Working with children with severe emotional and behavioral disorders, elopement (running away) is a common reality. In most cases, it’s an attention seeking maneuver. In other cases, it’s an attempt to get away from (avoid) a situation. Sometimes it’s a combination of both. It’s a temporary solution to a fast trigger for the child, without much ability to think of the long term consequences of this action (elopement).
What’s hard is the staff at the facility spent so much time looking inside the building, not realizing she was outside until she was spotted by the folks dropping of another kid.
If she was expecting attention, that attention was all indoors for some time while she was outside the facility waiting for someone to chase her and find her...
I agree with most, with the weather conditions, she didn’t get too far, unless there is some kind of savior situation we could never imagine until more information is released.
Hopefully, this case provides more supports for these unique issues and successful treatment centers for kids who have Reactive Attachment Disorder, among other mental health diagnoses, and better funding and coordination with juvenile justice and the department supervising kids in state care, or who have gone through foster care and those who have uneven adoptions. Also, 911 is a community service and should be called as soon as there is a missing child in any facility. Hindsight is 20/20 though.
IMO