Asperger's on the Job: Must-Have Advice for People With Asperger's or High Functioning Autism, and Their Employers, Educators, and Advocates
Authors: Rudy Simone
Tags: #Asperger&rsquo
ASPERGER’S ON THE JOB
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© 2010 Rudy Simone
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ISBN for E-book Version: 978-1-935274-28-5
ISBN for Print Version: 978-1-935274-09-4
To my daughter Lena,
who patiently watched while I figured it out.
Why Should You Employ Someone With AS?
The Advantages of Asperger’s Syndrome in the Workplace
The Big Consequences of Small Talk
Bluntness, Perfectionism, and That Famous Asperger Arrogance
Blunders, Boundaries, and Emotional Detachment
Please Do NOT Fill in the Blank
Visual Overstimulation and Other Sensory Issues
Polyester Prisons, Neck-Tie Nooses, and High-Heeled Hell
A Little R&R Goes a Long Way: Ritual and Routine
Don’t Tell Them Where You Heard This, But
Working with Natural Strengths and Interests
Conformity, Psychometric Testing, and the New Segregation
Asperger’s and Education: Star-crossed Lovers?
To Tell or Not to Tell, That Is the Question
“Bye Bye,” Said the Black Sheep:
Avoiding the Aspergian Pre-emptive Strike
Finding the Perfect Job for YOU—The Personal Job Map
Interview Tips for Those with Asperger’s
by Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
Having a career enables me to have an interesting life—one where I can use my mind to do work that others value and appreciate. People on the autism spectrum can do a variety of jobs ranging from high level technical or creative careers to entry-level jobs. Since I was socially awkward, I convinced large corporations to hire me for designing livestock equipment by showing a portfolio of drawings and photos of completed projects. Many people thought I was weird, but when they saw my drawings, they said, “Wow, you drew that?” Then they hired me.
I chose the freelance career route and worked as a freelance designer for the first twenty years of my career. The freelance route helped me avoid a lot of social problems. I went to the client’s workplace, designed the project, and was gone in a few days or weeks. I did all my drawing and design work in a quiet office at home. Later, when I was in my early forties, I got a part-time position as a professor at Colorado State University. I remain employed there and I have still been able to continue my freelance work.
I have been very fortunate to find a career I can thrive in, but it didn’t happen by chance. Many teachers and mentors supported me and helped me find success. Similarly, I believe this book will help people on the spectrum find enriching careers that suit their individual needs and talents. It will also help teachers and family members to assist people on the spectrum as they enter the workforce. There is a lot in this book that I wish I’d known when I was young. The following is advice for people with Asperger’s based on my personal experience, to add to and complement Ms. Simone’s insightful ideas and strategies.
In my work, I used my visual thinking, which was my area of strength. As a visual thinker, I can test-run equipment in my head like a three-dimensional, virtual-reality computer. Another individual may have a different area of strength. From discussions with hundreds of individuals on the spectrum, I have learned that the areas of strength tend to fall into three basic types. They are: 1) visual thinkers, 2) pattern thinkers (music and math minds), and 3) word-detail thinkers. Visual thinkers are well suited for jobs such as graphic design, computer animation, architecture, working with animals, and industrial design. The pattern thinkers are often good at computer programming, mathematics, and statistics. The word-detail thinkers may excel at technical writing, journalism, record-keeping jobs, and specialized sales jobs. I know several individuals with Asperger’s who work in retail and are appreciated for their extensive knowledge of the merchandise. One may ask, how can an Aspie handle a sales job if he or she has social challenges? Well, business interactions can be very different from other social interactions; they are often scripted, like a play. For example, I was really good at selling advertising for a cattle magazine, after I got over my initial fears. I have even “worked” on a retail sales floor. I was doing a book signing at a Costco
®
store when a rare opportunity arose. Since no one was coming up to the book table, I started walking the sales floor and selling books. I walked up to couples and families and asked them about their pets. I just repeated a short script and wound up selling 65 hardcover books in six hours. I had never
worked a retail floor before, but I found that I was quite good at it. So never underestimate what you can do.
I chose not to disclose to clients that I had autism, but I did request certain accommodations that made it easier (or in some cases, possible) to do my job. To avoid errors and miscommunication, I always asked for very explicit instructions to clarify what people expected of me. Sometimes, that was tricky. I didn’t want to ask for so many details that my clients felt they were designing the project themselves, but I had to know the specifics regarding what the proposed piece of equipment was supposed to
do.
For example, one client needed equipment that could handle 200 cattle per hour, but they had only three people available at a time to run it. The client’s instructions did not clarify that; it only said the equipment had to be “labor efficient.” That was too vague! So be sure to ask your supervisors and/or clients to tell you exactly what they want. I also had problems remembering long strings of verbal instructions. I had to take notes at project meetings so I had a record of what the specifications for a project were. If you have similar issues, or even if you don’t, it is a good idea to get clear instructions in writing so you have something concrete to refer to over the course of your project. This can help you avoid dissatisfied supervisors and clients.
Sometimes, the biggest obstacle for an employee with Asperger’s who is working in an office, factory, or retail store is his or her sensory sensitivities. Some individuals on the spectrum cannot tolerate the flicker of fluorescent light bulbs; to them, it can feel like they are in a disco with strobe lights. Others cannot tolerate a lot of background noise while they work. This book has lots of helpful advice on sensory accommodations. I really related to the discussion about open offices. It would have been impossible for me to draw my designs if I had to sit in a noisy office. Like most people on the spectrum, I need a quiet place in order to do my best work. Sensory sensitivities can vary extremely, so it is important to find, or create, a sensory environment that is conducive to
your
needs.
One of the worst problems I had to deal with was my coworkers’ jealousy. At one workplace, I was hired by the general manager to design a project and supervise its installation. The resident engineer felt that I had invaded his turf, so he “bad-mouthed” my work to the other managers. In a different workplace, my equipment was deliberately damaged by other employees. I even heard about one sad case where a jealous coworker planted pornographic material on an Aspie’s computer in an attempt to get him fired. The jealous coworker felt insecure about his own talent and was worried that the Aspie’s drawings were “too good.”
I learned to combat jealousy by allowing the jealous person to be more involved in my project. I would ask the person for advice or compliment him/her on the equipment that he/she had built. I learned that people got jealous because designing was so easy for me. I usually finished a drawing really quickly, but to avoid jealousy, I would often wait two for three days before I would send it to the client. Sometimes, even if you’ve done nothing wrong, it is smart to take these kinds of steps to avoid problems that could jeopardize the success of your project.
During my travels, I have observed two problems that can ruin a job for a person with Asperger’s, even if he/she has been successful in that position for many years. The first, ironically, is promotion. I have talked to several individuals on the spectrum who used to have good jobs in areas such as drafting/design, sports writing, and research science, but they lost their jobs after being promoted into management. They just could not handle the stress. For some people, it would be best to avoid the promotion.
Another source of conflict is a change in existing management. If a sympathetic supervisor is replaced by a less supportive one, that can ruin the career of an employee who is on the spectrum. Certain differences may no longer be tolerated, and the work environment can quickly evolve into a very unpleasant one until the employee leaves or is fired.