience of Children's Services isn't so good.  I would advise you get into the habit of locking the front door behind you as soon as you are indoors.  It's second nature to me.  Get contact alarms for exterior doors.  I have an old-fashioned shop door bell on the bathroom door to alert me.  I've also planted prickly plants in the garden at points where she has tried to scale the walls - pyracantha is really prickly.  But basically, this isn't unusual for children with autism.  When my daughter started to do this I did some research and found some good info from Canadian and Australian autism websites - they seemed to be more helpful with practical ideas than UK ones, but that was about 9 years ago.  Hope this helps.  
Reply
    • My daughter has autism and has a history of absconding from the age of 5 to 12.  She managed to find keys, unscrew window locks and run away at night time and day time.  She wasn't running away from me, rather she would be running to shops with chocolate in them.  Easter and Christmas were the worst times of years.  I now have contact alarms on front and back doors and better locks on windows.  I keep front and back doors locked and carry keys with me.  I sleep with them pinned to my nightwear.  In addition, interior doors are locked eg kitchen and lobby door.  I have a small walled garden as we are mid-terrace.  She had no difficulty getting over 3 walls in order to get to the end of terrace and get out onto the street.  The local police have a 'marker' on our house, and I update them with a photo of my daughter ever so often incase she absconds in the future.  I've always found the police to be amazing and understanding.  They have a duty to report these events to Children's Services.  My experience of Children's Services isn't so good.  I would advise you get into the habit of locking the front door behind you as soon as you are indoors.  It's second nature to me.  Get contact alarms for exterior doors.  I have an old-fashioned shop door bell on the bathroom door to alert me.  I've also planted prickly plants in the garden at points where she has tried to scale the walls - pyracantha is really prickly.  But basically, this isn't unusual for children with autism.  When my daughter started to do this I did some research and found some good info from Canadian and Australian autism websites - they seemed to be more helpful with practical ideas than UK ones, but that was about 9 years ago.  Hope this helps.  
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