Text to put on braclet/band

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Hiya,

I've been considering getting a braclet/band/chain etc and am struggling to decide what to put on it. It's tough coming up with something short enough to be read but still get the message across.

My stuation is that at times i can get extremely worked up with a mix of frustration and annoyance. Throw in some sensory issues with touch, invasion of personal space (ie people too close) and noise, concentration issues through ADHD and the common autistic issue of having to focus and think what's happening or being said, thus reacting slowly.

There's been various times in the past i've been in situations where i've lashed out at someone or damaged property or just generally acted agressively. I quickly calm down from these situations and once the flash point is over i return to my extremely calm, rational, objective self.

So i want something i can show to someone who may be trying to restrain me or want to fight me or arrest me or just be escalating or prolonging a situation that would be over if they just left me alone for a minute and allowed me to calm down.

I considered putting some specific information such as sensitive to touch, may not respond to commands, may appear aggressive etc but so far i'm considering the following, which i read on another thread here -

Autistic (or Autism Alert?)
Please employ standard de-escalation techniques - Do not restrain/touch

Which sounds fairly good but i wonder how many people would understand or know what that means, hopefully the police, but security? and normal civies? I'm thinking the most likely scenerio is me saying "i'll be ok just leave me alone, get off" or similar while showing them that. Is it asking to say do not touch?

Thoughts or alternatives would be appreciated

Only works if people read the thing. I've heard of similar ideas with dog tags, like you might see on an epileptic, but I don't see anything being very useful. If I had a wristband, I'd print phrases from Waking Life like I did with images on my Pardus profiles. For example, this and this.

I designed a web cgi program designed for this purpose. It has an autism information card as well as a medical alert card. I carry both with me at all times.

http://www.plaza1.net/autexample.html

"de-escalation techniques"? I don't know what that means. And I have a friend who's a security guard at a mall and I can't imagine that she would know what that means either. XD;; They don't get much training, really.

Anyway, yeah.. what kind of situation do you expect to be in where people will want to restrain you, but are going to read your wrist-thing beforehand? BTW, in the case of mall security guards, they don't use restraint, they use mace..

Maybe in the US, not the rest of the world.

De-escalation techniques are what police etc are taught to de-escalate or defuse a situation. They involve things like speaking calmly rather than shouting, using minimal physical contact, standing back from people and not getting in their space etc.

Basically don't do anything that's going to make the person react and make things worse.

As for when i intend to use it, it would be as a back up to me telling them, it adds some legitimary to have a medical braclet i can show them to basically say "i'm not just being an idiot yelling get off, i have a medical condition which you're making worse". I belive i would have the control to offer them my arm and show my braclet.

It may even just be a situation where i'm in public need to be left alone and people are bothering me in a well meaning but dangerous way. I don't lose the ability to comunicate completely but i do get to a stage where i want to scream and lash out, that's what i want to have an extra step to avoid if people aren't listening when i tell them to leave me alone or get off me.

People often bother you and get in your space in public?

Someone is likely to if i'm acting in a non standard manner. I guess i'm not explaining myself well as i thought there'd be more interest or assistance than this.

I think i have decided on -

Autism Alert
I need to be calm
Please help me

This will also help me in situations where i'm not responding to people. While i don't have meltdowns or anything I do get hyersensitive during situations of stress confusion or discomfort and the last thing i need is lots of questions and people trying to touch/move me to get me to respond.

My emergency bracelet says:

[Name]
I have autism!
Allergic to [really common drug]
Call [spouse & phone number]
or [mom & phone number]

In an emergency, that's the best I could come up with. The fact is, if they are reading the bracelet, they are already touching me. I'm an aspie, but since autism is better known by folks, my doctor thought it was the most likely to get an appropriate medical response. I have a wallet card that has a lot more information on it, like my doctor's phone number, my favorite triggers, and the medications I take regularly.

I just wanted to say that it's really smart to have the allergy thing on there. I've been trying to convince my mom to get a bracelet or medical alert card because she's severely allergic to penecillin. I'm terrified somehow she'll be in a situation where she is unable to tell someone about her allergy, be given penecillin, and die. (A bad habit I have, to build unlikely scenarios into huge emergencies in my head.)

I like your text. I am considering getting a bracelet myself and I think I'll borrow most of your text. (I'd put Asperger's Syndrome instead of autism, I think, and I have no significant drug allergies.) I think most people would have an easier time communicating with my husband or parents than they would with me, so having those phone numbers available is a great idea.

I have AS and ADHD and plan to use autism for the same reason, wider recognition, even if they don't really understand autism most people have heard of it and will recognise it as a medical issue that could explain behaviour.

For success in science and art, a dash of autism is essential (Hans Asperger)