How to Keep Kids with Special Needs Safe
Have you recently discovered that your child has a developmental delay, cognitive disability, or physical impairment? Are you a babysitter, relative, or other caregiver who is new to taking care of children with disabilities and special needs? The MetLife Foundation and Safe Kids have created a series of videos just for you. They are designed to help caregivers meet the needs of children with special requirements, organized by various disabilities, risk factors, and family situations.
Did you know that there are special smoke detectors designed for the hearing impaired? Grab bars and secure handrails are also available for purchase for families with members who are visually or physically impaired. By doing something as simple as securing furniture to the wall, or fastening simple, inexpensive locks to cabinets, we can prevent children from becoming harmed or poisoned. A few dollars can go a long way in keeping kid safe.
Stickers or labels on things that children cannot touch can help them remember what items in the safe are hazardous. Talking to kids about candy versus medicines can also help them understand that not all bright, shiny things are safe to eat.
Each video is animated and informative, able to keep your interest easily without drowning you in information. Families with children who are blind, deaf, and have cognitive and physical disabilities are covered within separate videos. Each video has tips for that specific family’s needs that other families can use, including how parents can work together to support their children.
The specific risk area videos are very helpful—not just for families that include children with special needs, but perhaps all families. Videos about water safety, poisoning, fire safety, fall prevention, and choking prevention are all included in the series. While they are geared at children with special needs, many of the tips apply to all children. Pleasantly narrated with simple step-by-step instructions to follow, even young caregivers—like new babysitters or siblings—can learn from these videos.
Most preventable childhood injuries happen within the home. As a parent, you probably already know this; my own four-year-old has hurt herself three times this week just by running in the house! These videos are free to view and share, so please don’t hesitate to spread them around the web. Post them on your social networking pages, or email them to friends and family. Together we can act to ensure the safest environment for our families.
