Top safety tips to help prevent autism elopement
Use these tips to help keep kids on the autism spectrum safe and prevent drownings.
Secure your home. Use window and door alarms to alert you if a door or window becomes ajar. “Those door alarms are essential,” Ms. McIlwain says.
You can buy alarms online or get them free from the National Autism Association through its Big Red Safety Box program.
You can also buy portable door alarms for travel and arrange to have door alarms at your child’s school.
Ms. McIlwain advises securing the home with adequate locks and using baby monitors. Installing visual prompts, such as a stop sign on the door, might also cue a child not to leave.
Use personal identification. Ms. McIlwain says that children with autism must wear identification, such as a wristband, that includes their name, autism diagnosis, and the name and phone number of a contact person.
If children won’t wear a wristband, IDs on shoelaces are an option, she says. But parents should be aware that kids might leave without shoes or take them off before entering water.
Parents can also weigh the pros and cons of using tracking and locater devices, Ms. McIlwain says.
Identify triggers. “What’s going to make the child want to leave the setting? Is it noise? Is it a certain thing that they fear?” Ms. McIlwain says. “There’s always a reason.”
If parents can identify particular triggers, they can use calming techniques, for example, or provide headphones to counteract bothersome noises.
Teach safety skills, such as swimming lessons. Swimming lessons are important, Ms. McIlwain says. However, children with autism are often bothered by noise and commotion. So a regular swim class might not work for them.
Instead, Ms. McIlwain encourages parents to ask their local YMCA about special-needs swimming lessons or to search for such lessons online. What usually turns out to be best is to give the child a few private swimming lessons “with somebody who understands autism.”
For the child’s final lesson, they should swim fully clothed and with shoes on, Ms. McIlwain says. “A lot of our kids go straight into water fully clothed, and they just need to be able to be familiar with how that feels and the weight of that and be able to swim like that as well.”
If a child is drawn to water, discuss a scheduled time to go so that the youngster can wait, Ms. McIlwain says. “They can see that they’re going to get that water time. They’re going to be able to go to that place. They’re going to wait instead of trying to go on their own.”
Keep a close watch and team up. “When there is a family gathering or an outdoor barbecue, a lot of times, we all think, there are more adults here, so there are going to be more eyes on all the kids. And that always ends up being opposite, right?” Ms. McIlwain says.
Be specific about who is monitoring the child’s safety.
“We encourage parents to do the ‘Tag, you’re it’ game with one another. So you basically tag an adult who is responsible for keeping an eye on that child for a period of time so that there’s always supervision.”
Be prepared
There are a few things you can do now to be ready in case your child slips away. These measures may help find the child quickly.
Take photos today. Keep a full-length shot and a head shot of your child and store them electronically. If your child wanders away, you can immediately send the images to law enforcement to help them search.
Write a 911 script. Have this document ready in case your child wanders. It describes, among other things, points of interest that might draw your child, as well as locations of nearby bodies of water. By having it all written down, you’ll be able to share the information quickly with first responders. The Montgomery County Police Department has a “Wandering 911 Script” that you can download and use.
A version of this article first appeared on Webmd.com.