autism summer safety tips

Summer Safety Tips for Parents of Children with Autism

Summertime,

And the livin’ is easy…

Well, that doesn’t always ring true for parents of Autistic children! Safety concerns become heightened when the weather turns nice and schedules are more lax.

Having an Autistic son has brought things I’d never before imagined having to be prepared for into my experience. Here are some safety tips I’ve pulled from my own experiences and some great ideas from May Institute that can help you be prepared so you can relax and enjoy the summer with your child.

Water safety

Drowning is the number one cause of death in autistic children. Many children with Autism are powerfully drawn to the water but do not understand the dangers.

Always be within arm’s reach of the child when he or she is in or around any open water. Be sure to drain bathtubs and other small containers of water when you are finished using them – a child can drown in an inch of water. Put safety locks on toilet seats and hot tubs and monitor or cover landscape ponds if you can.

Teach your child to swim as early as possible. If they struggle with traditional swimming strokes, they can learn a water survival technique called drownproofing, which will help them stay afloat until help arrives.

Wandering prevention

Children with ASD are likely to act impulsively, including running away or wandering.

Use deadbolt locks, keep doors and windows locked and install an alarm on doors. Motion detectors and window bars may also be appropriate.

For children who respond well to visual cues, consider placing STOP or DO NOT ENTER signs on all doors that open to the outside. These can be powerful reminders.

You can find seven more vital tips for wandering prevention, including the use of QR Code apparel in this article.

Getting your information to emergency responders

If it is available in your area, register your family on Smart911. Whether an Autistic child has wandered, is having a medical emergency, or a behavioral emergency, it is vital to communicate that they have Autism and understand the response may require very specific actions.

Participate in local community safety fairs where there are opportunities to meet actual police, firefighters, and emergency response professionals that work in your community in an environment that is friendly and fun. This may increase the chances that your child will respond positively to first responders in the future.

If available, submit a disability indicator form to your local law enforcement agency to help alert law enforcement that a person residing at that address may require special assistance during an emergency. You can also create a more detailed handout with information about your child and have printed and electronic formats available so you can readily provide it to search and rescue personnel in the event of an incident.

It’s also a good idea to give your neighbors a handout with a picture of your child and emergency contact information. It should describe effective ways to approach, communicate with, and calm your child. Ask them to contact you immediately if they see your child outside your home or property.

How about you? What summer safety tips work in your home? Share by commenting below or posting to the SOA Facebook page!

Why Emergency Responder Education Part II – Behaviors

Yesterday I participated in a beautiful 9/11 memorial service and emergency preparedness festival. I am still brought to tears when the events of that horrific day are described by anyone, especially those who serve in public safety. I am honored to be a part of a huge calling to encourage citizens to get involved and help their families, neighbors, and community be prepared for disasters of all kinds. To learn more about how you can be involved in your community, go to the Citizen Corps website.

Common behaviors of children with Autism and how to handle them

As promised, here is part two of why I am passionate about training and educating Emergency Responders about Autism. Here is a snapshot of behaviors that are highly likely to be misinterpreted by police officers, EMTs, or firefighters responding to an emergency call:

Self-stimulatory (stimming)

  • Hand flapping
  • Finger play
  • Head tapping
  • Spinning
  • Transfixing on spinning or moving objects

Unless the child is injuring himself or others, self-stimulatory behaviors should not be stopped. This is a comfort for the child.

Self-injurious

  • Head banging
  • Biting self
  • Scratching
  • Eye gouging

This behavior should be stopped immediately.

Aggressive behavior is not intentional - handle with care

  • Head butting
  • Biting
  • Punching
  • Crashing into or pushing others

Aggressive behavior is usually caused by over-stimulation, sensory-seeking, fear, pain, surprise, or lack of communication.  Remember this child does not mean to hurt you. Restrain if needed, as calmly and controlled as possible.

Insensitivity to pain

  • May be unaware of pain
  • May under-react: major physical trauma may go unnoticed
  • May over-react: minor scrapes and cuts could be perceived as major

Check thoroughly for injuries; do not rely on communication or reaction from the child.

