'Autistic Person' sign on car

SallySparrow86 · 2021-08-25T15:52:58+00:00

I was driving into town today behind a car that had a sign on the rear windscreen saying 'Autistic Person'. There was some more words on it but it was too small to read. I've never seen a sign like his before, and have virtually no experience of autism so please excuse my ignorance but could anybody explain what this sign is for? Like the 'baby on board' signs are intended to discourage d***head driving, does this have a similar purpose?

Just10moreminutesplease · 25/08/2021 16:56

Missing the point slightly but I always thought that ‘baby on board’ signs were intended to alert paramedics in case of an accident?

Original poster

SallySparrow86 · 25/08/2021 17:03

Wikipedia tells me this is a myth?!

OP posts:

ElizabethinherGermanGarden · 25/08/2021 17:05

It says that the passenger may not comply with instructions or may freeze in the event of an accident. Quite useful really.

Summerbubbles · 25/08/2021 17:11

It might also be useful if the person has a disabled badge as people can assume that if someone doesn't have a wheelchair, crutches etc they must be misusing the badge, it could help avoid confrontation.

Siepie · 25/08/2021 17:17

Probably a sign version of cards like this. Designed to alert police or first responders that the driver might not respond in the way that they expect.

Vimtogenie · 25/08/2021 17:46

We were at a special needs farm over the weekend & I saw a few of these. The writing underneath was probably along the lines of “autistic person on board. May not respond to verbal instructions.”
I assumed the point was to alert paramedics/police/firemen etc that there’s a someone in the car who might not react the same way a neurotypical person would.
I thought they’d be quite handy in an emergency to alert people they might need a little more/different kind of care.

Clymene · 25/08/2021 18:39

@Just10moreminutesplease

Missing the point slightly but I always thought that ‘baby on board’ signs were intended to alert paramedics in case of an accident?

That's a myth

AutistGoth · 25/08/2021 18:47

Not quite the same, I know. But my husband and I are both autistic adults (both verbal and responsive for the most part). DH drives and I am finally learning (I also have epilepsy, so haven't been able to learn until now). Our sign says "Autistic Driver - please be patient." This alerts other drivers that we may drive slightly cautiously, be slightly slower than the average driver in pulling out etc because we're not always very good at anticipating what other road users - particularly pedestrians and animals - might do.

We're perfectly safe to drive, but we err on the side of caution.

TellMeItsNotTrue · 25/08/2021 19:53

As above, it's for emergency services, you can also get seatbelt covers but a lot of children or adults wouldn't be comfortable using these

It's especially useful if the child/adult is non-verbal, because if you are injured in an accident you may not be conscious to explain

Tigerbread11 · 25/08/2021 20:01

Dd has one of the seat belt covers, we got it in case we have an accident as dd wouldn't respond in a typical way. I was so worried about what would happen if I couldn't pass the info on for any reason.

girlmom21 · 25/08/2021 20:08

To be fair it'll be beneficial for both situations mentioned - if there's an accident and the passenger is non-verbal, and to tell others not to be idiots when driving

Original poster

SallySparrow86 · 25/08/2021 20:30

Thanks all for your answers, that all makes sense. I didn't know that some autistic people can be non-verbal. You learn something new every day!

OP posts:

Peanutsandchilli · 25/08/2021 20:50

@SallySparrow86

Thanks all for your answers, that all makes sense. I didn't know that some autistic people can be non-verbal. You learn something new every day!

Yes, my daughter is 'high functioning' (I hate that term) but completely non-verbal in public. Signs like this can be incredibly helpful for some people.

Mommabear20 · 25/08/2021 20:56

@Tigerbread11

Dd has one of the seat belt covers, we got it in case we have an accident as dd wouldn't respond in a typical way. I was so worried about what would happen if I couldn't pass the info on for any reason.

both my DC are as far as we're neurotypical, buttheyre still very young, so we have stickers on their car seats with their names, dates of birth and blood type on, in the event of an accident where I'm unable to give their information, it's a comfort to know that they can receive treatment if needed, might be an idea for you DD if she's not able to communicate it herself.

Tigerbread11 · 26/08/2021 01:31

@Mommabear20 that's a good idea, I hadn't thought of that.

Floralnomad · 26/08/2021 02:13

I think if people are serious about wanting police etc to know about these things then the seatbelt covers make a lot more sense than a car sticker as I cannot imagine that the first thing the emergency services do is start reading the stickers on a car before dealing with the person in the car .

