Meet Leland
Car seat harness
Leland Caira was diagnosed with autism shortly before his third birthday and is awaiting an ADHD assessment. His mum, Natalie, explains that he has no awareness of danger and can become easily frustrated:
“Leland is non-verbal so struggles with communicating, and while he is mostly a happy and caring little boy, his mood can be unpredictable. He doesn’t understand the importance of staying safely strapped into his car seat, and he had figured out how to escape from it. It was really worrying. He even started to jump out of his seat while I was driving or when we stopped at traffic lights.”
Concerned for her son’s safety, Natalie reached out to children’s disability charity, Children Today, who provided funding for a specialist car seat harness to keep Leland secure.
“It’s really taken the stress out of travelling for the whole family,” says Natalie. “We need the car for school runs and appointments several miles away, but it had reached a point where we couldn’t travel alone with Leland because he could climb out at any time. Now, with the harness, I can safely take him out on my own. It’s made life so much easier.”
Like many boys his age, Leland loves playing outdoors and visiting the park.
Natalie continues:
“Having the car seat harness has given us more opportunities to take Leland to his happy place – the park! We’re no longer limited to walks nearby and can travel further afield to explore new places, which he loves.”
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