Discouraging strategies to prevent your autistic child from wandering off.
Safety locks for doors autism.
Padlocks locks for the gate.
Instead of just thinking in terms of restricting access to things that might be harmful you might start thinking of it as a process of adapting the home to your child s needs.
Children with special needs even as young as 3 4 years old are not intimidated by the keyed in lock on the door.
Childproofing the door while still allowing an adult to open it from the inside without a key.
Door security is important for any young child but for children with autism the safety risk of an unsecured door can continue well past the preschool stage.
In response to these concerns the autism society has partnered with law enforcement and a preparedness consultant to create disaster preparedness tips and a safe and sound packet.
Big red safety box from the national autism association the big red safety box is a free of charge toolkit given to autism families in need as a means to educate raise awareness and provide simple tools that may assist them in preventing and responding to wandering related emergencies.
Obviously this is a challenge for any household which has a family member with cognitive issues either someone on the autism spectrum or someone with alzheimer s who wanders.
That means that locks are not generally made in this format.
Modifications such as placing gates in stairwells and doorways covering electrical outlets and using childproof locks on cabinets are among the things many parents do to ensure safety.
Battery operated alarms for sliding doors into the yard.
According to the autism self advocacy network autism spectrum disorder asd is a neurological variation that occurs in about one percent of the population and is classified as a developmental disability today according to the centers for disease control cdc 1 in 59.
When your home includes a child with autism it s important to maintain a safe and sensory friendly home environment.
Certain behavioral traits among children with autism such as the tendency to wander called eloping and repeatedly opening and closing doors are just two examples of potentially dangerous behaviors involving doors according to the austim society.
The big red safety tool kit for first responders from the national autism association is designed to help first responders understand autism and become better equiped to respond in an emergency situation involving an individual on the spectrum.
Doors key locks may be enough for some children with autism but you may want to use door alarms to prevent your child from leaving your home without your knowledge.
Bottom line is that preparing your home with a child with autism in mind will usually go beyond the standard practices of installing locks barricades and hiding household cleaners.
An enclosed fence around the house.
Over the past years we have worked with many families who have a child with autism or special needs where the child has become adept at getting out.
The kit contains the following resources.
