'I've got Autism' Badges. What are your thoughts please

sarlyka

blue_monkey wrote: »

I also remember going to an interview about 14 years ago and when I called the agency for feedback I was told that the MD thought I was 'hiding something as I never gave eye contact'. Now this was never something I had ever been told or thought about but from then on I started to make more of an effort and think about looking at people when I spoke to them - even now I have to think about it and often find an excuse not to look when speaking, it is really hard but clearly I had my own issues too - funny how had I have known that interview could have made all the difference. I was made for that company!!

So funny reading this! I also didn't realise people made eye contact when they spoke to each other. I discovered this when I was almost 30, during a tutorial at college. I must have glanced at the person speaking to me and realised they were looking directly at my eyes. It was a really weird feeling. After that, I noticed that people did it all the time so I made a conscious effort to do the same. I find it very uncomfortable so I have learnt to look at people's mouths or noses instead. Problem is, I tend to notice all the odd imperfections about people's faces: wonky noses, spots, scars etc.

Another problem I have is with my own facial expressions, I don't smile much. When I was teaching, I was constantly criticised for this by headteachers and Ofsted. My DD, not diagnosed, almost lost her supermarket job because she didn't smile at the customers!

People have a lot to learn about autism spectrum disorders.

DKLS

This has made an interesting and informing thread, especially for somone who has no experience of an aspie child.
I do have experience of working with aspie adults, one in particular who required a very different management style from my other employees, but she was an absolute genius who produced the most amazing work, I just couldnt put her in front of the clients as she would upset them with her comments.

sarlyka

DKLS wrote: »

This has made an interesting and informing thread, especially for somone who has no experience of an aspie child.
I do have experience of working with aspie adults, one in particular who required a very different management style from my other employees, but she was an absolute genius who produced the most amazing work, I just couldnt put her in front of the clients as she would upset them with her comments.

Well done to you for recognising your employee's skills and adapting the work to suit her. So many adults with autism cannot find or maintain employment because people do not understand their needs. In most cases, the necessary adjustments are just understanding and adaptation, no financial costs at all. I just wish there were more employers like you.

DKLS

asteroids_sara wrote: »

Well done to you for recognising your employee's skills and adapting the work to suit her. So many adults with autism cannot find or maintain employment because people do not understand their needs. In most cases, the necessary adjustments are just understanding and adaptation, no financial costs at all. I just wish there were more employers like you.

Thank you, when I initially joined the company and had to manage her, she was a nightmare to work with, I found that every issue was a major challenge, especially when I was trying to implement any changes within the company. But once I sussed she was an aspie, and I learnt to alter my management style we got on famously and developed a close working relationship.

She was far too good an asset to lose, she was a high level computer programmer and her skills were amazing which I now believe were enhanced by her aspie traits, hence me taking the effort of learning a new management style which as you said doesnt cost a penny.

For certain roles I wouldn't hesitate to hire someone on the spectrum, similar to my friend who runs a design agency and prefers to hire staff who have dyslexia, as they tend to be more creative.

Savvy_Sue

BTW, heard about this company on the radio the other day.

blue_monkey_2

DKLS - can I have a job But, in all seriousness I am meticulous in everything I do and hate failing at anything so I'll give a job my all and usually do work that ends up saving my employer money - I just have to get it perfect and I HATE anyone doing my work as I would have to check it is done properly after thye have done it. Now I work for myself and it suits me really.

I do know that I do not really have any real people skills and I really struggle with conversation or I talk about myself too much and I really try hard not to do that. I also get a bit excited about things that others probably see as irrelevant and I am sure they just humour me. It was nice to see you recognised this in an employee and went that extra step for them - I wonder if it would have made any difference in the jobs I have been after if people knew I was an Aspie. I don't see myself as being an Aspie though, I know what I am and if people do not like me for that then they do know what they can do.

However, I have learned though growing up that you have to think before you speak as some of the things I come out with can be very insulting, but people get the know me and accept me for who I am really. Even now I say something and then I'll apologise for the way it has come out because it just comes out really blunt and probably rude.

