It's called elopement, but probably not the kind you're thinking of

I'm going to try to condense a long story into a meaningful lesson. Yesterday three of us moms were waiting for our kids to get off the bus when a little boy came down the sidewalk on a bicycle. (It was one of those tricycle things that older kids and even adults use that sits really low to the ground. As my friend said, it's like a Big Wheel for big kids.) Anyway, this little guy came down the sidewalk right out into the street without ever looking. This happened right before all the kids got off the bus. After gathering up her kids, my friend Sarah started talking to the little boy and found out he was 8 yrs old. She told us that she convinced him to go back home, but said she picked up on the fact that he definitely wasn't functioning at an 8 yr old level. A couple of minutes later, the same little boy came back down the sidewalk and again went right into the street without stopping. This time my other neighbor-friend Brittany told him he had to get out of the street because it was dangerous. As soon as this little guy started talking, I realized that he was autistic. My friend Sarah had decided that she needed to go talk to his parents. So she took the him home and talked to his mom. Sure enough, she said that he was autistic and explained that they had just moved into this house. They previously lived in a cul-de-sac and the little boy would ride his bike around it without much concern. The mom didn't even realize the boy had left because she was cooking.

Unfortunately, this mom didn't seem to be overly concerned about her child's dangerous behavior because my friend saw him back outside as she was leaving and the mom had gone back inside. 

I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. How close this boy came to being hit by a car. How much he is like my own son. And remembering the statistic I learned this summer about the highest incidence of accidental death in autistic children comes between 8-12. Praying that this kid, and even my own son in a few more years, do not become a part of that statistic.  It's called elopement. This wandering away that is so common for kids with autism. They are quiet. They don't think to ask or tell anyone what they are doing. And they don't respond when you call their name in search for them.  We've already had minor incidences of it. I say minor only because they ended safely without harm. They certainly wouldn't have been minor had they ended badly.  It's just so scary.

We wonder what kinds of adjustments we will continue to make as Eli grows up. Alarms on the doors? Tracking device in his shoe? A service dog that's trained to find him? We don't know yet. But yesterday was certainly a thought-provoking day. I'm so thankful for my attentive neighbors.

And today I get to hand over my fears of the unknown future to my knowing God and trust Him.