Important note:
The PowerPoint presentation I am posting is not mine. However, I was given permission to post it by the President of the organization (thank you Caroline!), as they thought it would be beneficial to share.

Helpful post time!

Our Neurodiversity Club partnered with the university’s student emergency medicine and response organization (EM/ERGE). They presented on what to expect in a medical emergency – what’s in an ambulance, scripts on calling 911, and knowing when to go to a hospital.

As many people know, emergency medical trips are not fun. When you’re autistic, they’re even more difficult. I actually went into hypertensive crisis a few weeks ago, and it was really hard (I’m fine now; that’s what happens when I miss my infusions, apparently).
Sensory overload, being in pain, etc – it all adds up and can make communicating difficult. I had trouble relaying information to the doctor and ended up crying because of it. I definitely had a meltdown by the time I got home. If my friend hadn’t been there and if my college’s public safety hadn’t been involved (they know me well because of other emergencies in the past), it would have been even more of a traumatic experience.

Because of my own personal experience and knowing how hard ER (or A&E) trips are, I was so thrilled that they put together such a wonderful resource for us!

While it’s not a complete comprehensive guide, it’s honestly really impressive. The student group EM/ERGE focuses on emergency medicine and emergency response, and have first-hand experience in the field.

Here is the .pdf file if anyone wants to look into it! Remember that this PowerPoint belongs to EM/ERGE group, as they put a lot of effort into it.

Medical Emergencies: A Practical Guide

You can reach the group for more questions at EMERGETSU@gmail.com or their Facebook page ETSU EM/ERGE.

---

 

Extra Resources!

There are also some super useful communication boards online if you are nonspeaking or might have trouble communicating in a emergency situation (which is very understandable). Here are a few:

• https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/58375/medical-signing-board.pdf
• https://widgit-health.com/download-files/medical-encounter-board/MEB-grid-A4.pdf (for general medical encounters)
• https://widgit-health.com/download-files/paramedic-board/EMS-symbol-board-US-ES-Letter.pdf (one of our officers found this one, and I loved it)

 

Likewise, I did some exploring and here are some really great resources from one of the websites that has some things in plain language with picture supports. These look very helpful! I’m probably going to print some off with my case manager myself, I think.

• How to Call an Ambulance
• Medical Communication Passport – this is a good resource to have prepared in case of emergencies. I’m working on my own right now!
• Going to Hospital

If you’re interested, the full list of these can be found here: https://widgit-health.com/easy-read-sheets/index.htm

 

If I find any more, I will add them here!

• Informational Posts