Friday, August 10, 2012

Autistic Decals on Cars?

What do you think about this idea?  A man in Texas is pushing for decals to be manufactured and provided for drivers who are on the autism spectrum.  This, he says, will give police and emergency officials the information they need to make appropriate decisions based on the individual's specific needs.  For more information, click here.  I personally think that this is a good idea because, if a high functioning individual with autism is pulled over, for whatever reason, the pressure of the situation could trigger a meltdown.  This would give law enforcement officials the necessary information they need to know that their own safety is not compromised. There should also be training in place for law enforcement officials so that they know how to react to a situation such as that.  The same with fire fighters and emergency respond personnel.  These are my thoughts on this idea.  Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment box below.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it is a good idea if that it is used as positive information and not as a reason to pull them over for no reason at all! I believe that all people on the spectrum should have ID on that that states their condition maybe even have that on their Drivers Liecense.

Ryan said...

That is a very good point, I agree with that.

Ryan said...

It sounded like a good idea at first, but only if it would increase awareness and understanding in the outcome. However, I would certainly feel very awkward driving around with one of those. It sort of lets everyone who sees it into my business. I would always be painfully concerned with what conclusions people were drawing from viewing such a decal. I would also be anxious about whether their judgement was anywhere close to the truth.

diana said...

Where would you stop with identifying people with certain disabilities or even different abilities? Do we put signs on vehicles for those with cancer, mild dementia, bi-polar, RA? As long as the individual has passed the state's requirements and is in good health or has their dr's ok to drive, why should this be anyone else's business? Since the spectrum is so wide, do you feel comfortable having every HF ASD driver pegged to one understanding? I don't.

The myths and misunderstanding of ASD are disturbing enough, I feel no need to segregate a specific population even further. No this is not a good idea.

Oya's Daughter said...

I think the point is in the event of an accident, it's worth knowing someone has a condition rather than make all sorts of uncool assumptions. For example, diabetic bracelets often saved the lives of drivers who would be arrested for being drunk rather than for the fact they were having an episode. So on the one hand I see this as sort of frustrating to need to, but on the other hand as my son is getting older and I can see more and more people getting intolerant of his behaviour (it was "acceptable" when he was 2, now he's turning 9 people aren't as understanding!) I can see the potential need for this.

Anonymous said...

If people had a clue about autism it might help, but most people are so amazingly uninformed and misinformed.

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Dews said...

I think it's an incredible idea. My 19 year old (who is hearing impaired and also has some ASD traits) was recently pulled over and she had a terrible panic attack and had to be taken to the ER by ambulance. (She still got a ticket!) I was furious at the way the officer treated her and it made me realize that we have to start preparing now since we have a 15 year old who is high-functioning ASD. If it had been him, the situation could have been tragic given the way the officer acted.
I can't find anything online for decals regarding drivers on the spectrum, only occupants.

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