As an autism mom, I'm grateful that my sister and one of our ABA tutors took the initiative to find safety harnesses for kids that aren't toddlers. I mean, really. How many of us autism moms out there have to deal with elopement. If you are thinking elopement means we're all worried about our kids running off and getting married...take off the "getting married" part, and you have it right.
A good definition of elopement can be found on the Autism Community website in an article by Abby Twyman, M.eD., BCBA,:
"Elopement is when a person leaves an area without permission or notification which usually leads to placing that individual in a potentially dangerous situation. Elopement, wandering or bolting from an area (i.e. home, classroom, etc.) is a relatively common problem in individuals with autism. A survey study conducted by Interactive Autism Network (IAN) found that nearly half of all individuals with autism (based on 800 responses) engaged in elopement behavior."
A good definition of elopement can be found on the Autism Community website in an article by Abby Twyman, M.eD., BCBA,:
"Elopement is when a person leaves an area without permission or notification which usually leads to placing that individual in a potentially dangerous situation. Elopement, wandering or bolting from an area (i.e. home, classroom, etc.) is a relatively common problem in individuals with autism. A survey study conducted by Interactive Autism Network (IAN) found that nearly half of all individuals with autism (based on 800 responses) engaged in elopement behavior."
It was nice when they were little, and we could take them to a public place with their cute little monkey backpack that had the "leash" on it. Yes, it sucked to hear annoying people comment about how bad it was for us to put our kid on a leash, but we would grin and bear it because that kid on a leash was safe.
(This pic makes me laugh. It was the only time I traveled with all three of my children. It was for our family reunion back in 2010. We were staying in a cabin by a pond, and my kids are way too tempted to run off and play in scary water, so they were wearing their harnesses the whole time).
Anyway, now that they are MUCH bigger, those harnesses really don't work. It has hindered our efforts to do much of anything fun anywhere that has lots of crowds or is too big. So, back to my first sentence. Hooray for my sister and our ABA tutor for finding a website with harnesses for all sizes. I don't have any more excuses to not use those zoo passes. ;) If anyone else is interested in finding an older child-to-adult harness, the website is: http://www.childharness.ca/2strap.html
Good for you. This harness will give you so much peace of mind. Your children will be able to explore and enjoy themselves within limits.
ReplyDeleteElaine's harness are very well made and very secure. The harness is comfortable but the kids will not be able to remove them. The leash and buckles are out of reach. Again congrats for keeping your children safe and still be able to have fun on your outings.
I understand totally! Better safe than sorry.
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