A community activist and mother of kids on the autism spectrum is promoting a safety tool for other parents after the death of an 11-year-old boy in Eden Prairie last month.

Eden Prairie police recovered Mohamed Mohamed’s body in a pond near his home on Oct. 20 after he was reported missing earlier that day.

The National Autism Association warns that kids with autism are prone to wandering and are often drawn to water. Their data shows roughly half of kids diagnosed with autism will try to escape a safe environment.

It also says they are 160 times more likely to die by drowning than other kids.

Just this summer, another young boy with autism went missing in Hopkins. The 4-year-old’s body was later recovered in Minnehaha Creek.

Police believe the boy left on his accord and apparently drowned, with the chief calling it a “Horrible and tragic accident.”

Ever since, autism activists have been shining a light on ways to reduce the likelihood of these tragedies.

One way is using a combination lock on exterior doors and windows to keep kids from wandering away from home unknowingly.

Sheletta Brundidge, who says three of her four children are on the autism spectrum and doesn’t want money to get in the way of keeping kids safe at home, was giving them away for free on Saturday.

“They’re looking for opportunities, open doors, open windows, cracks in the screen, anything that they can do to get out of the house, and they’re not being naughty and the parents are not being derelict of their duties,” Brundidge said. “And so these interior combination door locks that I found on Amazon three years ago are the only thing that have kept my kids safe.”

Brundidge says she’s given out 600 door locks to parents of children with autism since the spring.

If you missed Saturday’s event, Brundidge says the locks are available on her website.