Autism Safety

When it comes to being safe at home or out in the world, our children and all of us as parents and guardians need to understand the potential dangers so we can plan ahead, teach, and help keep everyone secure. Many parents who are adjusting to their child’s individual patterns of behavior can be surprised

Young people on the spectrum and the law enforcement community can, and do, come into contact all the time. The resultant interaction can be beneficial for both groups or it can become problematic. The question is why it would be a problem and how can we change the dynamic to ensure the encounters are positive?

A veteran police officer shares an on-duty interaction with an autistic teen that inspired lifelong efforts to bridge special needs knowledge gaps in law enforcement. Many years ago, when I was a new police officer, I was sent to the home of a woman who was having trouble with her 16-year-old son. That was all

Research has shown children with autism are more prone to being involved in motor accidents than neurotypical children—potentially because motorists are unaware of the challenges many of these children encounter when exposed to everyday traffic. A lack of road-safety measures, coupled with the child’s inability to recognize danger, has resulted in too many autistic victims

While special care needs to be taken by all parents to ensure their children are safe, even more attention than usual can be required in autism families. Taking care of a child with autism means dealing with the constant worry about keeping him/her safe, which can be exhausting and stressful—but it isn’t the world’s end.