How to use the alert signals card
in autism sessions?
Complete practical guide — speech therapist's advice for building and using the alert signals card in ASD sessions, from co-construction to effective prevention of behavioral crises
The prevention of behavioral crises in autism relies on a simple but difficult principle to implement without the right tool: identifying alert signals before overload becomes a crisis. The DYNSEO alert signals card is the tool that makes this identification possible — helping the autistic person and their surroundings to recognize early signals together, name them, and define appropriate responses for each level. This guide explains precisely how to build and use this tool in sessions.
1. The dynamics of autistic crises: intervene before the peak
🧠 The crisis curve: why intervening at 3 changes everything
Autistic crises (meltdowns and shutdowns) follow a characteristic curve in three phases. The rising phase (early alert signals, 0-30 minutes depending on profiles) is the only phase where early intervention can prevent the crisis. The peak (meltdown or shutdown) is very difficult to interrupt — cognitive resources are too depleted. The descent (recovery) is as exhausting as the crisis for the person. The alert signals card precisely targets the rising phase.
🟢 Green zone
Calm, available. Possible learning. Early signals absent. Standard monitoring.
🟠 Orange zone
Rising tension. Alert signals present. IMMEDIATE preventive intervention needed.
🔴 Red zone
Critical overload. Imminent or ongoing crisis. Predefined crisis protocol. Total reduction of demands.
2. Co-constructing the card in session: the heart of the work
The alert signals card is not a document that the speech therapist fills out alone and hands to the family. It is built with the autistic person in session — it is a therapeutic approach in itself, not just a tool to fill out.
Session dedicated to exploring signals — in a calm context
Choose a moment in the session where the person is in the green zone. Explain the objective: "We are going to build a card that helps adults understand when you start to feel overwhelmed, so they can help you before it becomes too difficult." This wording is important — the card is a help tool, not a monitoring tool.
Explore each zone with concrete questions
For the orange zone: "What happens in your body when you start to feel stressed?" (muscle tension, heat, desire to leave, increase in stereotypies...) "What can adults observe from the outside?" For the red zone: "What helps you recover?" This exploration is often the first time the person explicitly thinks about their own signals.
Cross-reference with adults' observations
Parents and teachers see signals that the person does not perceive themselves. Organize a tripartite meeting (person + parents + speech therapist) to cross-reference observations. Always validate the signals with the autistic person — they have the final say on what accurately represents them.
Define strategies for each zone
The card is only useful if it includes strategies that help. For each zone, define with the person: "What helps you when you are in this zone?" The strategies must come from the autistic person — not from the adult imposing them. A calm corner that no one asked for is much less effective than a calm corner desired by the person.
📋 Example of a completed alert signals card (9-year-old child)
🟢 Green zone — I am well
- I answer questions
- I play calmly
- I can work
🟠 Orange zone — I am tense
- I rock faster
- I talk about my topics alone
- I distance myself from the group
- I respond with short words
🔴 Red zone — I am in crisis
- I scream or cry
- I no longer respond
- I need to leave
💙 What helps me
- 🟠 Calm corner 5 minutes
- 🟠 Music with headphones
- 🔴 Quiet room + silent adult
- 🔴 Don’t talk to me for 15 min
Alert signals card — Free DYNSEO
Tool for preventing autistic crises through early identification of overload signals. Available for immediate download — build in session, share with the whole team. No registration required.
Download for free →3. Using the card after its construction
3.1 Training reference adults to read the card
🎯 Training session for adults
Once the card is built, organize a 30-minute session with reference adults (parents, AVS/AESH, teachers) to: explain each signal and why it was chosen; show them the appropriate responses for each zone; emphasize the absolute rule — never penalize the use of the card or behaviors in the orange zone (which are alert signals, not challenging behaviors).
3.2 Using the card in session as a communication tool
🎯 The card as a common reference in session
Display the card in session and reference it regularly: "It seems like you are showing signal X — which zone are you in?" This regular validation reinforces the learning of self-awareness and validates the card as a real communication tool.
