Asperger's and Medic Alert?

Post Reply New Topic

Is it a good idea to get a Medic Alert tag that indicates I have AS? Or is that something medical ppl shouldn't have to know about? I was thinking about getting a tag anyway since I'm very sensitive to anesthesia and figured I'd add the AS dx on there if it made sense to do so.

Thanks!

I wear a tag simply because it is a drivers license restriction. It also answers the "are you on drugs or have been drinking " questions as well. If you find yourself being hassled, then I would recommend it.

What is the nature of your driving restriction? They don't list all autistic people as restricted in their driving, do they? Is this a Florida thing?

The latter reason seems potentially useful to me. One of my fears about having AS is that at times it is extremely difficult to communicate with NTs, especially in a mutually stress invoking situation. It's also quite difficult for me to communicate with stupid people, which tends to include most law enforcement. During difficult situations, people sometimes leap to the conclusion that I'm off my rocker, which I'm not. Having some kind of documentation on hand showing that I have a developmental disorder that impairs communication could be quite helpful if I ever need to really convince someone that I'm not high or schizophrenic.

I doubt it. Unless one is very low functioning, but even then ASD doesn't affect anything that would require an alert bracelet. Those are usually for physical disorders, or people who experience psychotic episodes.
I have a friend with a medical alert bracelet because he has a really under developed liver, so if he drinks any amount of alcohol he could die. I've never known an aspie with one.




That's a good point, I suppose. I get very anxious with police, which could probably lead them to think I'm guilty of something. It would be nice to have some sort of card or license to show I have a real reason for being so awkward...

Thanks, everyone. You guys brought up some really good points. I guess I was considering it in the case of having a ton of medical people touching me and I get freaked out and they don't know why....or if I'm injured and I wind up laughing....or if I'm having trouble communicating and I'm looking away a ton, and they become suspicious of my behavior....I don't want them to wrongly assume I'm in need of "help" because of these things, kwim?

I have time to think about it so I'll give it some thought before I go for it.

Thanks again for your input!

I have what is a RoadID that I wear whenever I ride my bike. It has my name, address, phone, my wife's cell and my blood type and that I have no known drug allergies (NKDA).

I figure if I'm out to the point I can't respond or am incoherent that's enough to get them started.
And if I was awake and injured at that point my AS is going to be lower on the "need" scale as opposed to get me out of pain.

I have bracelets for my kids and I have one that lists my allergy to Tetanus (usually one of the things they give you if you are in a car accident) on the front and says I have Asperger's on the back and to call my husband and his cell number. My son also has his allergy to betadine (also something they might use if we had an accident) on the back and it says Asperger's syndrome and his name on the front. My daughters has her name and says "I have Autism" and on the back is listed our address and phone numbers. She has managed to escape the house undetected once.....very scary, we have locks and alarms now.
One of the reasons I have mine is just in case I freak out....if something should happen to me I would be calm and I have worked in the medical field and have no fear of that but if something happened to my kids I may not be so calm. I like to be prepared, yeah know!

that must be just usa in here no one notices anything weird..at least if u are move at late people just asume u been drinking which is fine to me

I'm thinking of getting one of those bracelets.

This actually sounds like a good idea... I think I'm going to make a card will all that sort of info and keep it in my wallet, just in case.
I also have my mother listed in my cell phone as "ICE-mom" because I was told that if a person is in an accident, the police usually check the phone for an ICE ("in case of emergency") number.

I don't think one would need a medical alert card just because they have aspergers in and of itself.

My Medic Alert tag says "Type I diabetes. Insulin pump. Autism." I tend to get overwhelmed and sometimes lose myself and end up in the wrong place. Also, if there are very loud noises or big crowds I can be nonverbal. In case I can't tell the emergency responders what's wrong, that's why I wear the bracelet.

The reason I would like one is that I can get quite violent if I am in pain and strangers touch me. If I am incoherant but conscious I would like to be able to just shove this thing in their face so that they know.

I have been shoved in a psych unit in the past for this reason and sedated to the eyeballs, when if they just spoke to me to tell me what they were doing, I would have prepared myself. It is only when I am frightened or severely startled that I lash out.

Good idea.

Mics

The drivers license restriction is "X" Medical Alert Bracelet. There is no fine for not wearing it, but I may be detained for a period of time. I also have an autism fact card as well as a medical alert ID card. I carry these in my wallet behind my license. I'm not sure if all classically autistic drivers have this on their license or not, but I know a couple of Aspies who drive who have no such restrictions.

I have a card. It slides into my wallet so it is practical and if I get upset I can show it to someone. It just says that I have autism and a few basic 'rules' about what to do. It also has my home contact details if they need to ring my house manager. My card is from 'bibic' I don't know if it is a specifically english thing...

Here is the one I created. I also wrote the cgi program so that others can use it for free.
http://www.plaza1.net/autexample.html