If it keeps a kid who doesn't have a sense of danger, safe then yes. There is medicine, cleaning products, glass that can get broken, the great outdoors, and a million things that my son and some other kids don't have the ability to keep themselves safe from because they don't have a sense of danger and are curious.

We have a different experience than people with nuerotypical kids. Just because something seems odd or other people don't understand, try not to apply typical experience and knowledge to your child raising journey....

I agree with another commenter here that you shouldn’t worry about what other parents or caregivers say. You are the most important, and knowledgeable person on your own child’s needs. I have a 5 year old son with mild to moderate autism, diagnosed when he was 2. I still have a baby gate in his doorway. He can open it just as easily as I can, but he knows that when I close the gate when it’s bedtime, he’s not supposed to come out of his room. It’s kind of a mental barrier. He’s also still in Pull Ups, and has very little interest in the potty. We recently started putting poop in the potty, he flushes it, and we both say “Bye bye poop!”. Anything that gets your child started in the right direction is worth it. All you can do is meet your child where they are. Your child, like mine, is not neurotypical. They will always have a need to do certain things differently than others. I also highly suggest you watch a few videos from Fathering Autism on YouTube. I got so much help just by watching how they do things, adjustments that are made, and how they deal with certain circumstances. The daughters name is Abby, and she is severely autistic. Except for random noises, she’s nonverbal, which she uses an app on an iPad to tell others what she wants or needs.

Hi Holly! I hope you and your family are well! Even for younger kids, typically developed, locks are necessary. We got rid of a wooden coffee table, just because I did not want my daughter get hurt once she started crawling. My son is 18 and we still use the child lock in his side of the car. When it comes to safety, as parents we try to do what works for each of our families. We also had electrical outlet covers for a very long time.

I think it’s completely appropriate to have barriers & anything that keeps your child safe. Don’t let anyone tell you something is inappropriate because they don’t live in your house or understand what could be hazardous for your child. I still have a gate between our family room & kitchen because my son doesn’t understand danger so naturally I want to keep him safe. We have a pool in our backyard & of course I put up a barrier to prevent him from possibly getting out the back door & because he can’t swim I can’t risk him falling in. Pools are very typical here in people’s backyards & every summer there is news of children drowning.