What Are Safety Concerns For Children With Special Needs?
All children need special care to keep them safe. Here are some safety concerns to consider when caring for children with special needs.
Medical Care
Your child may require specialized medical care in your home. You may need to consider special medical equipment and supplies, seating and mobility devices, accessibility into and around your home, electrical capacity and power outage contingency plans, and in-home nursing care. A health care worker or social worker can help you arrange for these supplies and services.
Emergencies
Emergencies happen, and it is best to be prepared.
Post an emergency plan where everyone can see, addressing topics such as how to transport your child and any special equipment, what to do during a power outage for medical equipment, and how your child gets into and out of your house in an emergency.
Your local fire department can assist if you need a special fire alarm due to your child’s hearing and/or vision loss.
You may consider an alarm system that notifies 911 during emergencies.
Keep an emergency form handy for others to know of your child’s special needs, medications and physicians. An Emergency Information Form (EIF) for children with special needs is available from the American College of Emergency Physicians, with approval of both the Academy of Pediatric and Emergency Physicians.
You may consider purchasing a MedicAlert bracelet at www.medicalert.org.
Notify local emergency agencies of your child's special needs, and make sure family members and other caregivers know how to reach you in case of an emergency.
Transporting My Child
Transporting your child safely requires planning. Some children require special car seats due to limited head and neck control, recent surgeries or special casts. Other children use their wheelchair when riding in a car, and this requires special tie downs for safety. There are even special beds and restraint systems for children that need to lie flat during transportation. If your child needs special medical equipment with them in the car, this will also need to be secured safely. Our therapists can help you determine your child’s needs for
specialty seating for transportation.
Why Is My Child Being Referred For Pediatric Therapy?
At Kenny Kids, our therapists are specialists at identifying the need for adapted seating, wheelchairs, car seats, bath seats and other positioning devices needed for your child’s safety. Our therapists can also provide information and training for caregivers in the proper transferring and lifting of children with special needs. Your child may benefit from occupational, physical and or speech language therapy services, and our therapists can assist you in evaluating their needs.
What Can I Do At Home?
Along with the considerations listed above, remember general childhood safety ideas:
Childproof your home for your child’s developmental age.
Use “Mr. Yuk” stickers for identifying harmful household cleaners.
Always have your child wear a bike helmet for wheeled activities, including biking, rollerblading, scooter boards and ATV rides.
All children should wear a life preserver when around water.
In addition, you may contact your local law enforcement agency to determine if a yellow “caution” sign (i.e., wheelchair user, deaf child, children at play) would be appropriate in your neighborhood.
Where Can I Learn More About Safety Issues?
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
1301 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20004
Tel: (202) 662-0600
Fax: (202) 393-2072 www.safekids.org
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