Safety issues for ASD kids

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How do you other parents who have ASD kids address the safety issues that go along with the ASD? We're in a little 3 bedroom home so we don't have much space. We have lots of safety issues to address and I'm not sure how to do it. I need advice from another parent who's been in my shoes. Any advice? I really want to keep my son as safe as possible. He climbs and gets into things he wouldn't normally get into. My 3 year old son also knows how to open medicine bottles so that only complicates matters. My son who is ASD is 4 and I also have a 3 year old and 7 month old. I literally have my hands full here. TIA!

try and get and keep them involved in everything you do.
simple as that.
shopping, cooking, cleaning, fixing things, you name it.
the more bonded with you they are the more they want to do and be like you.
the more they want to be like you the easier they are to teach and watch because they become more attentive in what you say and do.
always keep an eye on them for their safety, but-

instead of telling them no all the time help them learn why some things are a no-no and what they are used for and how to use them.
instead of trying to keep them out of the tools teach them how to use them,
instead of trying to keep the scissors away from them teach them how to use them,
instead of telling them to leave the oven alone show them how to use it by example (only).
instead of trying to keep them out of your art supples show them how to use them, finger paint, draw, etc.
stuff like that, look at it this way, they will have to learn this stuff someday anyways and if they are
fixated on something then thats the best time to help them learn about the stuff their interested in.

sometimes it helps getting them play ovens and tools and stuff like that.
be sure to keep locks on all the gates and doors and especially the cabinets where you keep medicines and cleaning supples.

I know its not easy, but keep them from only what you have to and teach them the rest as you can the best you can.
if you have to buy a lock trunk to keep things in then do it.

Please note some of your safety issues that way others can give suggestions.

My HFA daughter loves to climb, we ended up taking the bookshelves out of the house for a while. Because we are in a rental we can't attach things to the walls so no screwing bookshelves to the walls. Thankfully she seems to have grown out of that and we've slowly brought bookshelves back into the house, although I've decided to give up on our bond and have screwed them into the walls now.

A lot of what my daughter does is a sensory seeking thing so we provided her with safe alternatives. She used to jump off the bunk beds alot, now she has a mini trampoline in the lounge room to jump on instead. Stuff like that.

We always lock the front door with a key and take the key away because she loves to wander.

Spending time with her is important, using social stories to teach safety because we can't always be there and because sometimes she just wants to be alone.

We moved into this house when my son was 8 months old and my spouse is a structural engineer, so child safety is kind of built into the design at this point.

-No tall bookcases
-Pretty much everything is in a latched or locking cabinet (that includes the computer, TV, etc)
-Glass cabinet fronts have been replaced with plexiglass
-All lighting is built in or wall mounted
-Cabinets are all earthquake fastened to the walls
-Storage of items the kids may want stays close to the floor
-When my daughter was still a baby, all my sons toys (little pieces) had to stay in his room
-All rooms can be locked, but all door locks are safety locks, that mom and dad know how to breach
-No breakable display pieces exist
-Most pictures on the walls have been reset to plexiglass and are safety mounted to the walls (an extra screw and wire on back; when you try to pull them off, they stay hanging from the last screw)
-For years, we didn't put lights on the Christmas tree. We filled the bottom with stuffed animals instead, so it was a touch and play tree
-We removed all deck furniture, least the kids try to use it climb to the railing. We also lined the entire railing with safety netting
-Our stove nobs are right on front, so we removed them, and turned on the stove using the metal prong only
-We cooked only using the back burners; no pots or pans or hanldes at the front
-We stopped using toxic chemicals and found natural, safer alternatives whenever possible

And so on.

A very smart child may be able to figure out how to get to many things anyway, but you most surely can slow him down. If you never leave your children alone any longer than absolutely necessary, slowing them down is all you need.

Also, you can add bells and stuff to the cabinets with the most dangerous items, so that you will hear when your security has been breeched and know to go running. This is something you will want to do on entrances and exits to your house, as well, so that you will know if one of the children escapes when your back is turned.

Definitely. Full trampoline outside, mini inside. Running in the house is totally allowed. We've been lucky that our son took "no bookshelves, no kitchen table" to heart very quickly. I'd like to think that he's allowed any other furniture, in our house. There has been a bit of an issue with the window ledge around the breakfast nook because that's a lot of glass to be messing around. That's also a no/go zone but it was a lot tougher for him to obey that.

As said above, they'll figure it out if the desire is there. A big part of it is satisfying what drives them in safer ways.

Another problem was the top edge of the bathtub. He's had a habit of stepping on it as he gets out of the tub. Got himself a couple stitches in his lip that way. He got over that, though I probably should have done those stickies that you normally put on the bottom of the tub for there. *shrug*

What helps is he's pretty nimble so it's become easier to get used to. The one other time he slipped and got stitches (the front of his pelvis) I'm not even sure what happened. He didn't actually fall that far. He might have been a bit damp on the feet? He had come out of the tub a few minutes before, so he was still naked.

We ended up putting a padlock on the back gate after he figured out knots.

This depends somewhat on who you have in your house. A schoolmate of our son was VERY mechanically inclined and had a lot of teenage siblings. So a keyed bolt wasn't particularly practical. So they did a series of latches. The last one they did (he was still 4 at the time) was way up at the top of the door. The kid walked up, with his mother standing right there, and looked up at it. Then walked over, picked up a broom, came back, and used it to manipulate the latch open. Then set down the broom, and without looking at his mom, walked away. Talk about making a statement without using words.

Note: That child was also the only child to ever manage to escape from my son's old school (pre-school/K specializing in HFA). After he made it the had to re-engineer the play area latches.

Last summer his aid made a social story for our son about Safe Places. It talked about staying with parents/aids. If he did end up by himself how to handle that. Where to go to be found if he's in our neighbourhood alone. Stuff like that. He bolts on impulse. Last time he got away he flagged down the Police car himself, and was very sheepish when he got home.

Hey!! You are on my other forum!! I am ladylee!! I will email you there:)

Thank you all so much! Natesmom I got your message. Thanks for all the advice. It's not easy with having 3 little ones to watch out for, especially since one is ASD and the other 2 have stuff going on as well.