Tips for keeping Autistic child from wondering out of the hotel room?

[ArielRae]

Hoping some of you can give some good ideas for helping to keep DS(4) in our hotel room. He usually wakes before us and want to make sure he doesn't walk out the room without us noticing. I noticed the hotel bar is so low that he is able to reach it so that doesn't help us in keeping him in. I have thought of using a door chime that goes off when the door is opened. Any other ideas? Do the resorts offer child proof door lock covers for the handles?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Resorrs don't. Try something like this http://www.amazon.com/Child-Proof-D...06588443&sr=8-16&keywords=hotel+door+security or just search Amazon for "hotel door security".

 

[mistysue]

Make sure you look into whatever sort of patio or balcony door your room will have as well. If you don't have a sliding door at home, a broom handle may work to stop it from opening. Otherwise I might close the shades and stick the desk in front or something. I would also attach something noisy to the door. You could probably hang a wind chime from a removable wall hook on the doors.

 

[ladyjubilee]

There are door/window alarms that will ding when the connections broken (when the door opens.) We had some with a basic peel and stock that was repositionable. I also used to put movable baskets in the path kids had to travel to the door, so that I would hear the movement...... Ironically, these were fort my RAD kids not my autism kid ��.

We also had bells that hung on the door knob... ours were from Christmas.

My son doesn't elope, but we do also have safety tats just in case.

 

[Bete]

We bought a motion sensor for my mom who had Alzheimer's. We used it on vacations. It was placed strategically with her bed and it does work. An alarm would go off. The few times it went off I did feel bad for the rooms next to us. There was a remote to shut it off, but you have to be aligned with the device. I like the bed alarm; because, it's before trying to go out the door.

If you are staying at a Disney resort, the doors are pretty heavy and hard to open for a child.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I'm a 19 year old with autism. I would reccomend bringing something noisy when he does go outside.

 

[Aladora]

What about something as simple as bringing some door knob covers? You could call your hotel and find out if the doors have round handles or levers so you can bring the right kind of covers.

 

[ArielRae]

Thanks everyone

We will be staying at Pop Century so no balcony to worry about. I think I'll go the door chime route. It will help at night and when in the shower if he decides to open the door I'll hear it go off. We have the if lost tempory tattoos already just incase. Also all his pants have his name in them.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I had this concern on a recent DL trip, stayed at Villas at Grand Californian, 1 BR. I had asked for upper floor. DS (Autism/Down Syndrome) is 24 years old, I do not see him falling off a balcony or climbing off it.

Sure enough, we check in at 4 pm, and they said they ONLY had first floor rooms left. To make it worse,they first had trouble even finding the reservation, and said we had been moved 3X already……. by prior guests not wanting first floor I assume.

First floor at VGC, means 2 sets of sliding doors that just open to the outdoors, not even a little railing around the patio. (even that visual would likely keep him in, he is not agile enough to climb over it). They told me, next time to explain WHY I needed to be off the first floor, then we would have have priority and not have been relocated. Or something like that. I said, I just asked for upper floor, that was all I knew to do.

Bells are a great idea, thanks for that one.

 

[HopperFan]

Stay at POP often with DS alone and I remember my first time and the worries. Nighttime and when I showered. My DS is afraid of heights (better now but when younger was bad) so I requested high floor. Just opening the door and looking out would have stopped him from venturing alone. In the room I always put him in bed by bathroom so he has to pass me to get to door, it also puts me right next to door. You can move the table to right in front of the door, it's fairly heavy and even if he can move it, you are likely to hear him doing so. Agree with the bells or door alarm. We used to have one that hung on the doorknob and if the knob was jiggled it set off the alarm.

 

[PatMcDuck]

We had a 2BR villa at BLT about 5 years ago. DH and I were in one bedroom, and, DS was in the living room. It was just for a few minutes, and when I went back into the living room, Sean was GONE. We ran around looking all over the villa, and DH ran down the hall to the elevator, Sean likes elevators, maybe he managed to get on one, we thought. Then something made me look out on the balcony. There was Sean, sitting on one of the chairs, in his PJs, holding my camera. He had seen me taking photos out there the day before. OMG. 11th floor. But if had been the ground floor with no railing, he may have just walked away…… (he is non verbal, basically, and has no sense of danger, would walk in front of a bus, literally.

So bells, yes, I need bells. He really never has done that again, and at home he never walks outside alone. But better to be safe.