Help designing an Asperger's card, what would you put on it?

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I want to design some Asperger's / Autism alert-info cards to keep handy. The ones I've seen are either sub-optimal, or are all for children.

I'd like your help in figuring out what to put on these. When I'm done, I'll upload the templates so others can use them as well. In addition to business card size, I might also make a file for mini-cards, like those at moo.com.

I'm thinking of using two formats:

1. Card for police and authorities: The goal of this card is to keep you from getting arrested or tazed. It will be bright, eye-catching, and have just a couple bullets, not a wall of text.

2. Card for general public: The goal of this card is to smooth over social situations. This card will be wordier, convey more info, and have less of a "read in case of emergency" feel.

So, what would you put in each card?



Here are my first thoughts. There will be two templates for each card, one with just Asperger's Syndrome, and one with Autism. "Asperger's / Autism" is the placeholder.

Card for police: Asperger's / Autism Alert
1. I am not ignoring you. I cannot speak when stressed or upset.
2. I may misunderstand your requests or get confused. Please be very literal.
3. My condition makes it difficult to make eye contact. It is not a sign of guilt.
4. I may sway or make repetitive motions. This is a stress response, not a sign of substance abuse.
5. Something about sensory issues, shouting, lights. (possibly merged with eye contact?)

Card for general Public
I have Asperger's / Autism, a neurological difference that can make it difficult for me to communicate clearly or understand social situations.
I may react in unexpected ways or say unexpected things.
I'm often very anxious in unfamiliar situations which may result in tics or odd behaviors.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.
If you'd like to know more, please visit (insert website, etc. etc.)
possible a social exit excuse of some kind.


Suggestions for extra content? Stuff to replace?

Thanks for your feedback.

Last edited by PixelPony on 26 Jul 2012, 11:59 pm, edited 3 times in total.

You could put something about stimming on the police card, so they don't misinterpret our "weird" motions as being drunk or on drugs.

That's always my biggest fear.

Why re-invent the wheel? http://www.autism.org.uk/our-services/s ... -card.aspx

Jason.

Added.

It may look like a bit of a mess right now. I'll tighten it up and reorder it once we've got what we want on it.


And we reinvent the wheel because we see room for improvement. I don't see that autism alert card doing much good in a tense police encounter, unless by some miracle you get an officer who knows about autism. It would probably make a decent info card for the general public though.


Edit: I'm wondering if the police alert card shouldn't start with "I can't speak! Please Read" or something like it.

I wish that for just one hour in school, Aspergers Synrome and Autism could be discussed. If an Aspie did something wrong they should be arrested but I believe the goal of the card should be to help prevent Aspies from doing something wrong. My main problem would be if I had a meltdown, if I was involved in a car collision I could see this happening and I don't think that your average police officer or the other agitated driver would make it better. One article I read suggested having a card similar to this to give to the police.

Maybe:

"THIS PERSON IS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM AND CANNOT SPEAK WHEN STRESSED." [now, that's not always strictly true, but it's true often enough to be a good and valid generalization]

On top of that, a lot of them are for the UK, so they have UK websites and associations on them and all that stuff.

It might be good to have "I can't speak! Please read" on one side of the card in larger print.

You might want to add something about sensory issues - since loud noises or being yelled at can make it more difficult to respond, and being touched, especially when it's not expected, can cause many problems, possibly involuntary resistance as well.

I think making a card like this that caters to adults with AS/autism is a great idea. I'm glad you're making it for both Asperger's and autism - a lot of them are just for Asperger's.

This might even be a more direct way of doing it.

Perhaps the addition of any particular sensory issues, stimming behaviors, medications, communication difficulties, and any garment/device/objects you use for purposes associated with autism/Asperger's syndrome. Sometimes interests may be important, as it can explain why you are behaving a certain way (for example: someone attracted to abandoned structures would likely want to tresspass to explore, not to deal drugs, as is the common assumption by LE personnel).

I have heard of incidents involving officers firing on someone because they believed the person was reaching for a weapon when in reality, they were stimming with an object in their pocket. Another case involved a person walking toward the officer after being told to sit down and to approach with hands up (contradictory commands-extremely confusing for those on the spectrum). In the end, educating law enforcement personnel will be the most crucial tool in preventing such situations from taking place.

The "I can't speak" part is a little misleading.

Sometimes people can actually speak, a little, but have trouble getting it out. But they're not mute. "I can't speak" implies muteness.

Maybe - "I Might not be able to speak, please read"

For the last three years, my mind has been looping the same two phrases over and over. I would not say it's constant, but it can happen most of the day, no matter what I'm doing. It used to not be an every day thing, but now it seems to be a daily fixture of my life. Fortunately, there is no anxiety generated because the thoughts are pretty nonsensical. But they contribute to my "I don't belong on this planet" feeling.

Is this an autism thing? I know autistic people can have repetitive thoughts, based on my readings on the web, but I wasn't sure if they are the kind of repetitive thoughts that I'm having--where it's really just randomness looping over and over.

I'm currently developing a Website with resources for adults. It won't be ready for a while, especially because I'll be unable to work on it for a bit when I'm away. But my site will include a page listing places where various versions of these cards are available. I'd like to include a link to the OP's card in that list when it's ready. I also plan on designing my own. I think people should have choices so they can pick the one that suits them best, as we are all so different in our needs and preferences.

I'm thinking of making a card with two sides. One will be for emergency responders and other officials. The other will be for the general public. Each will suggest turning it over for more info. I plan to put it in a window by itself in my ID holder, so that it can be viewed without removal. Then anyone who needs to will be able to get all the info to be well rounded about what they're being told. I also want to update my personal emergency info card to simply state I have Asperger's, in case that's all someone notices or knows to look for.

My spectrum specific card will, I think, say I'm on the spectrum instead of specifying Asperger's or autism. It will include a blank line to write in where I was diagnosed and one to say who to contact if I have trouble. This should make up for it not being issued by an organization to which I've proven my diagnosis and help get someone in touch with my girlfriend for verification of my claim and also so that she can know I need her.

This thread is an excellent idea!

Any ideas how to explain demand avoidance? If someone is too directive, it can make me panic. For example, it's better if they give me options rather than dictating one thing, explain clearly why it's important to do that thing rather than just stating the rule, and/or ask me rather than telling me (but only do that if it truly is optional). Plus my way of showing panic can often look aggressive, even though I'd never actually cause deliberate harm to someone.

In the United States, it's most common (but not universal) for a police officer to ask you to remove your ID from your wallet.

Consequently, I would recommend putting one copy of the card immediately behind your ID so you can hand both to the police officer at the same time.

And I'd even occasionally practice taking both out at the same time.

I think this might be a good idea, too.

Like someone said above, it's good to have several different cards available so people can have choices.

Yeah, like, possibly a standard card, but then someone who wants it can personalize it if need be.

Everyone is different in important ways.
This is why I got a medical id with Asperger's on it, but a card would seal the deal.