Sensory-Friendly Home Modifications for Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder - Consider Important Safety Concerns

Consider Important Safety Concerns

Individuals with autism, particularly children, require additional protections that may not be a concern for the neurotypical world. When considering home modifications for autistic family members, make sure to consider safety in the midst of the other considerations and changes you make. From protecting your autistic child from wandering to ensuring the flooring is safe, there are steps you can take to protect your loved one from some of the challenges that neurodiversity can bring.

Concerns About Wandering

• Understand that individuals with autism sometimes wander away from home. In one study, nearly half of parents with autistic children indicated their child had tried to wander away from home after the age of four, and of those, 53 percent were missing long enough to make the parents worried. An additional 65 percent involved close calls with vehicles. Wandering is a serious safety risk for individuals with autism, with children being at particularly high risk.
• Install fencing so children with autism can play outdoors safely. Individuals with autism, including children, often enjoy being outdoors. However, the tendency to wander can make outdoor play dangerous. Protect your child by installing a fence with a locking gate, and ensuring that the gate’s lock is inaccessible to the child.
• Choose fencing that adds a visual barrier. Sometimes the distractions of other people’s homes and yards can detract from the enjoyment of the outdoors, so choose privacy fencing that adds a visual barrier from these distractions.
• Select fencing that cannot be climbed. Children who want to wander may climb chain link and even many types of wood fencing. Choose fencing options that are too slick to climb, and avoid placing outdoor toys close enough to the fencing to provide a climbing opportunity.
• Use proximity alarms and doorway alarms to alert caretakers when an individual with autism tries to leave the home. Install alarms on all doors that will provide an instant alert if the door is opened without permission, so you can stop your loved one from wandering before a serious event occurs.
• Install door chimes over all doors if an alarm system is not possible. This is an inexpensive way to give yourself an alert if your child or autistic loved one leaves the home.
• Add more locks to the doors. In addition to deadbolts, add key-based locks and insist that doors are locked at all times. Remember that people with autism are often skilled at opening locks, so use multiple types. Flip locks are also helpful for reducing the risk of wandering.
• Install locks or barriers on windows. Autistic children sometimes climb out of windows, so install tamper-proof locks or other barriers on windows to prevent this risk.
• Install sloped window sills to prevent climbing. This can deter children from trying to climb up to or out of windows.
• Consider creating a self-contained apartment within your home for a young adult with special needs. Some children with autism are not able to leave home when they reach adulthood. However, you might be able to give them some more independence while keeping them safely under your roof.

Concerns about Burns and Scalding

• Reduce the risk of burns and scalding. individuals with autism with their increased sense of touch can be more prone to discomfort from hot temperatures.
• Lower the water heater temperature. You may need to lower the water heater temperature below recommended levels to prevent discomfort for your autistic loved one. Keep the water temperature at 120 degrees or less to avoid scalding or burns.
• Protect the water heater from tampering. Whether you lock the basement or install a barrier around the water heater, make sure the autistic family member cannot change the water heater temperature.
• Add locks to stove knobs. Make sure the individual with autism cannot use the stove knobs unless the individual is high functioning enough to cook safely.
• Consider installing an induction cooktop. Induction cooktops do not create a hot surface. This can be the safest cooktop for a home with an individual with autism because it is practically impossible to burn your hands by touching the cooktop. Also, if the individual with autism turns the cooktop on and leaves it on, the fire risk is minimal.

Protect Children from Furniture

• Tether bookcases and other furniture to the wall to prevent them from tipping. Autistic children may climb furniture that others would leave alone, and if the furniture is not anchored properly to the wall, it could tip over and hurt or kill the child. Falling furniture is actually a risk to all children, but because of the way autistic children interact with the world around them, it can be a greater risk to these kids.
• Install built-in shelving when possible. This further reduces the risk of having the furniture tip onto the child.
• Mount media equipment to the wall at a high level. A media center is a tipping risk as large televisions can easily fall off of a shelf or entertainment center. Mount these securely to the wall instead.
• Remember to bolt dressers to the wall as well. Dressers can easily tip over, particularly when all of the drawers are opened. Use wall mounting systems to protect your autistic loved one.
• Use two anchors when anchoring furniture to the wall. If one anchor fails or if it is not strong enough to keep the furniture secure, you will have a backup piece.
• Install anchors into wall studs or solid wood. Anchors can pull out of drywall or particle board furnishings easily, so make sure they are mounted securely.

Protect Children from Drowning

• Understand that many autistic children are fascinated by water. Because of this, all sources of water need to be protected from the child. This includes swimming pools as well as toilets and bathtubs.
• Add a fence around any outdoor pools, lakes, or bodies of water. Even if the water seems shallow, it must be fenced to properly protect an autistic child. Remember, all it takes is an inch of water for a child to drown, and autistic children are drawn to water.
• Install a pool alarm. A pool alarm will alert you if someone, like your autistic loved one, falls into the pool accidentally. If you have a backyard pool, you must have a pool alarm.

Additional Safety Considerations

• Protect your child from self-injury when head banging. Many people with autism will stim, which refers to performing repetitive movements that help soothe and calm an individual with autism. Some types of stims, like head banging, have the potential to create injuries. Provide a space place in the home where these stims can take place. If you notice that your autistic child or loved one has a favorite place to stim, make that place safe by adding cushions and padding.
• Consider any other self-injuring behaviors. Each individual with autism is unique, and the potentially self-injuring behaviors that one individual experiences will be different for another individual. If you notice self-injuring behaviors that the home environment could help avoid, make the necessary changes.
• Install locks on all dangerous storage areas. Medicines, household cleaners, sharp items, electronics that could be dangerous, and other family members’ personal spaces should all be locked and inaccessible to provide an added layer of protection. Keep in mind that simple childproof locks may not be sufficient to help protect autistic children from these risks.
• Add plexiglass over TVs and picture frames. Shattered glass is a serious safety hazard, so protect your belongings and your autistic loved one from this risk.
• Consider installing security cameras. If self-injury or wandering are serious concerns, security cameras can give caretakers peace of mind as they consider the best interests of their autistic loved ones. This will give you a tool to use to provide your autistic loved one with some independence within the home, without sacrificing safety. You can always check in on what they are doing, even while allowing them a measure of independence.
• Take extra measures during renovation or construction, when normal safeguards might not be in place. Home renovations can disrupt your normal routines and introduce new risks to your loved one with autism. Be especially cautious during these times and assess any dangers.

For more considerations about safety at home as it relates to autism, visit:

• Autism Society: Safety in the Home
• Autism Speaks: Safety in the Home
• Hidden Treasures: Creating a Safe Environment for Your Child with Autism
• Occupational Therapy: Autism & Safety – Keeping Individuals with Autism Safe in Their Homes and Communities
• Psychology Today: How Can We Help Keep Children, Teens, and Adults With Autism Safe

Conclusion

Millions of people in America are living with an autism diagnosis. Chances are you know someone in your life who is learning to navigate life with this neurological condition. If that person lives in your home or if you are responsible for them, then it is up to you to ensure your home environment is a safe one. These tips, tricks, and resources can help you create a safe haven where your loved one with autism or other sensory concerns can thrive.

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