P4.010 Scoping review of elopement behavior among children with Autism

Background Recreation for children with living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is important for improving health and quality of life, however, children with ASD and their families experience many barriers to activity participation. Child elopement behavior is a key barrier that poses a safety concern for parents and is associated with injury occurrence. Methods We conducted a scoping review, guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, to assess the literature on elopement among children with ASD. Search procedures were developed in consultation with university librarian and included searches of five data bases, grey literature, and hand-searching. Included articles were those addressing elopement among children 0–19 years with ASD. Abstracts and full text articles were assessed by two reviewers and a third reviewer arbitrated disagreements. Results A summary of search procedures and key study findings will be presented. Key findings pertain to: nature and patterns of elopement behavior and associated injury outcomes, factors associated with elopement behavior, and preventive intervention approaches and outcomes. Conclusion This assessment of current literature promotes understanding of elopement behavior among children with ASD, related factors and preventive approaches. This research supports SDG #10 for reduced inequalities through better understanding of elopement to inform strategies for promoting inclusive and safe recreation participation for children with ASD. Learning Outcomes Participants will gain understanding of elopement as a safety issue and barrier to equitable recreation participation for children with ASD. Participants will gain knowledge of current research findings about elopement and its prevention.