Stranger Danger

This is something that has been weighing heavily on my mind for sometime now. There are so many stories in the news about kids with Autism and elopement. Emily has never been a wanderer, thank goodness but has been known to run from certain situations.

When Emily was between the ages of 2-5 she had severe stranger anxiety. Looking back it was appropriate for her developmentally. Our entire life was affected by this. It became difficult to go anywhere because of meltdowns. We worked hard to help her overcome these difficulties. She became quite the social butterfly(mostly around adults). In Kindergarten she would take breaks and walk around the school talking to different teachers and staff. She quickly memorized names and would speak to them whenever she saw them. We would go to the grocery store and she would have to ask the cashier what their name was. She went from complete fear to no fear. We welcomed this as it made our outings so much easier. Plus is was cute to see her stick out her hand and say "Nice to meet you."

At the age of 9 her social skills have progressed in such a way I never thought possible. She is still very friendly to all adults including strangers. Her social play with kids her own age has increased as well. It is very heartwarming to see. However, in recent months while watching her approach strangers to introduce herself I have been thinking that there has to come a time when I need to become cautious. She is always with me except for her time at school. I know that she will be with me forever, but I also have a responsibility to make her as independent as possible. I don't know at what point or if I should even attempt to talk to her about the potential dangers that lurk in our society. My typical kids both have an understanding of these dangers. I do not want to put fear back into Emily's mind but I need to know that she will be safe.

She has grown so much and come such a long way...