“Autism Mom” Sheletta Brundidge returns to hometown to give away locks and help families find a sense of community

Mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles. They all lined up at this event on Saturday with the same emotions.

FEAR: They all feel fear for the safety of a child in their lives that has autism. They know how quickly a child with autism can get outside the house without a caregiver knowing.

EXHAUSTION: They all know what it’s like to stay constantly on guard to make sure a child with autism does not leave their sight and elope.

RELIEF: On this day, they all felt the same sense of relief knowing they are getting a vital tool to help keep their children safe.

These families all lined up at the Gus George Academy in Richmond, Texas on Saturday to get a free interior combination lock for their homes.

Sheletta Brundidge , who has three children on the spectrum, has given away hundreds of these locks. She has hosted giveaways in Minnesota and other parts of the county . This is the second time she has returned to her hometown to hold a similar event.

Since the start of summer, four children with autism have died in the Houston area:

-On Sept 22, a 5-year-old with autism drowned in a pond in Houston’s Cypress area
-On Sept 18, a 7-year-old with autism drowned in a pool in northeast Harris County
-On Aug 25, an 8-year-old boy with autism drowned in a lake in suburban Richmond
-On June 27, a 12-year-old nonverbal girl with autism drowned in a lake in suburban Fulshear

As the giveaway got underway, Sheletta told the families that the locks have changed everything for her. Now she wants to help other families feel the same way. “I came all the way from Minnesota to Houston just for you all. Because I saw that our children needed these locks. Take it to your house. Put it on your doors. Keep your children safe.”

“It’s a God-send,” Shawnia Elder said about the lock giveaway. She is the aunt of two children with autism. She says her 5-year-old niece shows signs of a child who will wander. “I’ve been looking up things, like how will we track her? How will we be able to find her? And with these recent events in the county, with these children being lost, unfortunately, I don’t want that to be our Ava.”

Chief Deputy Mattie Provost from the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office was one of several law enforcement officers who attended the event. “I am just so grateful for Sheletta, for bringing this program to Fort Bend County, for seeing the need; because within the last month we’ve had three deaths. And Harris county just had a death of an autistic child. She saw that and I am so grateful to her for seeing the need and coming here.”

The locks are just part of these special days organized by Sheletta. She also aims for these events to be a place for families to come together and find a sense of community.

“Kids with autism are always last. Last to go to lunch. Last to get on the bus. Last to go to school. Last on the playgrounds,” said Sheletta. “But at my events, kids with autism are first. First to get in line. First to get a snow cone. First to get coloring sheets. First to get their face painted. And so it makes them feel good. It also makes their families feel good. It’s a gathering. It’s not just a ‘here’s your lock, have a great day.’ I want them to stay and enjoy and feel special.”