Safeguarding Your Child with Autism: Strategies and Tools to Reduce Risks

No parent likes to think about their child being hurt, but alarming statistics indicate that parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum need to pay careful attention to the risk of unintentional injury. In fact, research shows that children with autism are twice as likely to sustain a serious or fatal injury as their typically developing peers.

Safeguarding Your Child with Autism, written by experts for parents and professionals, describes the scope of safety issues, how the presence of autism contributes to an elevated risk, and the strategies and tools which can be used to minimise the hazards and consequences at home, school, and in the community. Most importantly, the book offers a prescriptive focus on teaching children how to be safe with special emphasis given to elopement (wandering), and how to assess and treat for this especially risky behaviour.

It covers proven instructional approaches—direct teaching, role play, modelling, and experiential learning—which incorporate effective teaching strategies such as predictability, prompts and reinforcement, and visual supports. In addition, the book describes numerous useful devices and technology from alarms to monitors to trackers. And it offers essential advice on how to proactively collaborate with law enforcement and first responders.