A Minnesota Mother's Mission To Protect Autistic Children

OUT OF TRAGEDY

As a mother of a child on the autism spectrum, I remember many, many times when my son was very young when he would be very upset about things he didn't understand, and he wanted to run away on several occasions.

I lived in a rural part of Kentucky at the time, and had a long driveway with little to no traffic; so at times, I would tell him, "Okay. If you think it's better somewhere else, I can't stop you." I would then watch him carefully from my living room window to see how far down the driveway he would walk before he would turn around and come home.

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Typically, he didn't go far. He would walk to the drive, talking to himself, and eventually just hang out a bit out of my sight range, and if he didn't come back, I would eventually go out to talk with him. We learned that walking helped him in getting rid of a lot of anxiety.

That beautiful boy is now 25 years old and still walks every...single...day.

I think about the grief of these mothers who have lost their autistic children to drowning and the guilt they must feel. One second their beautiful child is in a safe home, and the next moment, they are gon. That's why I was happy to share and support spreading the word about what this mother of an autistic child is doing.

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Sheletta Brundige is the mother of three autistic children. She is an author and a media personality in the Twin Cities, who hosted a lock giveaway in Eden Prairie recently; after an 11-year-old child, who was non-verbal and autistic, was found deceased in a pond close to his home.

This is not the first lock giveaway she has funded. She found information to share with us from The National Autism Association that said half of the children diagnosed with autism will try to escape a safe environment, and are 160 times more likely to die by drowning than other children. I was horrified when I heard that; but I also experienced what she was talking about. My child would leave not thinking clearly about the dangers that could be lurking right outside our front door. In all,75 specialty locks were distributed at the event.

Sheletta said in a Facebook post: "That's 75 children saved. That's 75 mothers who are able to brush their teeth or pee with the door closed or get a good night's sleep knowing her autistic child is safe from wandering away!"

I'm hoping that Sheletta's kindness may kindle a flame in others to do the same type of giveaway in central Minnesota.