Teaching Safety Awareness

Your child doesn't understand danger: runs into roads, approaches strangers, or takes risks

Steps

Use social stories to teach specific safety rules (road safety, stranger awareness)
Practice in real settings: stop at every kerb, look both ways, make it a habit
Teach 'safe people' identification: who to approach if lost (shop staff, police)
Use visual rules: a red/green system for safe/unsafe choices
Role-play emergency scenarios: 'What do you do if you get lost in a shop?'

What you need

Social stories, visual safety rules, practice time in real settings

Why it works

Autistic and ADHD children often have reduced awareness of danger because their brains process risk differently — impulsivity in ADHD and difficulty with abstract concepts in Autism both contribute. Safety rules need to be taught explicitly and practised repeatedly in real settings, not just discussed.

Age guidance

Start from age 3 with simple rules. Build complexity as they grow. Some neurodivergent children need safety support well into the teenage years.

Real-world example

A parent practised stopping at every kerb for three months before their child did it independently. It felt endless, but one day their child stopped at a kerb without being told and said 'we have to look.' All those repetitions had built a habit.

Troubleshooting

Repeat, repeat, repeat. Safety rules need constant reinforcement
Don't rely on fear to teach safety. Fear-based approaches often backfire
Consider a GPS tracker for children who elope