My son is almost 2 1/2 years old with moderate-severe autism and completely non-verbal. He just recently learned how to get out of his crib and now he will not stay in his bed whatsoever and wonders around the house. It has become a major safety concern. What measures do you take during bedtime to make sure your autistic child is safe?
Two of the kids I work with are flight risks. One thing that helps in their home environment is a alarm/doorbell on every door or entrance. At night if they leave their beds an alarm buzzes on parents phone/watch. Then again if the bedroom door opens ect... they have differ tones for each door.
Obstacles obstacles obstacles with a measure of home security thrown in:
- They make little cameras that you can access with your smart phone.
- I put a motion sensor with an alarm at the top of the steps; the baby gate no longer did it.
- our old neighbors did this sort of half door thing so they could hear when their kids woke up
- locks the doors you don't want him to get into, like the pantry or the basement - especially the front door. A chain is not going to cut it, believe me.
- research Angel Sense in case he gets out of the house. Also, talk to your neighbors and let them know that your child may wander in the middle of the night. Foster goodwill with your neighbors. Ours were mostly helpful.
We got my son a "privacy pop". It's a tent that is securely wrapped around the mattress and zips all the way. It has been a great thing.
Thank you for the suggestions. I really appreciate it!