Emergency & first-responder card
Wallet-sized cards for police, paramedics and staff, plus a fridge sheet for first responders.
For: Parents, autistic adults, carers · Free to print, copy and share · No sign-up
What should an autism emergency card say?
Say that the person is autistic, how they communicate, what distress looks like for them, what to avoid, and who to call. Keep it to what someone can read in ten seconds. A card that is short gets read; a card that is a paragraph does not.
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How to use it
Fill in the cards in block capitals. They will be read fast, in poor light. Write how they communicate first — that is the most useful line on the card. Say what distress looks like, so it is not mistaken for non-compliance. List the do-nots plainly: no restraint, no sirens, no shouting, no crowding. Cut out, laminate, and put one in each wallet, bag, car and school file. Fix the larger sheet to the fridge, where responders are trained to look.
Things worth knowing
Autistic adults: carrying one of these is a practical safeguard, not an admission of anything. Consider adding it to your phone's medical ID and lock screen as well. This is an information card, not a medical document, and it does not replace advice from your own clinicians.
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Other free printables
Visual schedule template Blank picture-and-word boxes for a morning, school, or bedtime routine.
First / Then card Two big boxes: what happens first, what happens after. The simplest transition support there is.
Sensory profile checklist Work through each sense and mark what soothes, what overwhelms, and what's still unclear.
Social story template A blank, first-person story frame for a new place, a change, or something that keeps going wrong.
This sheet is a practical support, not medical, legal, or diagnostic advice.
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Nova is a support companion for autistic people, families, and the professionals who help them. Nova does not provide medical, legal, or diagnostic advice.