This sign should not be posted at the edge of the street.

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28 May 2013, 1:41 am

Yeah. I know better than to try walking anywhere if I'm not alert enough to monitor the traffic properly. If I were a little kid, I might not have that kind of wisdom.

But then, my mom didn't let me out anywhere except in the backyard for a long time. By the time I was allowed to step into the road without direct supervision, my peers were already driving.

I don't see anything wrong with a sign like that. "Autistic" isn't a shameful thing; it's a fact. And it's a fact that means, "I might wander out into the road before I realized how stupid it is to do that. Please make an effort to stop before squishing me into autie-paste."

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cyberdad
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28 May 2013, 6:28 am

Shellfish wrote:

cyberdad wrote:

Skilpadde wrote:

whirlingmind wrote:

Shellfish wrote:

Well, given that autistic children are often 'runners' then I think it's sensible to have sign advising drivers to be cautious...that's all the sign is doing

But that's one of the very reasons no parent in their right mind would leave an autistic child playing alone...so the sign wouldn't be needed in the first place.

cyberdad wrote:

If an autistic child is playing outside there will invariably be a parent, aide or guardian close by.

Are you two seriously saying autistic children should never be allowed to play outside on their own??! Surely the function level of the child must count!

Your response illustrates why this whole labeling thing is crap. I'm a self diagnosed AS but I was catching a bus on my own (quite independently) when I was five years old. On the other hand there are plenty of kids diagnosed with AS (like one who goes to my daughter's swimming pool) who always have their parents with them because they lack judgement or common sense (despite being able to talk) to cross the road or swim in a pool on their own.

I used the term "autistic child" to refer to a child diagnosed with autism,I wasn't actually referring to Aspies. In addition the manufacturer of the sign (assuming its legit) was probably aiming the warning to look out for autistic kids who are considered to be a "higher risk" of being blind to dangers of vehicles etc. You may be insulted by the sign but it's intention might be to save lives.

My son gets lost in his thoughts and will walk into the road without looking - He is high functioning but I never let him go in or out of the school gates alone for this reason - the problem is that I have a two year old who sometimes wonders off on her own, and newsflash, I have one set of eyes, hands and legs. This isn't bad parenting, this is 'real life'! I can only imagine the stress on parents who have children who are low/moderately functioning knowing there is a chance that they will run into the street with little warning - unfortunately, as politically incorrect as it may be, sign posting to warn drivers and people around, is just common f'king sense.

My autistic daughter is actually ok with roads except she is confused by crosswalks. She knows we cross at the zebra crossing but one time she went ahead of me and walked into an oncoming car at the crosswalk. I had to immediately yank her away before she was hit. The driver blamed me for letting her walk away and I know it wasn't her fault.

The_Walrus
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28 May 2013, 7:39 am

whirlingmind wrote:

(also both think I should let them go and stay in a hotel alone, go to malls alone - they are 8 and 11).

I don't think there's anything wrong with most 11 year olds doing things like going shopping or to the park or to the cinema without parental supervision.

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28 May 2013, 7:45 am

Who_Am_I wrote:

vanhalenkurtz wrote:

It means "Be extra careful driving here; the children will all memorize your license number accurately if you f**k up."

he didn't signal....him, he didn't signal to turn, and his back tires are both low!!

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Ettina
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28 May 2013, 1:14 pm

Quote:

But that's one of the very reasons no parent in their right mind would leave an autistic child playing alone...so the sign wouldn't be needed in the first place.

You don't have to leave the kid playing alone. I've worked with some autistic kids who, if you look away for a moment, they could run off. Especially if you're a parent with more than one child, that can be difficult to prevent entirely.

Furthermore, children can sometimes wander out without their parents' realizing it, especially at night/early morning. I once found a toddler running near a highway because she'd happened to wake up early in the morning before her parents were awake, and decided to go exploring. (She was most likely NT, but some autistic kids will act that way at an older age than that.)

Not all autistics are at higher risk of getting run over, true. But many are - and not just LFAs. I tend to hyperfocus and miss surrounding cues, and a few times I've stepped out in front of a car and only noticed them when they desperately squealed to a stop. I've almost gotten hit on several occasions.

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28 May 2013, 1:26 pm

whirlingmind wrote:

Shellfish wrote:

Well, given that autistic children are often 'runners' then I think it's sensible to have sign advising drivers to be cautious...that's all the sign is doing

But that's one of the very reasons no parent in their right mind would leave an autistic child playing alone...so the sign wouldn't be needed in the first place.

That is generalizing. Autistic children are able to play outside alone as well as NT. We do not need special signs.

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30 Jun 2013, 2:48 pm

matt wrote:

No, because.

1. If it's in North America it's a non-standard sign. It should look like this:

2. Why should the sign specify autism? Oh there is an autistic child on this street so I have to drive carefully. On the next street there are just NT children so I can drive how ever I want. WTF?

3. It's sign pollution, and if we start putting up road signs for every possible situation, there will be so many signs that drivers will stop paying any attention to them.

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This sign should not be posted at the edge of the street.