Tips for Parents with Children with needs:

10 Things You Can Do to Protect Your Child with Autism from Wandering

Children with autism are at risk of wandering and getting lost. It’s important to have a plan in place to prevent children with autism from wandering and ensuring their safety in case they wander. Here are 10 things you can do to protect your children:

1. Never leave small children unattended. Make sure that there is a responsible adult supervising them at all times, be it at home, at school, in the school bus, at the park or anywhere else.
   

2. Never let go of your child’s hand when in crowded public places.
   

3. If your child is able to understand, instruct him/her not to wander away from you outside the house.
   

4. Make your child wear an ID, with his/her name, address, and emergency contact, at all times, when they are away from home. This can be a lanyard with an ID card, a pin-up badge, an embossed bracelet, a label stitched into their clothes, and so on.
   

5. If your child is non-verbal, teach your child to approach an adult and point to the ID in case they get lost. If your child is verbal and able to communicate, make him/her memorise your phone number and teach him to ask an adult to call you.
   

6. If you can afford it, buy a GPS tracker watch with an alarm for your child so that you can find him/her if they get lost.
   

7. Teach your child about road safety as road accidents are a major cause of death among children with autism who wander.
   

8. Teach your child how to swim, as children with autism are naturally attracted to water, making drowning the other leading cause of death among children with autism who wander.
   

9. Train other caretakers of your child to take care of your child like you would.
   

10. Remember that prevention is key to keep your child safe from wandering