Brantley requires constant supervision—24-hour eyes on him for safety. Despite being almost 9, his safety awareness is similar to that of a 1-year-old. He's fast, strong, impulsive, and oblivious to danger.
The reality of this combination is stark as Brantley's pica poses a genuine risk.
While I do my absolute best to keep a watchful eye on him around the clock, I'm only human. I need to use the bathroom, care for Bronson, and prepare meals. I grapple with questions like, "How am I supposed to do these things and still keep constant watch on Brantley?" Should I take my almost 9-year-old son to the bathroom with me? Because that feels wrong.
Yet comments like “he could choke. watch him" come into play on videos about Pica. Comments like these highlight the need for awareness about the intricacies of this condition. It's tougher than you might imagine to have eyes on a child his age 24/7.
Despite our efforts to secure our house, pica means Brantley stops at nothing. We have locks on everything from our doors to our trash cans. Our refrigerator itself has four locks because Brantley, without a second thought, will open it and consume raw meat, packaging and all. Surprisingly, he manages to bust through all four locks nearly every day with one swift pull. If he can’t get through: he will move on to eating the drywall.
This is the unfiltered reality we face in raising Brantley. and we aren’t alone. There are a lot of families in this world raising a child with profound autism and pica and I’m guessing we all wish keeping them safe was as simple as “just watch them”.
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