3.3 Ensuring consistency across contexts
- Distribute the card to ALL reference adults — family, school, therapists, grandparents
- Use the same document and the same vocabulary in all contexts
- Train each adult on the strategies for the orange zone and the red zone
- Review the card every 3 months and after any significant life change
- Value every spontaneous use of the card by the autistic person
“The alert signals card is the first tool I build with every new autistic child I take on. Before the card, crises happen 'for no reason.' After the card, the whole team can intervene at 3 instead of waiting for 5. The number of crises decreases by half in a few weeks.”
— Speech therapist specialized in autism and augmented communication4. The DYNSEO Autism & ASD ecosystem
🧰 Complementary DYNSEO tools — Autism & ASD
ASD crisis management plan — Free complementary tool
To define the complete protocol in case of red zone, the DYNSEO crisis management plan complements the alert signals card by detailing who does what, in what order, to help the person recover safely.
Access the crisis plan →MON DICO Application
MON DICO complements the card for non-verbal profiles — expressing needs and internal state through pictograms.
COCO Application
COCO enhances cognitive self-regulation functions in autistic children aged 5-10 years.
Cognitive tests
The DYNSEO cognitive tests objectify self-regulation functions in autistic individuals.
Training
The DYNSEO trainings Qualiopi cover autism, managing challenging behaviors, and crisis prevention.
Co-constructing to prevent: the card that belongs to the autistic person
The DYNSEO alert signals card is not a tool that adults use on the autistic person — it is a tool that the autistic person and adults build together to communicate more effectively. This co-construction is the key to its effectiveness.
Download for free →Crisis management plan
FAQ — Alert signal card and autism in session
Q1 How many sessions are needed to build an effective alert signal card?
Building a solid card generally takes 2 to 4 sessions. The first session is dedicated to exploring the signals with the person. The second incorporates the observations of the parents and cross-references the two perspectives. The third validates the card with the person and tests the proposed strategies. The fourth (optional) trains the referring adults to use the card. A card built too quickly, without true co-construction, will be less accurate and less appropriate for the person.
Q2 How to adapt the card for a non-verbal autistic person who cannot describe their signals?
For non-verbal profiles, the card is built primarily from the observations of adults, supplemented by non-verbal validation from the person (nodding, pointing). Specifically: list the behaviors observed by parents and caregivers during the different phases of the crisis escalation; show each behavior to the person (via photo, video, or demonstration) and observe their reaction to validate or invalidate its inclusion in the card; and use an augmentative communication system to allow the person to signal their own area (pointing card, MON DICO app, visual symbols).
Q3 Is the alert signal card different from the DYNSEO TSA crisis management plan?
These two tools are complementary and cover different timeframes. The alert signal card is a preventive tool — it targets the escalation phase to avoid the crisis. It describes early signals by area (green/orange/red) and the associated preventive strategies. The TSA crisis management plan is an emergency protocol — it defines the actions to be taken once the crisis is engaged (red zone): who should do what, in what order, during and after the crisis. One prevents, the other manages. Used together, they cover the entire cycle of the crisis.
Q4 How to manage the case where the signals on the card no longer correspond to the person's reality?
The alert signals evolve with the person's development and life changes. A card built at age 6 may be partially outdated by age 9. Systematically review the card every 3 months, and after any significant change (return to school, moving, change of caregiver, start of medication). The review itself is a therapeutic opportunity: it allows measuring the evolution of the person's self-awareness — now able to describe signals they could not name 6 months ago.
Q5 How to convince a reluctant school to use the alert signal card in class?
School obstacles are often related to a lack of time or a misunderstanding of its usefulness. Strategies: present the card during a team meeting with concrete data on reducing crises; offer a short 30-minute training for the entire teaching staff; frame the card as a legal educational aid in the PPS or PAP (compensatory adjustment); show that the card reduces crisis management time — a pragmatic argument often more convincing than theoretical arguments; and provide a simplified version adapted to the classroom context (without medical or family details that do not need to be shared).
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