Bottom line, the goal is simple: Safety and security.
One careless mistake can change your life forever. So, if it means that you have to check, check, and recheck your environment to keep your babies safe (especially the ones with special needs and/or communication challenges) do what you have to do!
In her 8 short years of life, Tay has already sprained her ankle, eloped from the house, and been hospitalized after ingesting prescribed medication.
Each time, I felt the same. Terrified. Frozen. Helpless.
Accidental wandering or running away from home (elopement) is one of the leading concerns for parents of children on the spectrum. I didn’t understand what this meant fully until the summer of 2021. Tay became interested in exploring outside and the backyard area of our home around this time. In a carefree kinda way she would open the back door, smile, and run up the large hill in the backyard.
Problem is, we live in a townhome community and it’s a shared backyard that isn’t fenced in.
Taylor is very observant. So, when she saw and learned that all she had to do was move the safety stick out of the door and flip the lock, she was outta there. She left the house 3 times before we secured the joint like Fort Knox.
The scariest time was one weekend when we had house guests who weren’t aware of some of our safety precautions. They left the front door unlocked. By the time I noticed Taylor was missing, I ran outside half-dressed and two cars full of ladies pulled up frantically looking around asking if Taylor belonged to anyone in the community. They said they asked her where she lived but she wouldn’t speak. Taylor had on a t-shirt and underwear. My God is good!
Two months later, I rushed Taylor to the children’s hospital emergency room after finding that she ingested a full bottle of her own prescription meds that I was trying for help with her sleep problems.
That day, I was downstairs crafting checking on her every now and then especially when she got too quiet. When I found her, I thought she fell asleep from being tired. I covered her little body and walked over to my bedroom (Thank God) and saw the empty pill bottle on the floor. She struggled to get up. I called poison control. We headed to the ER and were there for 3 days. Did I fail to mention that we both were Covid positive too?! Whew. During the ER visit, her blood pressure was dangerously low and heart rate continued to drop. I’ve never been so scared in my life.
Being a parent is rough. I think most parents want to protect their children, keep them happy, make sure they’re safe, and ensure that our babies have a sense of security. As a parent of a neurodiverse child, making sure that all of this happens can be an even bigger challenge especially when there are cognitive difficulties and limited speaking skills.
As for now, alarms are on doors.
Household medicines locked away.
And NO jumping from high places!
Takeaway: If possible, talk to your neurodiverse child about safety. Pay attention. Take precaution. And if necessary, take immediate ACTION.