National Resources: Big Red Safety Box
Let’s talk about safety! Many children with a diagnosis of Autism have a history of wandering, eloping, or escaping their environment. At times, it is difficult for them to recognize danger or situations that may be unsafe. This is an enormous safety concern. The National Autism Association (NAA) has developed a great toolkit to help keep these children/loved ones stay safe. Ultimately, this also decreases caregiver worry and stress. This toolkit can be obtained free of charge.
According to the NAA, they provide direct assistance to caregivers, educators and first responders. The Big Red Safety Box is a toolkit given to autism families in need as a means to educate, raise awareness, and provide simple tools that may assist them in preventing, and responding to, wandering-related emergencies.
The Big Red Safety Box includes:
Be REDy Booklet containing the following educational materials and tools:
A caregiver checklist
A Family Wandering Emergency Plan
A first-responder profile form
A wandering-prevention brochure
A sample IEP Letter
A Student Profile Form
Emotion Identification Cards
Wandering Quick Tips
Two (2) GE Wireless Door/Window Alarms with batteries
One (1) RoadID Bracelet or Shoe ID tag*
Five (5) Adhesive Stop Sign Visual Prompts for doors and windows
Two (2) Safety Alert Window Clings for car or home windows
One (1) Red Safety Alert Wristband
One (1) Child ID Kit from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
***You will receive instructions in your Big Red Safety Box to submit a custom personalization order for your RoadID bracelet or shoe ID tags at roadid.com/naa. Your ID will be quickly engraved and mailed to you at no charge.***
If you have a loved one whose medical condition interferes with their ability to recognize danger or unsafe situations, please visit http://awaare.org for more information on how to prevent wandering related incidents.
If your loved is diagnosed with Autism and is at risk of wandering from a safe environment, you should qualify to receive the Rig Ready Safety Box while supplies allow. They will provide one box per family and previous recipients are not eligible. It takes about three weeks for your Big Red Safety Box to be delivered. The NAA’s Big Red Safety Boxes are also packaged and shipped with care by a company employing adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Please visit this link here to apply for your Big Red Safety Box. If you have any questions, please reach out to one of our speech-language pathologists on our Panel at alyssa@collaborativecorner.org
Alyssa Bloxam, M.A., CCC-SLP
Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist
alyssa@collaborativecorner.org