We just moved into a new house. My 8 year old youngest is on the spectrum. She is pretty high functioning but has a lot of impulses…
I need advice on securing my new house ground floor to keep Serena in.
Front door will be deadbolt with a key required from either side. Serena’s motor skills alone won’t open the door even if she gets the key. We will put the key high up.
Sliding glass door to the secure backyard. I think the backyard is secure with 6’ high fence and double gates with locks (as long as these are locked!).
But I would prefer to keep her in the house. The sliding door lock at the base with a key would work but is really ugly compared with our nice wood frame sliding door. The sliding door is maybe 8’ (higher than I can reach and much higher than my wife can reach). Any suggestions?
We also have a door to the mudroom and a connecting second door to the garage garage and the backyard. A safety chain up high won’t work as there is a desk Serena can stand on. Any option beyond a digital keylock? Any digital keylock recommendations?
(as long as the garage doors are locked then I don’t think she can get out front. Again, I prefer she doesn’t go rogue in the backyard from the garage but it should be safe.)
Home Depot didn’t have any suggestions beyond the above. Any additional suggestions?
PS. We moved from a very small place into nearly 4000 SF. Serena really likes our new house, loves all the linen closets and other enclosed storage spaces, and so far has not really tried to go walkabout. We want to keep her safe and also try to get to a more ‘normal’ life instead of maximum security.
PSS. In our rental, we had sliding locks up high (safety chains). It worked but Serena has figured out to pull a chair over or climb up a desk. So we need something more secure than a safety chain at the top of the doorjam.
Thanks in advance for suggestions.
PSS. Thanks to all that gave new house advice a year ago
Would door knob covers work for your interior doors? While they’re generally easy for older kids to rip off the knobs, they can be secured with zip-ties, so they won’t come off. Some of the designs make it pretty difficult to open, some are easy, some work differently on different knobs.
I also found this patio door lock. It’s pretty small with a black finish, that might be unobtrusive enough for you.
Another thought, bells. Hang bells from doors you don’t want her to go through, won’t stop her, but will at least let you know.
Another “let you know” when she’s moving idea: Get a couple of toy (plastic) golf clubs, and stand them against the outside of her bedroom door. If she opens the door, they will clatter to the floor.
Have you considered a home automation system? They have dropped considerably in pricing or the hardware, and software is headed toward settings instead of programming so, the software fees are coming down.
They offer various packages and options, including electronic locks, which can be set to automatically notify if they are opened, and that can be locked remotely.
I don’t have any recommendations for you, but I wanted to pop in and mention that a 6 foot fence is not that high if you are really looking to get over it. A patio chair dragged to the fence might do it. I imagine you are already planning for this if she happens to get outside, but just in case. I know there is a lot to think about; some acquaintances of ours had an escape-er years ago.
Pardon me if this is a stupid question, but will she consistently recognize the sliding glass door as a barrier? I.e., is she at risk of running into it? If so, consider putting some tape or decoration on it at her eye level.
I’d recommend a both directions deadbolt for the back door in the mudroom just like the one at the front door. Since her manual dexterity isn’t sufficient for her to turn the key in the lock, you could hang the key over the door. She’d be able to get it climbing on the desk, but still not get out probably.
