Life with Puzzling Boys

So I posted this message on various autism facebook pages and forums, I thought I would post the replies here for anyone else who might be needing this info.

BEDROOM SAFETY!!
    I am posting this plea for help on every autism page I know, I apologize for those of you who see it more than once.
    My boy William is a non-verbal non-compliant non-whatever_else_he_can_come_up_with autistic child. He's cute as a button, and quirky, but can be challenging to keep safe sometimes.   Especially at night, His room was devoid of everything but a mattress on the floor, and the heavy duty step 2 toybox with some favorite toys. He has always been a little crazy at night, we hear him running into the walls, and jumping, and sometimes laying on his back and kicking the wall, he likes the way it sounds or feels or something, he just giggles and kicks. I dread the day he figures out how to open the child locks on the door knob. We find one dangerous thing he does, problem solve and another crops up, its never-ending. His newest thing is the baseboard heating. He starting ripping the metal off. I sliced my finger pretty badly cleaning it one day, so I am petrified of him doing the same. So we moved a dresser into his room, kept it empty, but used it to block the baseboard. He still removed the metal except he just bent the parts he could reach around the dresser!!
    I researched safety beds, but the only affordable option (nickel bed tent) appears to no longer be made. The next cheapest option is 3000 dollars!
    So talk to me oh wise autism parents.... How do you address bedroom/nighttime safety in your house? I HAVE to sleep sometime.........

Here are the most helpful replies I got!

Christy - I'm not an autism parent (I have high-functioning autism, myself), but I'm pretty sure there's foam stuff you can stick to the wall that also sound-proofs things. It also might help to have something to distract him from these dangerous habits. I used to scratch myself all the time whenever I felt uneasy, to the point where my skin would be bleeding all over the place, but then I started carrying a notebook or sketchbook with me, and I draw whenever I'm nervous. Maybe William is a little nervous or antsy at bed-time. Something that used to help me was one of those constellation projector things. I'd get so lost in looking at my own little version of the sky on my ceiling that I forgot about scratching myself.

Bonnie - I had these same kinds of issues when my son was younger, and I know another child who is similar. Her mother put up a pair of the clear plastic baby gates one over the other in her daughter's doorway and discovered that the child (2) was able to squeeze herself through the gap that allowed the doorknob to poke through so the door could shut. She fell hard the first time she did it and her mom thought she would refrain from doing it again. Instead, this clever clever child emptied her tub of stuffed animals through the opening to cushion her fall when she squeezed out again. This had the added effect of muffling the fall so her parents couldn't hear her escape. My point is, kids who don't observe boundaries and are also nimble and bright are wicked hard to stay one step ahead of! So BREATHE, first. Then think about the real problem. Does your son really need to have a bed frame or would a mattress on top of a box spring with no frame be a safer option? Can your base rays be shielded with supplies from the hardware store or the edges blunted with duct tape so if he does tear them off he at least won't be injured? Can you put one of those magnetic alarms at the top of his door and windows in case he does figure out the child locks? My son slept on a mattress on his bedroom floor for years. I used duct tape to secure my vent covers to the floor after he realized he could pick them up and throw them at me during a meltdown. And those magnetic locks were super helpful when he decided he was going to leave the house while I was in the bathroom.

Lisa - We stripped his room of all furniture but a mattress. (He was flipping over dressers, bookshelves, and storage trunks.) Is there any way to cover his heater? I know they make covers for certain baseboard heaters. Maybe go talk to someone at a local home improvement store.

Wendy - I used a tent and put his bed in it it worked well for a yr then he unzipped it then I just started laying with him at night until he fell a sleep

Karen - Consider consulting with a behavioral specialist on this. It sounds like he is looking for any type of stimulation he can get while suffering insomnia. When we had nighttime safety issues, we kept our son in our room at night.

Sian - Loneliness is a big issue. is he like this if you take him into your bed.. Iam lucky in one respect I have 2 Autistic boys they share the same room the only time we all get a good nights sleep.. We did though, when they where much younger, a week of Phernergan ( Heavy duty antihistamine that makes people drowsy) to promote a good pattern in sleep..My youngest when he was 3 was also a self harmer break everything smash everything get into everything. had grommetts done changed his diet and all settled down.. still have moments when his is like this mainly when he is sick.

Caroline - I know this is very old school, but does he have a teddy or anything he snuggles up too? My son is 18 and still goes to bed with his cuddly dog..... It might not just be loneliness maybe try a night light with stars or something if he hasn't already got one, but yes Karen's idea of consulting a behaviour specialist is an excellent idea too! There is nothing worse than disturbed sleep x

Joy - I'm so sorry frown emoticon I know how hard this can be, and trying to do anything on sleep deprivation is even harder. Have you talked to your OT, PT, or pediatrician? My daughter's bed like this was paid for through her insurance. I've also seen families post one on GoFundMe if insurance is going to be too slow or deny the request. Some families find that placing the mattress inside a tent that zips from the outside is enough to ensure safety and they make some special for this.
Both of my kiddos take medication to help them sleep because they struggle without it and are so much happier with a good night sleep, and so that is something that can be discussed with your pediatrician as well. We also saw a sleep neurologist who helped brainstorm other things that could impact their sleep hygiene.
I would also see if your therapists or school team can help you brainstorm ways to address supporting independent play and communication. Our kiddos are not really "nons" -- they are just "not yets" that need help to find the right path for them, I think. Behavior expresses a need, and building communication means they can help us cut down on some of the trial-and-error that seems to take so so so long.
I hopes something in there was helpful. My heart goes out to you and your family... Worrying about your kiddo's safety is not a place any mama wants to be. Hugs.

Robbie's mom - Robbie jumped on his bed all the time and broke many box spring mattresses. We bought a big, red car bed and piled a couple mattresses on it. It was pretty much indestructible.
I would have put a dresser in front of the vent too. Maybe you can replace the vent with something else more like plastic, non metal?

Rain - An indoor trampoline comes to mind to keep his legs busy. The ones with the nets around them. I would have that in his room along with his mattress. He can sleep where he crashes. As far as the baseboards..is there a way to replace, seal so they can't be tampered with? I have baseboards & ours are very heavy, thick metal. I do see one end that can come off for access & am assuming that's where your problem started?

There were also many messages that recommended starting Melatonin with him, I think it would be redundant to post them all, but many swore by it.

Since I am am starting high tech AAC with William, I started making icons to use with whatever app works with him. That way the communication app matches his pecs at home! We are currently using Speak For Yourself. Which has words that never move so the children can develop motor planning for each word. This is why this was my first choice. I made icons for every word on the front page! I posted them on a dropbox account so that others can use them too, for speak for yourself or any aac app that lets you choose your own photos. I think the continuity is so important!

There are 96 by 96 size icons for SFY, there are larger size plain color icons. and there are larger size icons colored according to the fitzgerald key.

For those of you who are using paper pecs, these are all individual boardmaker pec icons!
Here is a screenshot of Williams front page! Of course he only has 7 of these words open....