Letter to Inform People of AS

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What do you think of this idea?

I just found out about a woman who wrote a short letter and attached her picture and passed it out to her gym, pharmacist, wherever she goes, etc. to inform people she is bipolar ahead of time in case she has an episode.

What about for autism? Just in case there is a meltdown, sensitivity to noise or light, awkward social interactions.

Is it worth a short letter with a pic attached to take to various places to give them?

And who carries wallet cards with medications listed on them and their diagnosis?

Is this a good idea?

I think that would be a great way to clear up confusion in certain situations an Aspie might encounter (like being pulled over by a cop) I've actually been thinking about doing this too!

My doctor's office actually gave me a wallet card with my meds on it, so I added on the back my diagnosis, in case of emergency. Still, a letter explaining specifically behaviors they may see (meltdowns, awkwardness) might also be helpful. I'm seriously thinking about doing it.

When I was newly diagnosed I got a plasted card in creditcard size. The spare text on it stated some very simple and short facts about AS.
This was supposed to be shown up in any situations you might need to have spontanious support from your surroundings. I felt kinda naked to use it and I prefered not to and I quit carrying it around some years ago. If you like I can find it to see whats written on it.

I only used it once. That was on a train when there was some trouble with the reserved seats and I desperately needed to sit alone without a stranger next to me. I showed the card to the trainsstaff and because of that I was lead to sit in first class

I've written a "letter" that I present to caretakers before they take charge of my child.
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the gist is:

Hello, my name is X.

I have allergies to X, please do not feed me anything not given you by my mom or I could get really sick. My mom carries a green bag with emergency medication so let her know right away in case of an emergency.

I also have a processing delay. (It could take me up to 25 seconds to answer a simple yes or no questions!) If you have asked me a question I am thinking of your answer, please do not interrupt me, I will have to start thinking of your answer all over again! I may be wiggly, but that does not mean I am not listening to you, please do not force me to look into your eyes, it makes me very uncomfortable. If I begin spinning let me know that you can't understand me when I am not facing me and ask me to face you tell you again. I will stop for a moment so you can hear my answer.

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My child doesn't melt down though, I think he does the partial shutdown thing. I feel that is all that is needed for the 45 mintues to 1 hour these people have my child. I mean, they have my phone number and an emergency contact number and I'm always within 20 seconds away.

For an adult, something to hand out to people you are with on a normal basis would be good. I don't know that I would hand it out to the grocery store people and all that, they wouldn't really remember you from one visit to another.

An emergency card perhaps stating "I have a medical condition, I may get overwhelmed easily and not be able to control my actions. What I need right now is a large personal space, please do not touch me, I just need a little time and understanding. Being touched, loud noises and bright lights may all make my recovery time longer."

I like this idea..I could give it to the people at the bank.

I could make maybe a flyer I coud hand someone in the even of an emergency.

"Hi,
My name is Gary and I am autistic.
Put all of the money in this brown paper bag.
Do not call the police.
I cannot help myself.
Pleased to meet you".

Ha..ha.. that was a good one. Seriously, I don't think this would work for me. Sometimes people stare at me and laugh a bit, usually when I'm stressed and out shopping, then I always feel awkward. I don't think people will concider me as less weird if I actually pull out a card that states that I'm autistic. "Please don't laugh, I'm autistic, look here.. It might help others with more severe disorders than me.

What would prpbably happen with me and the way I appear, I would reach inside my jacket for a little card and somebody would react by thinking they were about to be robbed so they'd scream and run away.

LOL. You forgot "This is not a meltdown. The meltdowns are really bad."

Instead of a note, you could always attach a badge to your sleeve. Like a yellow star.

Yeah, like Mr. Bean, arriving to the US? Got the airport security into red allert. I think that was a great movie, Mr. Bean the movie, you watched it?
Only he did it on purpose just for the gag of it..

You are all making me LAUGH hysterically!

I'm going to give some thought into whether to make a card and laminate it or not. I could always ask people (like at the pharmacy) to make copies of it.

Seriously, I can't imagine how to fit an explanation of AS that anyone could quickly comprehend onto something the size of a business card. Seems you'd need a separate card for each aspect of the disorder that might come up. One for exhibiting stims, one for cognitive shutdowns, one for lack of eye contact, three or four for personal space issues and a couple handfuls to throw at everyone during meltdowns.

In my experience, people just don't care to make the mental effort to comprehend what AS or autism in general, is. Dyslexia is simple, they get that; Downs syndrome is obvious, bi-polarity they kinda get but expect you to be medicated for, but autism is just a funky word to NTs. To understand autism, they'd have to sit down and read a bit and most of them consider reading a chore.

I live with an expert on Alzheimer's disease - she can tell you it's effects at every stage and identify what stage a person is in with a two-minute interview - but she left me a note this morning expecting me to make about seven different phone calls to strangers, including getting estimates from a plumbing contractor. I might make one of those calls on a good day, two if I were bouncing off the walls with confidence and energy, but seven socially interactive cold calls in one day!? All she knows about AS is a few paragraphs she's read on WebMD. If someone who lives with an Aspie can't be bothered to understand it's effects, how much empathy can you expect from giving an "I'm disabled" synopsis to a stranger?

The prevailing attitude is "If yore legs ain't broke, you ain't crippled."

A red and white striped came, shorter and heavier that one used by the blind, to routinely beat people with who can't understand what I'm trying to convey or what I want.

I don't think it is a good idea to write a letter explaining mental conditions and pass it out. I like the idea of putting a card in a wallet.