Autism medical alert bracelet?

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As a member of medical personnel who has responded to emergencies like this, that's not the way I've seen it handled. Just saying. If someone had a med alert bracelet on and seemed like they were having a breakdown, most people with basic medical training would know that it could be brought on by a number of biological/chemical influences and not to jump to conclusions. I'm not saying everyone is as compassionate or professional, but it could very well earn a second look in a moment of crisis.

I have actually been in situations in the past where with hindsight, having a card or a bracelet to explain to people /why/ I was so upset at "nothing" could have been really helpful. I used to date someone across the border, and one thing that makes me melt down is being interrogated or questioned in an aggressive manner. I had so much trouble with the border guards because I must have looked "too nervous" or suspicious due to how tense I would become that I was detained, had my car seats sliced open, the whole nine yards. They asked why I was so nervous to be questioned and all I could say at the time was that I had "depression" which was all I knew I had.

It's possible that if I not only said "I'm high functioning autistic and overwhelmed under questioning" but had a card or a bracelet to lend legitimacy to that claim that they might have realized that's why I was acting oddly, not because I was guilty of anything.

I come from a family of law-enforcement officers and medical personnel, and at least where I live, I know that when someone is having some sort of agitated episode in public, knowing that autism might be the reason would take a lot of tension out of the situation for everyone involved.

I don't imagine a single scenario where a bracelet IDing on the spectrum would help anyone.

I am a Paramedic.

I can see something like this turning into a very bad thing to have. Let me explain.

Say someone walks by you and notices it, let's say for a moment that this person is of the impression that many are these days that ASD = Dangerous. In situations like that I can only see the outcome turning out badly.

Even if someone didn't wish to harm those on the spectrum, it still stands to reason that any of the other stigmas would immediately show itself when people pass by and they give a bad look or make a bad comment.

I think having something like that, only makes it easier for people to target us and personally, I wouldn't be too eager to potentially put myself in that position.
People are not as civilized as most want to believe.

Me either. They have enough trouble dealing with drunks, sociopaths, and narcissists.

It's not hard to get one.

I have a Dog Tag from Med Alert.

It's just a level of insurance since I've had cops look at me odd for what I consider to be ordinary behavior. The see the tag, it should notice them to not jump to conclusions.

This is incorrect. You're assuming police know what AS/Autism even IS. Most people (yes, seriously) associate spectrum with "retardation" and the only thing I can see happening is getting yourself beaten and cuffed so they won't put themselves at risk.

As a medic I would see the med alert bracelet and assume allergies, medications, or something alerting me to the need of special care. If I saw "Autism" I'd get pretty annoyed because there isn't anything I can do with that. Are you on meds... what does this even MEAN? So you threw a tantrum and have autism - are you telling me I should restrain you and sedate you because you could harm me or others?

I understand the concept. In practice it's useless. I don't suggest ANYONE consider this a good idea and wear one.

What about the case where an autistic person has just gotten out of a wrecked car and is too overwhelmed to speak? Being able to tell apart autistic shutdown from a head injury could be an awfully useful thing. Especially if it meant you knew to get the person someplace quiet before they had a meltdown.

I had a car accident a couple years back and was able to tell the paramedics I was autistic; that's what they did for me, just got me into the ambulance so I wouldn't have to stand out there with all the flashing lights in my face, feeling confused. If I hadn't been able to tell them, they might have thought I had hit my head and things might have been chaotic enough that I wouldn't have come out of the overload for hours. As it was, by the time I got to the hospital to be checked over (I had a sore chest and we were worried I had cracked a rib--I hadn't), I was fine, emotionally, and able to communicate just fine.

It wouldn't matter if you were mute or Autistic at this point. If you were unable to speak this means generally you're in shock, or have had trauma to your airway. The standard treatment for shock would be removal from the current situation and putting you in an ambulance on oxygen, checking vitals, and transport to a hospital. If there's any suspicion of airway issues, you'd be driven mach 4 to the nearest hospital.

There's no protocol for treating someone who is autistic because it doesn't matter. All treatment is the same for everyone based on other factors.

But what if you're touch-sensitive and are going to panic if they grab you? They need to know that. Or if you have trouble communicating and can't tell them what hurts--especially if you tend to be the sort of person who can *talk* but not necessarily *communicate*. Symptoms of autism can be taken for drug abuse or disorientation. People who use any kind of AAC need to be given access to it. If you are overwhelmed by the chaos of an emergency, how are they to know that you are having a meltdown, rather than being irate, getting violent, and likely to try to strangle somebody? How do they know you're an autistic person who's had too much and needs to go somewhere quiet, rather than an idiot on PCP who is better off strapped down and/or sedated?

It doesn't matter. If you freak out when touched youll be restrained by police on scene or by fire. If neither is available medics will.

