Ethan is only in grade one and already has been kicked out of one school due to his tantrums and pattern of running away when in a panic. Now, his mom’s enroled him in a new school but remains glued to her phone, waiting for the call to tell her to come pick him up, that they can’t handle him, that they don’t know what to do with an autistic child.

How can she trust these strangers to look after her son, just one small child among hundreds, when he has run from own parents so very many times? They don’t know the terror of losing your child in a mall or watching him run blindly into traffic.

What started as a fun chase game when Ethan was a toddler has turned into a terrifying deviation. The adults in his life never know when he might take off. Rather than attaching an adult to his side to keep him safe, this new teacher talks about calming strategies and choices. Do they not realize what could happen if Ethan flees the building? The impact of a car on one small body? Sara is about to learn if this new school is up to the challenge.

Meet Kyle, Mel, Ben and the other characters you got to know in the award-winning bestseller Autism Goes to School. See what they’ve been up to in the last year and how they join forces to help Ethan.