Consumer Reports has an interesting post up right now about childproofing your garden. They’ve got some good tips, but there are some other year round ones to consider as well.

Consumer Reports notes the following:
Store unsafe gardening items inside. Hopefully you’re using non-toxic gardening methods, which is safer for the planet, your child, and even your own health, but if not you need to store fertilizers, chemicals, and plant food up and out of reach. Other items to keep locked away include sharp garden tools, heavy garden tools, and cleaners you may use for pots.
Check your backyard for poisonous plants. Many …read more

How did 5-year-old Colum Canning fall into a pool at a Disneyland Paris hotel during a Christmas trip? Colum, who was autistic, was discovered in the pool by another guest, who pulled him out; he had already lost consciousess when he was taken to a hospital, where he died, today’s SkyNews reports.
Colum was just a typical wee boy who was so happy, so loving and so full of energy,
said Colum’s parents, Karen Canning and David Bradley of Derry, in a statement, and may he be remembered just like that.

Just as there is the Amber Alert for abducted children, should there be an “Autism Alert” when an autistic child is missing? The parents of Kaitlyn Bacile—-who, in September, was found drowned in a canal near her home —-think so, as reported in today’s WSVN (Florida):
While it’s too late for Kaitlyn, her parents hope some good can come from their tragedy.
Jay Bacile: “We want Kaitlyn’s life not to go in vain, at the very minimum we want to raise awareness. We just want her memory to live on and do good because that’s what Kaitlyn was, was pure goodness.
WSVN notes …read more

Last June, 10-year-old Jon Jon Jackson died while taking a nap after being in the pool of the apartment complex where he lived for about 45 minutes. The cause of his death was determined to be “asphyxiation due to drowning.” His mother, Cassandra Jackson, spoke nationally about the dangers of secondary drowning, which is a secondary injury caused to the lung when even a small amount of water (a teaspoon) gets in the lungs. Jon Jon had attention deficit disorder and autism.
Today, The Post and Courier (Charleston) reported that a family friend, Saquan Meekins, has been charged with homicide by …read more

Being at the beach, water safety is not just a concern; it’s an every moment necessity. Charlie did a lot more swimming today (more on that later) and I still remember the relief I felt when, at the age of 6, he learned how to swim. This meant that, while still always keeping an eye on him, going to the pool and the beach was a bit (a bit) less nerve-wracking. Back in April, Deanna Muniz’s autistic son, Christopher, got out of the house and drowned. In his memory, Muniz has founded an organization, Christopher Connections, that, among other goals …read more

6-year-old Grayson Sherrell drowned in a backyard swimming pool last Friday, today’s Gaston Gazette reports:
Police say Grayson wandered off from the backyard of his grandparents, Robert and Betty Saunders of the 3600 block of Raven Hill Drive, Gastonia.
They realized he was gone after three or four minutes and began searching for him. When they didn’t find him after several minutes they called police, according to a press release.
A resident of 1105 Colony Court found him in the pool after coming home and began CPR. The boy was taken to
Gaston Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Grayson was to start first …read more

10-year-old Johnny Jackson died last week while taking a nap in his house from “asphyxiation due to drowning”—-according to today’s ABC News, Johnny may have died from secondary drowning. Johnny, who had attention deficit disorder and autism, had been playing in the neighborhood pool for about 45 minutes. He was wearing flotation devices on his arms and was being monitored by his mother, Cassandra Jackson, and other adults. She noted that he was “taking a little bit of water in and coughing and then calming down” but that everything seemed fine. But then:
But less than two hours after getting out …read more

5-year-old Carlee Bennett of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, apparently drowned in her bathtub on Saturday evening, according to the Fond du Lac Reporter. Carlee had severe autism and was found lying face-down in the bathtub. Her grandmother, a retired nurse, was babysitting her and her two brothers and immediately started administering CPR.
Emergency personnel took Carlee to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee where doctors were able to restart her heart, Bennett said. But Carlee, who had been without oxygen for as long as 30 minutes, had severe organ damage and likely severe brain damage.
“The way we’ll always remember her is as …read more

“Linda” Xuan Peng has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2004 drowning death of her 4-year-old autistic daughter Scarlet Chen, according to the March 1st Toronto Sun. Scarlets death was initially ruled an “unfortunate accident,” but, on February 28, 2005, Peng was arrested and charged with murder. The case went to trial on November 5, 2007. On the day of Scarlet’s drowning, her pediatrician, Dr. James Leung, had told Peng that Scarlet could not be cured by surgery.
“Linda” Xuan Peng, wearing a pink and white sweater and black slacks, kept her head bowed as the jury returned with …read more

Four-year-old Scarlet Chen drowned in the bathtub of her Scarborough, Ontario, home on July 12, 2004. Her death was initially ruled an “‘unfortunate accident,’” but, on February 28, 2005, Scarlet’s mother, Xuan Peng, was arrested and charged with murder. The case went to trial on November 5, 2007; Peng has been free on $110,000 bail since May of 2005. The February 7th Toronto Star reports on more details about the case, including a visit with pediatrician Dr. James Leung, hours before Scarlet died. “‘”In their mind, they still hadn’t given up on a quick solution,’” Dr. Leung told prosecutor Joshua …read more