If you can't be touched how can paramedics treat you? You'll be forced down, and you'll be touched. No one cares at that point.

I understand your point of view- but I've worked in this field for years and I am wel trained and I know my protocols.

And your training isn't the only training that people have.

There is explicit autism training in some places, do not treat autistic people the same as others.

You do NOT just ignore those types of details, you're not just bothering them, you're being unsafe.

With police, it can also be really useful.




You are just wrong. A different protocol does matter and does exist in other places.


As for a medical alert bracelet, I've not ordered mine yet because I've been trying to find the most sensory friendly one that says what I want.

That kind of scares me. I mean... you're actually *trained* to pin down a distressed autistic person, without even ascertaining whether they're autistic, when that's usually the worst possible thing you could do to them? There are people with long-term, disabling PTSD from inappropriately-used restraints. There are people who have died because police or medical professionals jumped straight to restraints without thinking about the person and their circumstances.

If a paramedic is treating a touch-sensitive autistic person, it makes much more sense to know they are autistic and touch-sensitive, to warn them of what you are going to do and where you are going to touch them, to find out what works to help them stay calm, to use a firm touch instead of the light, tickling touch that is literally painful to many of us. It makes sense to keep things quiet, to speak clearly, to give them some time to think so they can understand what you are saying. Most ambulance calls are not the sort of seconds-count life-or-death emergencies that would leave no time to do those things. And this isn't just a matter of the person's comfort. If a person is freaking out, having a meltdown, struggling, screaming, trying desperately to get away, how easily do you think you're going to be able to treat them? They won't be able to tell you what happened to them or what hurts or if they can't breathe properly. They won't be able to tell you if they have epilepsy or that they have a PECS book in their pocket or what their parents' phone number is. If you help them stay calm, you can get all of that. If you don't, most likely you'll just have autistic bite-marks on you, and it'll serve you right.

I think, if you are the responsible sort, you will try to get some awareness training for yourself and for your co-workers, because otherwise it's eventually going to end in tragedy.

Callista,
Our job is to assess a patient, treat as best as we possibly can, and then transport to the nearest hospital or release the patient (patient refuses transport, no injury requiring further treatment etc). In the few minutes I have to assess and manage a patient during an automobile accident, or critical injury I don't have time to play games with "touch sensitivity" when I am looking for bleeds, breaks, or injuries of any kind. If a patient has a meltdown, starts flailing and kicking or attacking me when I am trying to treat them guess what happens? They get restrained in my ambulance and the doctors can deal with them. I have about 9 minutes on average to fix someone.

During the non life threatening call (probably 90% of calls) - obviously other precautions are taken and situations are dealt with entirely differently. The example given to me several messages ago was a "car accident" and this is the scenario I was using to base my replies off of. We deal with asthmatics, mentally challenged, cancer patients, dementia... the sheer wide array of situations we deal with is mind boggling - and all of them are treated with respect and dignity based on the situation and what is needed.

Consider this though: I walk into an apartment that has been cleared by police. No red flags. I walk up to a 26 year old male with a laceration on his left forearm which is visibly bleeding. He looks ill. I approach him, say my name and ask if I can look at his wound. He doesn't reply. I assume (rightly so) he is in shock. I tell him I am going to look at his arm, and grab it. He absolutely loses it, flails, and begins a meltdown. Guess what happens? I walk away and police come back in and restrain him. This is just the way it is. Our own protection and safety is paramount.

There's an absolutely astronomical number of scenarios we can go over here. The bottom line is everything is dealt with differently as as best as HUMANLY possible.

I apologize if I gave the impression we go in and handcuff anyone who looks or acts slightly off - that's not the case in ambulatory.

Police is an ENTIRELY different situation and I can't stop them from doing what they do.

Frankly, if you're telling the truth here, I think you are unqualified and should quit your job. If you think you can treat every human being the same and ignore medicalert bracelets that say "autism", then you should not be a paramedic.

Think of another situation in which people are touch sensitive: A woman has just been attacked, possibly raped. She does not want you to touch her. Do you pin her down anyway because she might be "in shock", or do you (assuming she's not in immediate mortal danger) give her a blanket and a quiet place so that she can think instead of freaking out and defending herself against anybody who comes within arm's reach?

Not the same thing, no. However, believe me when I say that being restrained without being able to control said restraint is traumatic. Inevitably. Always. You only do it if you have to, to save someone's life. You don't do it because you are in too much of a hurry to help them stay calm.

Knowing someone has autism would tell you that someone may be touch-sensitive, have trouble understanding instructions, or have problems communicating. A bracelet is one way to get that information. It is useless only if paramedics and police refuse to acknowledge it.

Last edited by Callista on 20 May 2013, 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Frankly, you're a silly person with no idea what you're talking about. Your input has been rightly ignored.