DKLS

If you were 200 miles up the M1 I would happily give you a job. after my experiences I firmly believe that a staff member on the aspie spectrum brings a whole load of qualities that a company can benefit from.
Like you BM, the lady in question was, blunt to the extreme, and some took this as rudeness, I didnt it was refreshing to have someone who told it like it was instead of beating round the bush or lieing to me.

Her people skills werent great either, but she didnt need them in the role, I could do all the client facing stuff, and she could concentrate on being a genius. And I would like to think that partly due to my management style of her, in the 5 years that I managed her, her people skills did improve greatly.

broclo

blue_monkey wrote: »

broclo, it was just 30 years since I was at primary school. We used to have a 'special school' in the village and kids would start my primary school then 'disappear' to the special school. Of course, those schools no longer exist and so our kids have to struggle through - this is why it seems that there are so many children these days with problems. I have no doubts that had that school still been open my sister would have been sent there. My auntie was also in a 'special school' because as a child I remember my nan and mum going to get her.

What do you mean blue_monkey?

Here we have 'oppertunity' pre-schools for children with a mental or physical disability. Other children can also attend if siblings are enroled etc

Then there are many special infant schools and secondary schools, either a seperate school, or those that operate with a school to help siblings attend the same school.

In fact locally we have a college

blue_monkey_2

We do not really have any here broclo, some of the mainstream schools have 'support bases' but these are very few and far between. It is basically a porta cabin where the children can get away from the other kids for a bit if they need to or they can spend playtimes in there. Someone I know had her son removed from mainstream (as they could not cope with him and would not give him things such as a space to have time out) and put in a school 30 miles away - it is the nearest to us with a support base as I live near a huge town. He was just 5. There is one other school that is for children with behaviour problems but that is it really. The school that have more specialist help are so far and few between because they were closed a good few years ago. But, kids with Autism never used to be taught in mainstream schools here, they would be removed and spent the the special needs schools instead.

I am not sure if it is good or bad really if I think about it.

Where I moved from there is a little girl who has CP and I know her mum as both our girls are the same age. I asked if her little girl was going to be going to the same school in the village as mine and she said no because the school had made it clear that they would not be able to accomodate her needs and so she had to do a round journey of 4 hours every day to get her to and from a school that would accomdate her ad offer her the help she needed. How mad is that? The schools policy was 'every child matters'...... (er, yes, unless disabled it seems!!).

My sister really struggled through college and school so I think it would have been good for her to go somewhere where she would have got the help but there was not really anywhere. But, as a child I remember that the kids at this school were really abused by others as they had then been singled about for being 'different'. I am still on the fence, I do think that my son does not need the same amount of help that some other children do but it would be nice if the school had more understanding.

I also think that younger teachers are more accepting of childing having extra needs these days and are more prepared to give them more help and understanding - we have young teachers and a young head at this school (he is younger than me, scary!!) so I do think this makes a difference. The head at my son's last school did not even understand what ASD was and said she would 'have to get a book on it' - ooer, and had she known my son was going to need extra help before he started I do not even think we would have got a foot in the door. We had a lucky escape by leaving that school!!

I hope that what I am writing makes sense, sometimes find it hard to put down exactly what I am thinking but you get my drift, I hope.

Trialia

FYI, it's much harder to get statemented as an Aspie adult (especially when it's comparatively mild) than it is to get the same accommodation for a child. Mostly because even professionals tend to assume that one is trying to be "trendy" with it.

I've known for years I have mild Asperger's, but getting anyone official to put that on paper for me, so I can just legitimately list it as a concurrent thing with my three disabling physical & mental health issues? Nightmare. I have OCD tendencies and trichotillomania, emotional empathy but the bare minimum of cognitive empathy, have been told by multiple people who are not officially treating me but have experience that they're positive I am Aspie, but I can't get the 'official' people to admit it.

I would not, however, want to wear a badge advertising the fact. One of the quickest ways to get oneself discriminated against for one's differences is to advertise them... as an invisibly disabled lesbian, I've learned that one.