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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Safety for Children Who Are Vulnerable

Today is the last post on safety of children with disabilities and learning differences.  The final topic is about the vulnerability of these children.  No one really likes thinking about the issues of abuse and keeping our child safe from others who don’t have good intentions.  But we wouldn’t be dealing with an important safety issue  without addressing this.  This is a very basic discussion but here are a few things to consider.

1.  Don’t be “bullied” by others who say you are over protective.  It only takes one instance.  Children with disabilities and learning differences need adults in their lives to provide protection.
2.  Work out a plan for safety at school.  How can my child not be left in situations that cause risk?   This includes a plan for bathroom breaks, recess, field trips, running an errand in the school and visits to the nurse.  Any situation that would cause your child to be unattended or with people who have not been investigated throroughly, needs a plan.  Talk with your child’s IEP team, teacher, principal or school counselor about setting up a system for all of these situations.
3.  Talk to your child’s psychologist or counselor about ways to protect your child from vulnerable situations outside of school.  Set up systems in all environments the will protect your child.  Plan, with your providers, the best way to educate and train your child so he can protect himself from situations that might bring harm.

This is a difficult subject and these are a few ideas to help get you started thinking about ways to protect your child from harm.  I’d love to hear ways that you have used to reduce the risk of these type situations from occurring.