February 05: Safety

Well, the NYPD officer did not make an appearance at our February meeting, but we had a very rewarding meeting all the same.

What the officer was prepared to say is that you should have a recent photo and descriptive information about any child who is prone to escape (in my world this means any child at all) on hand, and you can even deliver it to the community affairs unit of your local police precinct. There is no city-wide registry for at-risk or disabled persons. Although that would give me great peace of mind, I can readily see the reasons why such a thing does not exist.

He also said that an identification tag such as medic-alert is a good idea for any person who cannot speak or otherwise advise public safety officers of their condition and home address.

The orginal and best known provider of these bracelets is www.medicalert.org, but this service involves both the purchase of a bracelet and an annual subscription to an information service that can provide medical history to emergency medical providers. For those among us whose kids have seizure disorders or other major medical complications, this may be a value, but for me, the bracelet alone will be quite sufficient. To order just a bracelet, google medical alert jewelery and choose among the many providers. A basic kids bracelet with engraving seems to run about $25. Our bracelets will be engraved with the child's name, the condition "autistic, nonverbal", my cell phone number and maybe our home address.

I spotted a fairly low-technology "child distance monitor" at my local pharmacy, which might be helpful for outings. The child and their adult each wear one piece of the device, and the alarm will sound if they are more than 30 feet apart. Details at http://www.angelalert.net/. Online price is $39.99, retail store price $49.99

Finally, a more elaborate tracking device is available from Ion-Kids. This one has a sturdy wristband that can be worn by up to four "trackees" and a base unit that will go off when the bands are beyond a set boundary. And this base unit can tell you the distance and direction of the tracked bracelet, so it is actually useful for finding the lost kid. The wristbands are not entirely waterproof, but they do seem durable and are described as "tamper resistant". Prices start at $150.

Our next meeting is March 9th. Topic is child care -- issues with in-home care providers, respite providers, and even drop-off care if that is an option for any kids.

April meeting is on the 13th and the topic will be IEP meeting preparation.

One of the many things we talked about is how to get the separate MMR components. And I just ran across that information on another list.

"Here are Merck product numbers for monovalent vaccinations for
measles, mumps, and rubella, to give to your doctor if you will want
to separate these vax.

Measles: # NDC00064709-00, single dose
Mumps: #NDC00064753-00, single dose
Rubella (called Meruvac II): #NDC00064747-00, single dose

Your doctor must call 1-800-609-4618 or 1-800-672-6372. These are
doctor-only lines so the doctor must call. Merck sells monovalent vax
in packs of 10 and the cost is $142 for a ten pack.

Hopewell Pharmacy in New Jersey stocks the single dose M, M, R
vaccines, 800-792-6670."