EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A 14-year-old boy with autism, Joseph Nathaniel Caraballo, tragically died after being hit by a vehicle on US-54 near Fred Wilson on Tuesday afternoon.
According to his family, Caraballo, who had level three autism, frequently ran away from Austin High School, which the family said he attended.
This behavior, known as elopement, involves leaving a supervised space without understanding the risks.
Jamie Johnson, a board-certified behavior analyst, explained the dangers associated with elopement.
“They may encounter strangers, cars, [and] other motor vehicles. And there… [aren’t] adults around to help them. And so we do hear of tragic situations with elopement,” Johnson said.
Elopement poses a higher risk for children with autism.
Johnson emphasized the importance of prevention and suggested accommodations such as regular training for staff and role-playing unsafe situations like fire drills to prepare for potential elopement incidents.
“Prevention is key. Accommodations to ensure that the elopement does not happen are the best chance that we all have of keeping our kids safe,” Johnson said.
Johnson advised working collaboratively with school districts and professionals to develop a plan for children prone to elopement.
“So working together collaboratively with the school district or any other professionals that they may be seeking support from, they should get a plan in place as soon as possible, especially if elopement is something that happens quite often,” Johnson said.
Efforts to contact the El Paso Independent School District for more information on their procedures for handling elopement situations were unsuccessful at the time of this report.