Aversion to touch

  • Light touches (hand on shoulder, back rubbing) may be painful

Although they may crave deep compression and tight squeezes, light touch is often over-magnified and can cause pain and discomfort. Do not approach the child from behind if possible; children with Autism do not like surprises.

Avoiding eye contact

  • May look at you through peripheral glance
  • May look at you through an object or spread fingers

Do not mistake lack of eye contact for suspicion of guilt, avoidance, lack of respect, or belligerence.  Try to get eye contact if you can, but do not force it.

Lack of response

  • May only respond to visual cues

Emergency responders should consider carrying sets of visual communication cards, or familiarizing themselves with basic sign language.

Repetitive motion

  • May repeatedly fidget with an item
  • May fixate on spinning or lighted objects
  • May appear to be in a trance

Do not mistake for drug use, mental illness, or lack of respect for authority.

Extreme hyperactivity or inactivity

  • Prone to running or bolting away suddenly

    Children with Autism are prone to running away - especially if frightened or confused

  • May rapidly pace back and forth
  • May appear out of control (like the Tasmanian Devil!)
  • May go limp at touch or fold into self

Redirection is the best way to diffuse hyperactivity or passivity. Try asking what the child’s favorite show, game, or movie is.  Asking mathematical questions or giving the child a “job” to will reel in their focus.

Inappropriate emotional response

  • May laugh or cry for no reason
  • May laugh at a very serious situation, or in response to feeling or causing pain
  • May show extreme distress over minor incidents

This is very hard for us to understand. Laughter in response to a serious question or accusation does not imply guilt or disrespect. It is simply a defense mechanism for the child.

Echoing speech or movement

  • May repeat everything you say
  • May mimic your tone and gestures
  • May speak in robotic tone

Do not mistake this for “being a wise guy”, or lack of respect.

Non-verbal and non-responsive to verbal cues

  • Limited or no speech
  • May appear deaf
  • May communicate with sign language, by pointing, or using picture cards

Do not mistake for lack of interest or ignorance. Try to use common gestures to get through to the child. Be patient!

Attachment

  • May hold unusual items
  • May be extremely agitated or distressed if item cannot be located

While seeming unimportant or silly to us, comfort items are critically important to children with Autism. It may be a rock, a paper clip, fabric, shoelace, or anything. Do not take away the item from the child. Try to find the item if the child loses it.

Need for routine and order

  • Obsessed about routines
  • Literal about things like time and location (“It’s not 8:30, it’s 8:28!”)
  • May repeatedly seek places or activities from the child’s normal routine

Children with Autism look to bring order to a world that’s out of order to them. Noise, lights, smells, and other sensory challenges are coming at them all the time. This is their norm.

Oblivious to others’ emotions

  • Typically do not understand facial expressions
  • Will not understand sarcasm, idioms, exaggerations, or jokes
  • May not understand they are a victim of a crime
  • May be hard to diffuse situation with normal socialization techniques (e.g., “How would YOU feel if…”)

Don’t assume that these children “should know better”, or that a simple unapproving look will get through to them. They rarely know what they did wrong and need it explained in a way they understand.

Children may respond to loud or confusing noises by screaming to drown it out

Inappropriate response to noise

  • Hyper sensitive: May cover ears with hands or try to break object that is causing discomfort
  • Hypo sensitive: May appear deaf or not respond to verbal commands

Each child on the Spectrum presents different variations of sensory issues – no two are alike! They can even be hyper and hypo sensitive to the same thing!

No fear of danger

  • May run into traffic
  • May bolt suddenly into the street or a hazardous environment
  • May willingly go with strangers
  • Will not recognize dangerous situations
  • May not understand fire, heat, sharp objects, or other hazardous items

While often possessing extraordinary academic abilities, many children with Autism do not recognize danger, exhibit no fear, are prone to wandering, and miss basic cause and effect concepts (“If I touch this, I will get burned”). Never leave unsupervised at the scene of an accident, fire, disaster, or crime.