[blparent] toddler in crowds

[Jo Elizabeth Pinto]

Hey, back up the bus.  Shannon's son is very young, and wandering is 
something that all toddlers do.  There is absolutely no reason in the world 
to start thinking that he might have ADHD because he wanders at the age of 
two, or somewhere around that age.  I have a pretty good deal of knowledge 
about ADHD because of my stepson, and it positively does not exist in 
toddlers, and very rarely in preschoolers.  I'm not meaning to be rude or 
anything, but it's way too early to start ringing alarm bells about a 
problem that isn't there.

Having said that, keeping track of a toddler in a crowd is difficult.  It's 
a strain for me even in a small church on Sundays.  The child leash does 
help, and having people you trust keep their eyes open helps also.  There 
are child locators that sound an alarm when you push a button.  The child 
wears a beeper that goes off.  Teaching a child to answer when called is 
good as he gets older.  But to be perfectly honest, I've found that without 
sighted help, it's very difficult to keep tabs on Sarah in a crowd.  Because 
of that, I plan where I go if I am on my own to avoid noisy, busy 
situations, or I go when someone who can see is available.  I seek out 
opportunities to go places with sighted people when I can because I don't 
want to take away experiences that would be valuable for Sarah to have, like 
playing on busy playgrounds.  It will probably put some super turbo 
independent blind people off, but for the sake of my child's safety, I've 
personally decided that there are some places I'd rather not go unless I 
have a sighted companion.  That may change as Sarah gets older and more 
verbal, but for now, I make sure we get out often and have a lot of friends, 
and that I do things with her at home every single day instead of just being 
in the same room.
F
or what it's worth,
Jo Elizabeth

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Elizabeth Cooks" <elizabethcooks at comcast.net>
Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2010 6:47 PM
To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] toddler in crowds

> Keep a child leash on him.  If he doesn't outgrow that, ADHD might be a 
> possibility.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Shannan Zinck" <shannanzinck at gmail.com>
> To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2010 2:15 PM
> Subject: [blparent] toddler in crowds
>
>
>> Sooo went to Moncton this weekend for a missions trip. a 1 nighter. 
>> Anyway
>> how do you guys cope with being in large crowds with a toddler who loves 
>> to
>> wander. He's a good kid but, can't keep still to save his life. We were 
>> at
>> an overnight shelter, (the one we used to work at) and I found it really
>> nerve racking. I used the harness when I could but, I'm one of the 
>> singers
>> so had to be up front and get some friends to watch him. Most of my 
>> friends
>> are sighted so it's easier for them to chase him around the center. well 
>> I
>> am claustrophobic as well so crowds freak me out anyway and with a 
>> toddler
>> running around it's 10 times worse. I was sort of fine until I had to 
>> rely
>> totally on my friends that's hard. His birth mom was there too and had 
>> him
>> much of the time so I was a little wary and was constantly straining to 
>> know
>> where he was and half the time I didn't know exactly. I trust my friends
>> but, I'm not always going to have the option of having them around every
>> time I take a trip. We did well on this trip but, quite leary about 
>> taking
>> another one.
>> -- 
>> Shannan Zinck
>> Survival is letting GOD take over!!!
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