(Disclaimer: this post contains generalized statements that may not apply to all autistic or otherwise mentally challenged children. It applied to me and that's why I wrote about it.)
Children with autism have a hard time understanding the difference between right and wrong. So when it comes to stranger danger, how do you teach your child to be cautious? Let me use an example from my own life. When I was six, I met a woman named Gloria. She had a dog that I found one day and because I loved dogs, I made instant friends with her. I had no idea who she was, what she could be thinking when befriending me, and because my sense of right and wrong is messed up, I DIDN'T CARE. I would go over to this woman's house to swim in her pool and to hang out and just be. If an autistic child does not know explicitly that something they are doing is wrong, they do not care. It is hard for people to understand that we live in our heads, in our own little world, and in our little world EVERYTHING is as we think it should be, which is usually darn near perfect. There is no wrong in our heads. Unless a child is very aware of their surroundings they think everything they do is alright.
So how do you get into this world to teach us that stranger danger exists? First, be firm yet gentle. Be very clear that what the child has done was wrong, but don't yell or be overly forceful. That will turn a child off and they will either shut down or begin to yell and scream back at you. Be gentle. Second, be persistent. You must continue to be clear every time this happens because unless you have the perfect child it WILL happen more than once. The point being that as your child grows up they will hopefully begin to understand that this everpresent danger does exist. Third, never forget to love. If your child gets agitated let them know that this is for their own good.
I hope this helps, and God bless your day :)
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