In Case of Emergency

This world can be scary. As a parent of a child with special needs, the world becomes even scarier. 

I turned on the news recently and there was a report of a mass shooting within 30 minutes of where I live. It was frightening to think that this could happen in my backyard. The news reported that parents could not get home to their children, wives who didn’t know where their husbands and children were.

It’s for this very reason that I stress the importance of being prepared, especially for those who have children with special needs. 

Preparation is the key

Talk with your child – Although children with special needs might not understand everything going on in the world, this doesn’t mean you should hide the bad stuff from them. They need to know to the best of their ability. You, as the parent, are already afraid for them. I know I am. Don’t be afraid to share the hurt and pain we see in this world. Explain what’s happening around them. This encourages them to share with you how events make them feel. They will also feel more comfortable talking with you about other things going on in their lives. Keep those lines of communication open.

Develop a plan – You won’t be able to plan for every contingency. All that is needed here is for you to outline steps you and your child will take in the event of an emergency where you’re separated. When my son was younger, we had a standing rule that every evening when he arrived at his grandmother’s house; he had to call me (with her help until he learned to dial the phone). When his community worker picked him up, he had to send me a text message. (Once I bought him a cell phone. This also happened mainly during the summer months when his community worker picked him up earlier in the day.) Your plan should include check in calls like these as well as where to meet in case of fire. Teach your child(ren) how to dial 911 and give their name, address, and diagnosis. 

Run drills – this might sound like a lot of work, but you should run family drills. Think about the hurricane and tornado drills the schools run. Same principle. This allows you and your child the opportunity to tweak the plan if anything goes wrong during the drill. It also ensures your child knows what to do in case of an emergency.

Important numbers – I always included a list of important numbers in my son’s backpack when he was in school. The list included my cell phone and work numbers, the number of other family members who could make decisions in my absence, and our address and the address of another family member. I also included what to tell the dispatcher if he had to call 911.

Involve other family members – Designate at least one family member to share your plan with. This can also be the person your child can contact in case s/he can’t get in touch with you. My son knew to call grandma or auntie if he couldn’t reach me.

Yes, the world is scary. Follow these tips to keep it from being overly frightening for our kids. 

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

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