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Should I Get A Medical Alert Bracelet?

AuBurney Tuckerson said:
I know that. I don't need anyone to tell me when someone doesn't care, alright. But if you don't care, then why are you here? All I'm asking is if it's even okay at all to even have a card or something indicating autism.
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Ummmm. you missed my point. My caring or not caring is not the issue. It's that if others see it, they may not care like you want or think.

People don't think, "Oh, autism. Let's be gentle, let's be kind." Look around and see how many here have been bullied.

If you want to identify as ASD, that is your choice. But you came on here asking for advice and perspective.

Being that you are wise and astute, I am sure you will appreciate that advice and perspective come in all forms and it's up to you to figure out what you decide.

Either way, it's your choice and we all will respect whatever it is you choose because people on this forum DO care. That is why we are here. :-)
 
The reason someone would need one is if they were not able to communicate when requiring help - the main example tends be when you're passed out - and if you think that is something you need to have in place, then yes.

I have another health condition so have an SOS necklace, and if I get my autism diagnosis, I will likely add autism to the paperwork in the necklace piece.
 
AuBurney Tuckerson said:
The stuff for my guinea pigs is unfortunately in the torture mart...
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Is it a store that does online sales, and if so can you afford to buy it online? Or see if there are any online stores where you could regularly buy your guinea pigs' needed supplies (like on a schedule) so you never ran out and didn't have to go to the torture mart store?
 
OkRad said:
People don't think, "Oh, autism. Let's be gentle, let's be kind." Look around and see how many here have been bullied.
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My personal experience is that many police officers will treat you very differently if they know you have a developmental disability versus thinking you are high on crack or whatever else they might think that is wrong.

So even if they are not exactly kind and gentle, them having that knowledge can be the difference between being arrested on suspicion of drug use and resisting arrest (this has not happened to me but I can see it happeninig and have read about it happening to other autistic people) or whatever, versus being restrained or supported to calm down until you are calm and then allowed to go.

And if you're in a situation where you can't speak or are having a meltdown, people will know you're different with or without the ID to tell them the specifics. If they're going to bully you, they will bully you whether you have the ID or not.

The ID is there for the non-bullies and the people in the middle, who might treat you badly only because they make assumptions and don't know any better -- the ID is to try to prevent or minimize the assumptions made, to give them a starting point to understand even if they don't much about autism.

I totally agree with you that there are no guarantees but anything that can be done to maybe increase personal safety seems like a good thing to do even if there are no guarantees.
 
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you wouldn't know the Laurens hope were medic alert bracelets, they specifically don't look medical because Lauren didn't like them.
 
OkRad said:
Ummmm. you missed my point. My caring or not caring is not the issue. It's that if others see it, they may not care like you want or think.

People don't think, "Oh, autism. Let's be gentle, let's be kind." Look around and see how many here have been bullied.

If you want to identify as ASD, that is your choice. But you came on here asking for advice and perspective.

Being that you are wise and astute, I am sure you will appreciate that advice and perspective come in all forms and it's up to you to figure out what you decide.

Either way, it's your choice and we all will respect whatever it is you choose because people on this forum DO care. That is why we are here. :)
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Ok
 
I'm thinking of just getting a simple Autism card to keep in my phone case. In my case, I'm probably gonna need one.. especially when going to a big loud place by myself.. or going to class.. I kinda had meltdown in the torture mart because of the loud noises torturing me while I was stuck there for HOURS while the car was getting an oil change, and my phone (that was playing music through headphones to keep the noises from torturing me too much) died on me. All I can remember is rocking, screeching from the loud noises, and hitting my head.. I couldn't stay inside or outside because the loud noises kept following me! I was trapped, and people who passed by (some with little torture devils called kids) were staring at me. All the popping and clacking and screeching. I just can't do it! And this was just earlier this morning! At first, it wasn't as busy because it was like 9 going on 10, but then more people and kids started coming! Today was the worst! The only thing is that I had nothing in front of me to bang my head on. I'm worried that next time, something will happen, an I'll lose control. So now I figure that I may need an Autism card.

Where do I get an Autism card?

If I can't buy or order one, how do I make one?
 
A local autism society may be able to direct you to online resources to obtain a pre-made card, or they may offer pre-made ones themselves.

You can make one in a word processor and print it out on cardstock if you can't find a suitable one online. Make it business card size -- lots of word processers have blank templates for business cards. You can laminate it at a place like Staples or a copy/print store after you print it out.

Use pre-made cards you can get in other places (like the ones autistic people can get in calgary -- see the link I posted) as a sort of guide/model.

On the front, write a statement like, "I have Autism"

On the back, right short phrases about how your autism affects you -- format them in bullet point. Write information about your sensory sensitivites and how they lead to meltdowns. Write about communication challenges (e.g. if you go mute, if it's hard for you to express yourself under stress or all the time, if you have trouble understanding people). Write if you have unusual body language or behavior. Write what people should not do in a crisis (shout at you, touch you, etc.). Write what people can do to help you in a crisis (e.g. speak quietly, use concrete or simple language, etc.). Write the phone number(s) of your emergency contact(s).

If you need help figuring out what to write, I bet everyone here will try to help you or you could maybe ask your family or a counsellor (if you have one).
 
Can I also get cards from amazon.com?y mother has an account on there, and I can probably create an account with my debit card as well.
 
the_tortoise said:
A local autism society may be able to direct you to online resources to obtain a pre-made card, or they may offer pre-made ones themselves.

You can make one in a word processor and print it out on cardstock if you can't find a suitable one online. Make it business card size -- lots of word processers have blank templates for business cards. You can laminate it at a place like Staples or a copy/print store after you print it out.

Use pre-made cards you can get in other places (like the ones autistic people can get in calgary -- see the link I posted) as a sort of guide/model.

On the front, write a statement like, "I have Autism"

On the back, right short phrases about how your autism affects you -- format them in bullet point. Write information about your sensory sensitivites and how they lead to meltdowns. Write about communication challenges (e.g. if you go mute, if it's hard for you to express yourself under stress or all the time, if you have trouble understanding people). Write if you have unusual body language or behavior. Write what people should not do in a crisis (shout at you, touch you, etc.). Write what people can do to help you in a crisis (e.g. speak quietly, use concrete or simple language, etc.). Write the phone number(s) of your emergency contact(s).

If you need help figuring out what to write, I bet everyone here will try to help you or you could maybe ask your family or a counsellor (if you have one).
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I don't know of Arkansas has a local autism society where I could get a card. Is there a site to where I can just buy it online?
 
Probably amazon has them. Do a search for "autism id card" or "autism alert card" and see if there is anything you would find suitable.
 
AuBurney Tuckerson said:
I don't know of Arkansas has a local autism society where I could get a card. Is there a site to where I can just buy it online?
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Here is a link to website for the Arkansas Autism Research and Outreach Center: aaroc.org

I don't know if they do cards but maybe you could call or email them and ask if they do, or if they know where you could get a good one.
 
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