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

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Most of my new site is still undeveloped, but this page is up and running already: Available ASD Alert Card Options

In the other thread about using these cards, there's a link posted by cyberscan. I'll put a link to cyberscan's Autism Identification Card on my page as soon as I have time, once I'm back on my computer.

I won't be online again for a couple of weeks, but if anyone finds other options, please let me know. I can update the page some more as new info comes in. Thanks!

Yes indeed, a variety of good cards people can choose from.

I wish you good luck with your trip. Hope you see a lot and learn a lot. I have one idea, maybe you could be attune to your higher energy times of the day, whether you tend to have more energy in the morning or evening?

Some of my best projects have been done in intermittent fashion as life intrudes.

I think it's perfectly fine.

As another positive example.


And this card is from this thread: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp4223042.html

Now, I hope everyone realizes that if the police fixate on someone as the main suspect, they really want to make a case. This pattern happens in the United States, and also internationally. Look at how the Italian police fixated on Amanda Knox.

So, what I recommend is a good medium skill.

"Officer, I'm thinking I might need an attorney." At that point, the officer might back off, or they might continue with questioning.

"I'm going to request an attorney."

"I hereby request an attorney." [and repeat as necessary]

===============

And having an Autism Spectrum card immediately behind your driver's license or ID card, where you can hand the card to the officer as you hand your ID, reduces the likelihood of this whole chain of events. For a formal interaction with a police officer, I think an Asperger's-Autism Spectrum card puts the odds more in your favor.

While not necessarily relevant for a majority of people, the ones I'd personally want would be:

-Plastic rather than paper

And modifying off of other ideas my favorites are

or

The very simple (with the "may" cut out - no we have these issues always, its just a question of how much they're causing current issues)



or again, cutting out the unnecessary "may"s (and making it not be Asperger's specific)




If I were to make one custom made I'd make this last one if it fits well on a card. I've not checked to see if it fits well, but I've been paying some attention to it. (If I make this custom - if I can find anywhere that would custom print a few cards for not much, I'd change the sensory issues line to be more personal because I have severe SPD comorbid to my ASD)

The NAS sell their card in packs of 50. The expectation is that you will hand the card out, but will not expect it back. If you give it to someone such as a police officer, they may need to go away and phone the number or show it to someone else. When you are in a position where you may need to hand out the card, the last thing you don't need the stress of getting the card back.

The reason this is important is that that plastic cards are much more expensive to produce. If you get them printed professionally the minimum costs are higher.

Jason.

Seconded. I had a railcard that was paper and it lasts for 3 years. All the writing has rubbed off. On the other hand, I have a plastic bus pass, which has lasted much longer.




Is there anywhere near you that prints business cards?

Looking at their cards and the type that I'm wanting, they're very different. The type they're designing are meant to be handed out. The type I'm wanting is meant to be shown to people in an emergency. Both have their uses, but for the emergency cards, it should be a plastic card.

I am supportive of their cards. Their cards just aren't useful for me to carry and share, because of my particular manifestation (and because of me being in the US).

There are two different uses here - informative business cards to hand out, and emergency cards that always stay on you. The latter is the one I want. The former, if I decide at some point to have ones like that - I'd make my own, and get them printed, rather than buy premade ones.

Paper cards, sure, but I want to a plastic one. I'd pay the extra for it. I'd order online. I'd even order a pack of more than one and sell the other ones on ebay or such as long as I didn't take a loss and my initial costs weren't high because it wasn't a large pack.

I might hesitant before putting something on my card like, Please do not touch me unless it is really necessary. Police officers sometimes engage in bullying behavior (sometimes they get in a negative mindset), and I wouldn’t want to give additional information on how he or she can bully me.

Plus, it’s a little bit telling the police officer how to do his or her job.

So, I might have two cards, one for a police officer and other potentially adversarial situations, and another card for medical professionals and other more cooperative situations.

For showing to a police officer (and I recommend keeping the card immediately behind your ID so you can hand both to the officer at the same time), maybe this:

(I’m somewhat undecided about whether adding the part about ADA is helpful.)

I think it is. These will be shown to people who aren't just police officers. Other people it will be useful to have that there.

Thanks, I will.

Thank you too. I don't know what exactly causes me to have high energy and low energy times. It's something similar to shutdowns, or maybe autistic fluctuation of skills, and more often than not I can not foresee it, as there's apparently no identifiable pattern. I'm not always fully aware of stress-factors and triggers either. Anyway, I plan a bit long trip because I don't want to stress myself with time limits. I want to enjoy the trip as much as I can, primarily dedicate it to my special interests (Dickens, Oliver Twist, and maybe The Beatles and Sherlock Holmes, and of course all the famous places and buildings).

Okay, I did a test run when I went on vacation to an SCA camping event. I showed it to people I knew as I explained about having recently been diagnosed. I realize this is different from the scenarios in which I'd really need the card, but it was the best I could do up to that point. I noticed what people did when they looked at the card and how they reacted to it. I got no negative reactions and some definitely positive ones. I still made revisions, based on a couple of things I noticed, and I now have a result. It's on my new Website, though the rest of the site is still undeveloped as of this posting. Here is the page for the new ASD Alert Card:

http://wayshelter.com/Toolbox/AlertCards.htm

You'll notice the card is displayed right on the page, so you can see how you'll like it. Instructions are also there. I wasn't sure how much space would be needed for the last part, but it's all adjustable in any graphics program. People with more to say about accommodations can move the additional health issues part down to make room. People with more additional health problems can move that part up to create more writing space for it. The personal version I printed out for myself mentions my fibromyalgia and that I have certain specific difficulties: sitting in the same position or standing for long periods; needing explanations in advance whenever possible, so that I'm not surprised; having mild sensory issues and processing delays; having minor meltdowns / shutdowns, usually privately. It also states that my issues are not always immediately apparent. I thought this necessary, in case someone thought the card was not about anything real, given how well I can "pass" under good conditions. Others may want to say other things about themselves, and this is a space I deliberately made for the purpose of tailoring the card for those needs.

I realize this is not perfect. I fully support more simple cards and ones that say different things on them. I also understand if some people can't or don't want to have to pull graphics from a Word document and use a graphics program to alter them, as not everyone has that skill or the necessary technology and some just don't want to go to the trouble. That's why I'm including listings of other cards. I'll list more over time, as I get a chance to work on the page more. If anyone finds more that I haven't listed, please let me know. Also let me know if you make your own and would like it to be available to others. I can post a link.