ELOPEMENT
Here is a great simple example of adding musical support to an environment with students/children who have difficulty with elopement.
Definition: Elopement is when a person leaves an area without permission or notification which usually leads to placing that individual in a potentially dangerous situation.
Create 2 visuals – 1 octagonal red visual with the word “STOP” on it, and 1 circular green visual with the word “GO” on it (similar to the featured image, easily found on google images). Make sure these signs are big enough to be easily seen across the room. Laminate them if possible, and attach sticky velcro to the backs of the visuals. Put a strip of smooth velcro on the door of the room in which elopement is usually a problem. Begin singing the “STOP” song while pointing to the corresponding sign on the closed door, blocking the door with your body. Try doing this when entering the room after being in a different place, as well as during times when the child is prone to leaving the classroom, or waiting in line to leave for another activity. Switch out the red stop sign for a green “GO” sign and sing the “GO” song while opening the door and allowing the child to leave.
STOP (to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”):
When I see red I stop. When I see red I stop.
Red means stop so I can wait, when I see red I stop.
When I see red I stop. When I see red I stop.
Red means stop so I can wait – when I see red I stop.
GO (to the tune of “Three Blind Mice”):
Green means go, green means go
The sign is green, that means go
I can exit the classroom,
Follow my teachers and stay real close,
I don’t have to stop or to wait around, cause
Green means go, green means go.
Continue to reinforce these ideas, pairing each time you sing the song with a reinforcer (something the student enjoys, like a small favorite piece of food/candy or a turn holding a favorite toy/item). Reward the student for following these directions or use a pre-existing token system/reward board to help reinforce the concept.
Resources on elopement:
http://www.autism-community.com/what-is-elopement/
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