Autism in employment.

theoretica

sangie595 wrote: »

If you called me arthritic, I would be extremely angry to have what I am reduced to a condition that is a part of me. I wonder if reducing someone to being autistic is any different? Perhaps they haven't been consulted about whether they wish to be defined by their condition?

Actually, when they have been consulted the majority prefer being called autistic: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1362361315588200

Les79

sangie595 wrote: »

Great, fine, whatever. You do know what neurotypical means? It means "average" - an average determined by some spurious relationship to whatever someone considers to be "normal". Which is why I used inverted commas around the word - to consider anything as "normal" is to make a judgement call that is spurious.

In the 1940's they also used electric shock treatment for mental disorder. Conjuring up a word in what is still the relatively recent past doesn't mean they understood it. Everything I read says that they are still guessing at lots of this. But honestly, if you would prefer that I treat neuroa typical people as different from everyone else, fine, that's your opinion. I won't be doing it. Because there are people with autism who are truly geniusses. They are differently abled than I am, and I don't see any of that as a disability, a disorder or anything else...i see it as part of what being human is. I shall continue to do so. Because in the end, the label that is attached had less importance than lots of other characteristics. If you called me arthritic, I would be extremely angry to have what I am reduced to a condition that is a part of me. I wonder if reducing someone to being autistic is any different? Perhaps they haven't been consulted about whether they wish to be defined by their condition?

Good post

I was briefly training to be a teacher and I taught "autistic" students. Here is my experience:

1. Mainstream "autistic" - They were fully able to follow the National Curriculum but needed a bit of differentiation.

2. Special Schools - teaching "autistic" students how to use their senses and/or basic tasks such as buying everyday groceries from the supermarket.

I wouldn't cite 1940s research like though, because around that time Germany euthanized a lot of MH patients in the run up to WW2. Electric shock was probably the lesser of two evils at the time.

But I get your point

SingleSue

My youngest son has autism (complex in nature), he is at university and has a summer job.

That all looks very rosy but to get that job his brother had to ask for him (elder brother was already working there as a summer job) and had to pretty much stick with him for the first few days. Amazingly, the role is very much customer facing, youngest does not like people...at all but he somehow manages not to offend (too much), he gets away with it by just reciting the rules rather than actually having normal conversation and interacting as a normal person would.

His boss loves him! He gets the work done safely, efficiently and to regulations and doesn't respond to emotional pleas (if he did, it could lead to a dangerous situation)..the customers however think he is a bit of a cold fish.

At university he has loads of support, both formal and informal. To deal with his sensory overload and social anxiety, he calls me every time he leaves his halls until he reaches his destination (which could be a lecture/workshop or until he gets back to halls after going to the supermarket, so it could be a 5 minute or 2 hour call!). It's the only way he feels safe and able to function in the outside world.

Middle son (Aspergers) is proving difficult to place though, he also tried the place where elder (and now youngest) work but it wasn't suited to him and it was frustration all round. He is also at university, again with lots of support and some eek along the way when he wasn't coping too well (read not at all leading to a termination email and subsequent successful appeal)


Strangely, youngest has the more profound diagnosis, with middle son supposedly more higher functioning.

chrissycn

consumers_revenge wrote: »

Hi,


Just interested if you know anyone ( or are the anyone ) on the autism scale thats employed? Just trying to gauge if lots of people know someone ( not that it may be generally known ) at their company.


Reason I ask is DS has aspergers and is now classed in the autism spectrum. Wife said she noticed something on a site earlier that said only 28? percent of people diagnosed with autism have full time jobs.


Oddly I know of a huge multinational company that actually activley recruits people with autism.


Any thoughts?



How old is your son?

My boys are 10 & 12 so I haven't got as for as employment yet, but have similar worries to you. Although my concerns are mainly about getting them into 6th form/college at this stage. They are both mainstream in an excellent catchment area.