CanIPleaseHaveOne · 26/08/2021 03:21

It is a great idea, especially on the seat belt.

OverByYer · 26/08/2021 03:39

Always good to learn something new. Having been a first responder , the seatbelt information is genius

welliesarefuntowear · 26/08/2021 03:53

I know nothing in relation to autism but I do remember seeing Paddy McGuiness wife being interviewed on bbc breakfast. She's very interesting. Her children are autistic and she has a disability badge for her car because of this. She was explaining how vital it was for her to have this so she could get to supermarkets and things easily. She regularly gets challenged in a very aggressive way about why she is parking in a disability parking space.

Gingembre · 26/08/2021 03:58

I have a family member with autism and the only difference his autism makes to his driving is that he can go for 9 hours without stopping (doesn't get tired until then and doesn't want to take a break either) and notices everything on the road in front.

I have another family member with autism who drives with no issue around him but is extremely uncomfortable on roads he doesn't know.

I have another family member with autism who only drives in his (very small) town and to the next town over, where he worked for his whole career. He's left those areas once in 15 years.

I have another family member who used to comfortably drive most places (other than big cities), but as she's getting older, she sticks to roads closer to home.

While a sign saying someone has autism may be helpful, it also perpetuates the myth that everybody with autism is the same/displays the same signs of it. Even in my own family, it's extremely clear that that isn't the case.

Also, many, many people freeze in emergency situations. That's one of the entirely normal reactions. There are people with autism who also don't freeze in emergency situations - also displaying totally normal responses to emergency situations.

sazza76 · 26/08/2021 05:17

@Gingembre

I have a family member with autism and the only difference his autism makes to his driving is that he can go for 9 hours without stopping (doesn't get tired until then and doesn't want to take a break either) and notices everything on the road in front.

I have another family member with autism who drives with no issue around him but is extremely uncomfortable on roads he doesn't know.

I have another family member with autism who only drives in his (very small) town and to the next town over, where he worked for his whole career. He's left those areas once in 15 years.

I have another family member who used to comfortably drive most places (other than big cities), but as she's getting older, she sticks to roads closer to home.

While a sign saying someone has autism may be helpful, it also perpetuates the myth that everybody with autism is the same/displays the same signs of it. Even in my own family, it's extremely clear that that isn't the case.

Also, many, many people freeze in emergency situations. That's one of the entirely normal reactions. There are people with autism who also don't freeze in emergency situations - also displaying totally normal responses to emergency situations.

There are people for whom these are reassuring though, I would imagine that it will be mainly those people/parents that use them.

I agree that there are myths around autism that are wrong and of course everyone is different, awareness and education are important. However with nothing else available to quickly alert others in an emergency situation these serve their purpose to those who do need them.

TractorAndHeadphones · 26/08/2021 06:55

@AutistGoth

Not quite the same, I know. But my husband and I are both autistic adults (both verbal and responsive for the most part). DH drives and I am finally learning (I also have epilepsy, so haven't been able to learn until now). Our sign says "Autistic Driver - please be patient." This alerts other drivers that we may drive slightly cautiously, be slightly slower than the average driver in pulling out etc because we're not always very good at anticipating what other road users - particularly pedestrians and animals - might do.

We're perfectly safe to drive, but we err on the side of caution.

How does being cautious matter unless you’re holding up traffic - plenty of people are cautious? By slightly slow there shouldn’t be any difference and impatient people will beep you anyway because their twats. I’m just asking because my driving instructor is forever telling me to anticipate what other road users do, every single driving video I’ve watched harps on it, and you can fail the test for undue hesitancy. I’m not very good at it either but apparently this is something I have to overcome to be a good driver.

TractorAndHeadphones · 26/08/2021 06:56

*they are

Sirzy · 26/08/2021 06:58

Ds has a seatbelt cover that says he is autistic and mentions his other medical conditions and says that there is more information in the glove box (he also has a condition whereby if in a crash he would most likely pretty quickly need an emergency injection)

BananaMilkshakeWithCream · 26/08/2021 09:10

I like the idea of the seatbelt but if a baby needed blood immediately wouldn’t medics just give O negative? They wouldn’t want to risk giving the wrong type to the wrong child in case you’d put them in the wrong car seat.