04/19/2026
What is eloping? running away
Eloping is a common problem for autistic people. Usually moreso for parents and caregivers. It's about safety.
There was an article about an autistic man who fatally walked into traffic when left unattended.
When I am having a meltdown, I have the desperate feeling of flight response. I considered walking into the busy street outside, but stopped out of fear of being stopped and sent to inpatient. He didn't stop.
Someone responded to me in the comments that my experience isn't the same as someone with profound autism. That's funny because I have severe autism. I'm on that level. I'm just able to verbalize what he must have felt.
The autistic urge to elope. There is something inside that just wants to run away. I'm desperate to escape. And anything in my way is a threat bigger than even death. Death is an escape. Nothing could hurt me ever again. I feel panicked and scared and all I want to do is run until I disappear and no one can perceive me. Until I calm down and know that's not a rational thing to do.
"Community is everything" so we need good friends to surround us with a safety net. I have my family. Who is there to stop you when the threat is coming from inside?
