Over the Fourth of July weekend, Sheletta Brundidge, known as Minnesota’s Autism Mom, traveled back to her hometown in Houston, Texas. Some 75 moms, dads, grandparents and caretakers of people with autism attended a giveaway she organized at Houston YMCA branch. She gave them free keyless electronic interior combination locks for their homes.
The mother of three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, Brundidge has used the interior locks in her own home in Cottage Grove and has found them an excellent tool for keeping her own children safe.
“We are saving lives,” said Brundidge, who donated half the special locks and initiated a “Spread Love With Locks” social media campaign to fund the rest through donations.
Her mission to Texas followed the drowning death of a nonverbal 12-year-old child with autism who wandered from her home hear Houston. In June, Brundidge spearheaded a similar donation of keyless door locks in Hopkins after the death of four-year-old Waeys Mohamed. The boy with autism also wandered from his home and drowned.
“These parents are so grateful that someone cares about their kids’ safety,” Brundidge said. “Families where I grew up, living paycheck to paycheck, maybe don’t have $30 they can spare, so it meant a lot.”
Even more than their peers who are not on the spectrum, children with autism have a tendency to wander or even bolt from a safe place to follow something that grabs their attention. They frequently run from a situation they find stressful or frightening, like loud noises or bright lights. They are also often attracted to water.
“In summertime, kids with autism are off their routine so it’s a frustrating and challenging time for parents,” said Brundidge. “Kids with special needs thrive on structure and when there’s a change in routine, we see a high instance of kids breaking out of the house.”
One of the Houston parents who attended Brundidge’s event was Adrienne Bibby, who knows that a door that is open just a crack can be dangerous. Bibby’s autistic son Eric does not speak and communicates by using a letter board.
Bibby came to the event at the Houston YWCA to show her support to Brundidge and give her a donation for “Spread Love with Locks.”
“I heard about this and I had to come. My heart just opened up to this lady who is doing the best thing, the most impactful thing I can think of,” Bibby said.
Accompanying Bibby was her son Eric.
“I always say, my son is psychic, he knows good people,” Bibby said. “With his letter board, he said, ‘She is the real deal.’ We appreciate her awareness and her kind heart that is doing something real for these families.”
In addition to the lock giveaway, Brundidge and a team of Houston volunteers created a fun, festive environment for the families who came to the YMCA for the interior locks.
“We had face painting, balloon animals, an ice cream truck so everyone got snow cones,” she said. “A lot of people don’t understand this struggle, but someone who has been through it does. There were mamas that came and just fell into my arms and hugged me.”