Autistic children who elope are not proving that they have “profound autism”; they are proving that their environments are not yet safe or tolerable for their nervous systems, including sound, light, and smell. Lawmakers can validate parents’ exhaustion while firmly redirecting the conversation to environmental safety, trauma‑informed support, and existing funding streams—rather than endorsing a new deficit label.
If you are in the wild and there is a forest fire, you too would run straight to a body of water. Secondary research and clinical summaries supporting the same linkage, several high-quality clinical and research institutions and sources summarize the attraction/affinity to water+elopement risk in autism and cite peer-reviewed studies. CHOP research institute notes that some autistic children “leave the house looking for water” simply because they like it, which is consistent with observed clinical patterns.
Core framing for lawmakers
You can think of elopement as the result of three forces:
- The child is pushed out of their environment by intolerable stressors (noise, smells, light, conflict, coercive therapies, crowding).
- The child is pulled toward another environment that feels regulating (water, quiet, certain outdoor spaces, specific places or objects).
- Most often, both forces operate at once: the child escapes what feels unbearable and seeks what feels soothing.
In that light, “24/7 care” is not a symptom of “profound autism”; it is a symptom of an unsafe or unadapted environment plus a lack of funded support for making that environment safer and more accessible.
How to respond to “24/7 care because of profound autism”
1. When parents describe constant crisis and elopement
Parent: “My child has profound autism. He needs 24/7 care. He runs out of the house all the time. We can’t live like this.”
Lawmaker response:
- “I hear how exhausted and scared you are, and I take that very seriously. What you’re describing—constant elopement and panic—is a sign that your child’s environment is not yet safe or tolerable for him, not that he is a different ‘type’ of autistic person.”
- “When a child repeatedly flees the home, that tells us the environment needs upgrades: alarms, sensory‑friendly changes for sound, light, and smells, predictable routines, and trauma‑informed support. My job is to help you get access to those adaptations and services through the systems we already have—not to label your child as ‘too severe’ to help.”
2. When parents describe sensory triggers (including smells, like cleaning products or cooking)
Parent: “When I vacuum or cook, my daughter screams about the smell and noise and runs out of the house toward the street. Her profound autism is so severe that she can’t be left alone for a second.”
Lawmaker response:
- “The behavior you’re describing is a classic fight‑or‑flight reaction to sensory overload—both the sound and the smell—not evidence of a different disorder. She isn’t trying to be difficult; her body is telling her the environment feels dangerous.”
- “Instead of concluding she has ‘profound autism,’ we should be asking: How can the home be made safer and gentler for her senses? Can we fund quieter equipment, low‑odor or unscented products, ventilation changes, safer exits, door alarms, and coaching for you on sensory accommodations? Those are concrete changes that actually reduce risk.”
Reframing “24/7 care” as an environmental and systems problem
3. When parents resist environmental changes
Parent: “We can’t fence the yard; we can’t change the way our house is or the products we use. That’s why we need more funding for institutions and 24/7 care. This is profound autism.”
Lawmaker response:
- “I understand that changing your environment—fencing the yard, adding alarms, switching to low‑odor cleaners, adjusting routines—can feel overwhelming and expensive. But when an autistic child is constantly in danger in their own home, that is a sign the environment is not yet accessible, not that your child is ‘too severe’ to live safely in the community.”
- “We should prioritize resources that make your home and neighborhood safer—like funding for fencing, pool barriers, alarms, sensory‑friendly home modifications (including smell and noise), respite care, and in‑home support—not default to institutional settings that can actually increase trauma and elopement.”
4. When parents equate high support needs with a new category
Parent: “This isn’t just autism; it’s profound autism. Only a new category will get us the intensive help we need.”
Lawmaker response:
- “High support needs are real, and you deserve help. But our laws already allow intensive supports without creating a new, stigmatizing label. When a child needs constant supervision because they bolt from loud, bright, or strong‑smelling situations, that tells me we must:
- Upgrade environmental safety and sensory accommodations,
- Provide in‑home and community supports, and
- Address any trauma or anxiety driving their flight response.”
- “If we create a ‘profound autism’ category, we risk blaming your child’s neurology instead of fixing the environment and services. I’d rather fight to ensure you can access home‑ and community‑based services, respite, and safety and sensory modifications under existing programs.”
Explicit push–pull (including smells) framing you can use
You can also spell out the three dynamics explicitly:
- “From what you’re telling me, it sounds like your child is:
- Pushed out of the home by overwhelming noise, smells, and other sensory stressors,
- Pulled toward things like water or quiet outdoor spaces that feel calming, and
- Caught in the middle because the environment hasn’t yet been adapted to their sensory and safety needs.
Closing line that validates parents and redirects policy
“I fully accept that your autistic child is in crisis and that you are carrying an impossible load. Where I differ is in the explanation: what you’re describing points to an environment and service system that are not yet safe or adapted for your child’s nervous system—including sensitivity to sound, light, and smells—not to a separate category called ‘profound autism.’ My role is to help you access home modifications, community supports, and trauma‑informed care under the laws we already have—so your child can be safer and you can have real relief, without writing them off as beyond help.”
This Is Not Autism 