Has your son been diagnosed and then dropped out of the system with no further help? This happens a great deal. Getting our family support worker opened many doors for us and now we have a large team of experts behind us. This is making a huge difference and we have just discovered they have hypermobility in their fingers (co-morbid with ASD) and my eldest might have dyspraxia (also co-morbid with ASD).

In regard to employment, my mother recently had a meeting with her bank and they said that the banking industry is actively seeking ASD employees due to their attention to detail. So times are changing thank goodness.

SingleSue

theoretica wrote: »

Actually, when they have been consulted the majority prefer being called autistic: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1362361315588200

Middle son prefers the term autist.

SingleSue

PasturesNew wrote: »

The hardest bit is the interview, when you're highly likely to say something exceedingly odd or stupid as you didn't answer a weird question with an answer they have on their hidden tick list

Youngest wouldn't do anything like that mainly because he wouldn't be able to say anything at all!

He could have gone to a different, more prestigious university, they offered a place but part of the process of going there was a face to face 'chat' with the head lecturer...he just couldn't face it/cope with it so he withdrew his application despite having an offer.

chrissycn

SingleSue wrote: »

My youngest son has autism (complex in nature), he is at university and has a summer job.

That all looks very rosy but to get that job his brother had to ask for him (elder brother was already working there as a summer job) and had to pretty much stick with him for the first few days. Amazingly, the role is very much customer facing, youngest does not like people...at all but he somehow manages not to offend (too much), he gets away with it by just reciting the rules rather than actually having normal conversation and interacting as a normal person would.

His boss loves him! He gets the work done safely, efficiently and to regulations and doesn't respond to emotional pleas (if he did, it could lead to a dangerous situation)..the customers however think he is a bit of a cold fish.

At university he has loads of support, both formal and informal. To deal with his sensory overload and social anxiety, he calls me every time he leaves his halls until he reaches his destination (which could be a lecture/workshop or until he gets back to halls after going to the supermarket, so it could be a 5 minute or 2 hour call!). It's the only way he feels safe and able to function in the outside world.

Middle son (Aspergers) is proving difficult to place though, he also tried the place where elder (and now youngest) work but it wasn't suited to him and it was frustration all round. He is also at university, again with lots of support and some eek along the way when he wasn't coping too well (read not at all leading to a termination email and subsequent successful appeal)


Strangely, youngest has the more profound diagnosis, with middle son supposedly more higher functioning.

It's good to know that university is supportive, I really want mine to have that opportunity.

Trina90

Yes, my husband is actually a colleague of mine. He was diagnosed at the age of 4 as being on the autistic spectrum.

sangie595

chrissycn wrote: »

That's not remotely comparable.

Comments like this put off parents considering an ASD assessment for their child.

Diagnosis is vital to get all the support they need. We wouldn't have the team of experts supporting us without a diagnosis, it's made and still continuing to make a huge difference.

Since my sister had been diagnosed with autism, and I have dealt with that for 60 years, please don't assume that your experts or your opinion are the only ones that matter. This is a anonymous board. We haven't a clue what or who you are, and the same applies to me. My opinion, my sister's opinion do not concur with you. And a number of "experts" do not concur with your opinions or your experts. Right now, we don't even know if your children do- they might have very different opinions to you when they are adults. But I'm not using claimed first hand knowledge to substantiate me being right. Because nobody really knows yet.

There is no definition of wrong, or right, and research is rapidly changing what we know about this and lots of other conditions. So please stop acting like you are the only person in the world who opinion matters. What you seem to have failed to appreciate in your insistence that your version is the only accurate one is that the people you are arguing with are on the same side and are arguing for and working for people to have employment opportunities regardless of personal traits or conditions.

Now if you wish to continue to insist that there is only one version of what autism is, when medical science says that it does not know and that these are all theories, have at it. I'll continue actually working for people to have equal opportunities at work and into work, whatever their circumstances. Because the are all people, regardless of the label you attach.

chrissycn

Sangie, I find you astoundingly argumentative and rude. When your buddy Marliepanda had the opposite opinion to you on this, you were polite, yet you can't extend that courtousy to me. I am going to block you now goodbye.