Time For a Safety Reality Check

Let me start off by saying that even though this post is geared toward parents and caregivers with Autistic children, a lot of these subjects are relevant with any child.  Nowhere is this more important than CHILD SAFETY.

Sadly, I'm highlighting this now because there was a recent drowning in Florida involving an Autistic child.  These incidents are unfortunately all too common, as children with Autism are prone to wandering.  If you're the parent of an Autistic child, there's a good chance you've lost your child in public, or have been in danger of it.  I had several terrifying experiences with this when Matthew's younger brother was an infant, because it was virtually impossible to run after one child while carrying a baby at the same time. 

Here is a link to The Autism Speaks: Autism Safety Project, and it contains absolutely vital information for anyone who cares for Autistic children, or in my opinion, any small child. According to their site, the "Top Safety Risks for Individuals with ASD" are:

• Wandering
  
• Pica (ingesting non-edibles)
  
• Drowning
  
• Household toxins

 The page also has links for Personal Identification products and Tracking Devices.
If your child is prone to wandering in public, or even their own neighborhood, please consider these resources.

Another tip:  take frequent pictures of your child so that if he/she does get lost, you will have a recent picture to share with authorities and the community.  If you have a camera phone, try to take a picture of your child each time you leave the house for an outing.  That way, you will always have a picture with your child wearing the clothes they are in when they went missing. 

I'm sure I'll blog about household safety in the future, but for now, please visit the link above for national and regional resources that can educate us all on ways to keep our children safe!