dont know what to do :( a bit long

[mr.scariesmommy]

A few days ago Joe unlocked four locks and ran out the door. It took about 10 min to find him he ran 6 blocks across a dangerous street to get to the park he was found at. I swear that was the scariest day of my life. A woman who teaches autistic kids found him and was able to track down his name through the schools. The officers now know who he is and where he belongs so if it ever happened again he would be brought back home. Our laundry room is out side so there is no doing laundry when dh is at work. I don't know what to do I can't get things done around the house I feel like I have to be where he is to make sure he doesn't get back out again. We called our landlord and he can not put anymore locks on our doors since there is 4 total already( 2 on door 2 on screen door). So we can't add more since it is a fire hazzard. I'm at my wits end. We have decided to move to Arkansas where sil lives so we will have more of a support system and the schools are better for joe but that isn't till almost February I just feel so lost and don't know what to do in the mean time. And he has started spitting his drinks all over his mattress so we take that out of the room during the day. We have been moving pieces of our sectional infront of the doors so he can't escape when we r sleeping. Sorry so long just needed to vent my frustrations I don't know what we r going to do till we move just suffer through this I guess.

[CreziaMommyTo2]

You need a lock that requires. Key to open from the inside and wear the key around your neck.

[mr.scariesmommy]

That's what we told the landlord and he said no can't do it. He doesn't seem too concerned and he is someone that I thought we were friends with. The cop said to put a deadbolt backwards on the top of the door so he couldn't get out so as soon as we got home we called the landlord and he said its a fire hazzard that he won't do it.

Quoting CreziaMommyTo2:

You need a lock that requires. Key to open from the inside and wear the key around your neck.

[CreziaMommyTo2]

I guess landlords have different rules. I know my friends dd is the same way and they have a key around their neck. My DS is still little 5, and can't reach the eye hooks we have. But once he gets taller we will be using the key to exit method.

Have you tried the buzzers, so you can at least hear if the door opens. We have an alarm and anytime a door, window opens it makes a loud buzz.

[kajira]

because of my son stealing, wandering, and hurting the cats - we had to put a dead bolt on his bedroom with the lock on the outside.

Everytime we give him a chance to not lock it, he steals food, gets new scratches from mssing with the cats, and tries to wander off, or get into things that don't belong to him constantly.

We tried so hard to avoid having to do that, but it got to the point that my husband and I didn't get any sleep becaue we had no way to trust that he was safe in his room with out the added security measure.... :/

It's actually been really useful during meltdowns too, when he's totally out of control he won't stay in his room and it keeps him and everyone else safe during those rampages. (he's not violent, but he runs around the house screaming and grabbing things and just needs a quiet, calm place to calm down but won't willingly stay in a quiet place and pull himself together with out help right now.)

If you read through the autism speaks website, locks and deadbolts and keys are one of the first safety things they suggest for special needs/autistic kids who are like that.

I know it seems horrible from the outside, but sometimes it's what you have to do to keep them and everyone else safe.

If I was you, I would just flip the dead bolt around and not tell your land lord.

Quoting mr.scariesmommy:

That's what we told the landlord and he said no can't do it. He doesn't seem too concerned and he is someone that I thought we were friends with. The cop said to put a deadbolt backwards on the top of the door so he couldn't get out so as soon as we got home we called the landlord and he said its a fire hazzard that he won't do it.

Quoting CreziaMommyTo2:

You need a lock that requires. Key to open from the inside and wear the key around your neck.

[greenmommo]

I'm so sorry! I don't know.  Ben just started escaping this past week.  We have an alarm system so I've set it to announce when a door is opened, but I haven't yet figured out how to keep him in either.  Most of the time if we are downstairs I have him in his booster seat buckled in while I'm cooking/cleaning and he colors.  

[arkansasmama08]

Would he let you move the deadbolt up higher so he can't reach at least?

[mr.scariesmommy]

We are going to try to get some on Thursday when we get paid. Where can we find them?
Joe has broken the eye hooks that we had on the closet they got pulled right out of the wall. He is almost 5 but is a strong heavy kid.

Quoting CreziaMommyTo2:

I guess landlords have different rules. I know my friends dd is the same way and they have a key around their neck. My DS is still little 5, and can't reach the eye hooks we have. But once he gets taller we will be using the key to exit method.



Have you tried the buzzers, so you can at least hear if the door opens. We have an alarm and anytime a door, window opens it makes a loud buzz.

[mr.scariesmommy]

He doesn't want us to tamper with the door we can't change it. I asked if we could move it higher on the door and he said no.

Quoting arkansasmama08:

Would he let you move the deadbolt up higher so he can't reach at least?

[CreziaMommyTo2]

Home depot or lowes. Good luck.

[mr.scariesmommy]

We rent an older house and it doesn't have any sort of alarm system we have thought about installing one but since we decided to live I don't want to put all the money into a system. I have been making quick things for dinner so I can watch him the whole time.

Quoting greenmommo:

I'm so sorry! I don't know.  Ben just started escaping this past week.  We have an alarm system so I've set it to announce when a door is opened, but I haven't yet figured out how to keep him in either.  Most of the time if we are downstairs I have him in his booster seat buckled in while I'm cooking/cleaning and he colors.