I am sure I am not alone in getting these looks from strangers who have absolutely no idea what it is like to live in our shoes, we all know the look, its feels like daggers between the shoulder blades and you feel the panic rise up inside you and think 'God I have to get out of here now or I will scream'!! One such incident happened to me about a week or so ago when my affore mentioned little darling decided to throw one hell of a tantrum in Lidl's and proceeded to end up on the floor just at the checkout, bless him!!
Within minutes the lady in front of me gave me the most withering stare possible and I wanted the ground to open me up and swallow me but then I remembered I had in my possession my flexible little friend which I had acquired only the week before and my palpitations and panic lessoned as I suddenly knew what to do with my new found friend, you see the powerful piece of plastic I had acquired was the IAA card and this was the perfect opportunity to give it the first airing out of my purse, so I smiled sweetly at the scowling vision before me and calmly pressed the card into her hand, a look of embarrassment spread across her face and a glow of crimson started at her neck and spread quickly to her cheeks until I am sure her face felt as if it was on fire, she now understood the panic I felt when people like her make assumptions and think I have a badly behaved child. I took back the card without even uttering one word to this woman and calmly got my groceries and marched out head held high, the sense of power that one little plastic card gave me that day was amazing and it saved me from having to converse with the scarlet woman and gave me back my dignity.
To all other parents with children with Autism I would urge you to get this card for your child, it will be the most important card in your wallet, it is my new found friend and a life saver when panic strikes and you want to preserve your dignity
