This is something that puzzles me greatly.
One aspect of autistic spectrum is your appearance - how you look to others. This is very variable between individuals and subtler in nature. There's no autism look as readily recognisable as there is for Down's Syndrome. But there is an appearances factor, and it does create major barriers for people on the spectrum.
The "Passport to individual autism support" is a two sided A4 leaflet that folds twice to provide 6 pages of information, and can be carried and shown to people to help explain needs. The present format has been around about two years. It covers things like sensory reactions, abilities that may be affected, difficulties, when upset and how best to help, etc., relying on tick boxes. It is a useful facility, and hopefully many people find it helps.
But - there is one aspect largely missing - appearances. Under "when I get upset, I may" there are options for make noises or flap my hands, but there is very little else about how people might appear to others.
Obviously on a 6-page leaflet there are limits how much information can be provided, and the leaflet has to encourage people to look at it, and benefit from the knowledge. However I think something important has been missed out so, notwithstanding the clutter factor, I feel it important to raise it
What I'm going to try to do here is list some of the "appearances" I think are important, which are missing not only from the passport, but from a lot of other autism information given to professionals. I'll then take up some key ones in "replies" of my own making.
Eye contact
facial expression
tics, and other odd movements
clothing and cleanliness
presence in a place in response to interests
looking pre-occupied or lost
looking out of it, as if drugged or drunk
walking oddly
Appearing odd gets people on the spectrum into difficulties. Surely that's why having a passport is a good idea. Appearances can prevent you getting service, or being served courteously. It can get you undue attention from police, security and other officials. It may make it harder to seek help from others. It can greatly exacerbate a sense of isolation.
