Stock phrase cards for nonverbal episodes?

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I am quite sure I once saw on a website a communication tool with stock phrases attached to a keyring or a bracelet that you could show people instead of having to use your voice when you just can't. I mostly need stock phrases for when I have to say a scripted phrase in a polite exchange, like "thank you", spontaneously when there's not a lot of time for mental preparation given (I seem to need a while to get my mind into "speaking mode" or "social mode").

Something like this is also mentioned in Carly Fleischmann's book (if you know what I'm talking about).

Please help - I cannot find anything like this anymore and it's really frustrating me right now; this kind of a communication tool would truly be a lifesaver

I don't know if/how it relates, but whenever I have non-verbal episodes, it's because I don't wish to communicate at all, so phrase cards won't help - because if I wished to communicate, I would talk!

I found some cute buttons on eBay for those times though:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Autism-Butto ... 3f38d4a74f

The ADs generated by the page are linking to autism flash cards

Yeah, I certainly want to communicate, but sometimes can't verbally. It seems to be really challenging for me to speak, so my mind has to be tuned into a specific "channel" in order to be able to produce vocal speech. Yours sounds more like an introversion thing. I want to communicate and interact all the time, but don't always have the energy to verbalize. Sometimes I'm so out of energy that I can't even make the finger movements to type.

Don't like the button either. In some settings, I'm not "out" as autistic and don't want to explicitly state it. I think everyone, whether we struggle with speech or not, should have that choice. I also don't like how it sort of uses autism as an excuse. I hate doing that. I just want to be able to do the basic expected things, in a way that I'm actually able to. Besides, many people don't have much of a clue about autism and may assume that somebody who dresses well and wears makeup is just lying and trying to make up an excuse for being rude

Those are for children and have kiddie pictures on them. I'm an adult so I need something adult lifestyle-suited and adult-appropriate. Flash cards are also typically designed to be instruction tools, not public communication tools.

Why not make some?

You can sometimes find little blank cards/teensy notebook on a keyring at stores like Staples (at least, I've seen them there before) -- or you could punch holes into some note cards cut to the size you want and put them on a clip or a mini carabiner.

I'd need to get them laminated, though, as anything paper gets messed up from spills in my bag. I had a social story I wanted to laminate but then somehow could never even figure out where I could laminate, then plan the trip and get it done. I have major difficulty even leaving my apartment sometimes and rarely even get a spare hour anymore.

For those interested, someone really resourceful I know through Facebook referred me to this site and I already bought six cards from there: http://stickmancommunications.co.uk
It's quite neat! I wish there was more stuff like this out there...

Mine are linked to a meat warehouse

Eww... I'm vegan an do not support this. :p

I assumed such, but I never click the ads on this site lol. They're all cancerous.

Also found this on a quick google search, http://www.amazon.com/Avery-Self-Adhesi ... B00007E7D2 I would assume if you chose to make your own cards, which is a good idea, these might work.

Can you describe what you would use them for? I have personally never known anyone who can actively choose when to talk and when not to talk to people. The closest I can emphasize on this is just genuinely not wanting to be around people to such an extreme I stay inside, but if I have to talk to someone I find myself able to do so with effort. I'm not judging, I'm mostly curious.

That is a very good website and its a UK one, the drawings on the cards are awesome. Thanks for posting it. Going to buy some when I have some spare money. Been looking for some cards like that for a bit but they were all very child like.

I understand that. I have major issues with executive functioning, so I can understand about making your own being too complicated. I also understand about not having enough time.

It's not really a choice for me. The thing with me is, I want to be around people all the freaking time. So I have fallen into a very busy, social lifestyle where I do have to interact with others a lot. On an emotional level, that is exactly what I need.

However, talking seems to require a lot of effort on my behalf. It's like exercising. I can do it for a while and even get better at it once I warm up my speech for the day, but eventually it becomes exhausting to produce words and my speech gets slurred. With writing, it's different - when I can't talk, I still want to communicate with others through typing. It's just that the act of speaking itself doesn't come naturally to me and eventually I become fatigued doing it. I also cannot do it spontaneously, like when I have to say something like "sorry" or "thank you" when I'm not prepared to speak, the sound doesn't come out because I need to warm up or prepare for speaking properly. That takes me time, usually about a minute or two.

I hope this makes sense.

Nah, it makes perfect sense. I feel the same way, but the difference for me is I'm able to keep talking, I just get incredibly anxious the more I'm social.. eventually I need to leave before I just go full panic.

Hmm, what you're describing here is quite different, though. I don't experience anxiety around people - in fact, the more time I spend with others, the more I enjoy it, and the more relaxed I feel. I get very anxious when alone and have anxiety around transitioning from the home environment to an outside environment if I've spent too much time at home, but then once I get out, I'm actually okay as long as I'm directly interacting with people in a non-overwhelming setting. I have just as much trouble formulating speech when I'm talking to myself as I do talking to other people.

I thought I might be not autistic because of my need to be social and the enjoyment I get from being social and even posted about it here: http://bit.ly/1wwr079

It prompted me to get re-assessed but I still got re-diagnosed with ASD.

That makes more sense, I can't truly offer much discussion on speech issues because I've never had them nor known someone who has. It does make sense to me the way you describe it though.

It's a myth that autistic people cannot be social beings, too. Actually, I love being social myself, and I very much look forward to being social.. the problem is I'm just not very good at it and I've never been able to surround myself with like-minded people with similar interests, or interests I could pick up on. Clubs and parties have just never been my thing and the majority of the people I've met thrive in both. So naturally I developed social anxiety and self esteem problems most of my teen years. They aren't pre-requisites for being autistic, they just kind of come as a result of it, I like to think anyways.

I think the discussion here is asking questions that most psychologists are not -- so there is no solid research data to say what is or is not autistic here. I mean, they may have an answer for it, but they are pulling it out of the air.

This is my experience (a case study to add to yours):

I love socializing sometimes, but I know I'm bad at it. If I want to be good, I have to put on a performance. So socializing causes anxiety for me, but sometimes I enjoy showing off (when I am around people I trust).

I sometimes, for reasons I'm not clear about, can't speak. This seems to be connected to anxiety. This is pretty rare and when it happens I'm surprised and not able to do much about it (or think clearly until I get some alone time). This might be connected to a meltdown.

Other times, speaking takes effort. This seems to be similar to what you're saying about energy levels -- it seems like the words are taking the long way home. In this situation, I would love to just select a card with some words on it and hold it up. There was this awesome character in "Top of the Lake" (a TV show directed by Jane Campion, on Hulu), who just wrote YES on one hand and NO on the other. Sounds good to me.

But some other times I love talking and am a mile-a-minute.