Asperger's on the Job: Must-Have Advice for People With Asperger's or High Functioning Autism, and Their Employers, Educators, and Advocates (16 page)

Stomach disorders
are also common for those on the spectrum. Nine out of ten people interviewed for this book had gastrointestinal (GI) complaints, most commonly, IBS, ulcers, and even lesions on the intestines that had to be surgically removed. Most said their GI complaints were aggravated by stress.

Possible reasons for premature self-termination of employment:

• Social anxiety or fear of bullying
  
• Environment: too much sensory overload or unhealthy conditions
  
• Clothing, appearance, or similar restrictions—being expected to conform
  
• Lack of freedom in allocation of time and tasks
  
• Not being trusted. Being scrutinized.
  
• Being misunderstood, criticized, and doubted
  
• Not knowing whether or not their work is appreciated or up to standard
  
• Not having their strengths utilized. Asked or expected to do things that they are not good at
  
• A lack of job satisfaction. Not being stimulated or challenged.
  

“I find it impossible to participate in a work life in any fully meaningful way. However, no one else seems to be bothered by the lack of meaning in things such as work. I’ve been told by a job coach that “work isn’t there to challenge you” when I complained of never being able to really use my mind at work. My difficulty with work makes me feel so isolated sometimes I want to die. It’s a big part of life, and I can’t be a part of it in a way where I’m functioning as myself.”

- ALLISON

If the anxiety your job causes you has gotten to be too much and you are thinking about quitting, ask yourself if you’ve addressed all the issues in this book:

• Have you asked for accommodation?
  
• Have you made your environment as comfortable and comforting as you could?
  
• Have you done your part to manage stress?
  while many with AS say that things like yoga, meditation, and exercise have a positive but temporary effect on their anxiety, these things do have a cumulative effect and may lessen your reaction to, or increase your tolerance of, sensory triggers without you even realizing it. As stated, sensory issues have to be looked at as a total load. So does your general sense of well-being.
  
• Did you try to find a mentor; someone to talk to?
  Do you have a job advocate? A counselor? Is your boss someone who can be trusted?
  
• Ask yourself if you like the
  job.
  If you do, but it’s the other aspects putting you off, re-read the previous chapters and make another effort to address these issues. If you are feeling unfulfilled or dissatisfied, take steps to do something about your education or skills. You may be able to elevate yourself without cutting loose from your current job.
  
• Listen to your body and look to the source.
  If you are experiencing physical illness or symptoms of stress, you can address them temporarily with medication, but look to the source. Investigate the benefits of fermented food, as discussed in
  The Body Ecology Diet
  by Donna Gates (2006), and
  Gut and Psychology Syndrome
  by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride (2004). Also popular among people who are trying to manage or improve ASD symptoms are the
  GFCF
  (gluten-free casein-free) diet and the
  SCD
  (specific carbohydrate diet). Even without going into such restrictive diets, one can
  vastly
  improve health and energy levels by eating healthily, i.e., staying away from processed foods, artificial ingredients, additives, etc.
  
• Pull up your self-esteem.
  Bullying and other problems at work can really get you down. Take a self-defense, martial arts, or other type of class to build your confidence. Celebrate your difference. Re-read or list all the positive traits of AS. Look at all the great things you’ve accomplished (probably on your own) and feel good about yourself. Money is a great confidence booster. There is no denying that. Find ways to increase your earnings or earning potential. Cutting loose from your current job (if that’s what you’re thinking of) without having a backup plan is not going to be good for your self-esteem.
  
• Have other interests and activities to increase your enjoyment of life.
  Your ability to hyper-focus and immerse yourself in a task means that you sometimes work too hard and get tunnel vision. Remind yourself to have fun; schedule social or pleasurable activities, things that make you happy and that take you out of yourself. Outside interests will increase self-confidence at work and may give you more things to talk about with others.
  
• If you are unwilling to compromise or have tried but are unable to make things work,
  self-employment may be your only viable option. Explore your options and follow your bliss, but be aware that you still need a fair number of the traits and people skills defined in this book to succeed, and that self-employment can mean lean times, at least for a while.
  

Asperger’s, health, stress management, and job satisfaction are all interrelated here and need to be looked at as a whole. If a good worker starts taking sick days, or seems to be detaching or retreating from the workplace, don’t assume there’s nothing you can do about it. Sit down with them and find out what has been going on. We have given you plenty of strategies to work with; these are all solutions within your grasp if you and your employee are willing.

Are you thinking about leaving your current position?

Do you have another job lined up or a plan of action?

Is there anything you can do to make your current situation better?

I
n the book 22
Things a Woman Must Know If She Loves a Man with Asperger’s Syndrome
(2009), I stated that a relationship will stand a much better chance of succeeding if the person with AS will “REACH.” The same applies to a professional relationship:

R
eceive a diagnosis,
E
ducate yourself about ASDs,
A
cknowledge the impact of Asperger’s on your life,
C
ommit to the relationship, and seek
H
elp.

To put all the onus on your boss is unfair; personal beliefs and preferences aside, to expect the whole world to change around you is unrealistic. You have to accept that Asperger’s Syndrome has given you gifts—in some cases, great gifts, but that there must have been some sort of trade-off, there must be some weaknesses within you. If you take a good, positive, but honest look at yourself—your history, your patterns, you may begin to identify what those things might be.

It is your life, and you can make of it what you will. Don’t let Asperger’s defeat you when it can be your greatest ally.

• At least for the time being it seems that the autism spectrum population is growing.
  
• They are a significant number: 1% or more of the total population.
  
• There are significant differences in communication between spectrum and non-spectrum people. Some would say they are cultural differences.
  
• These differences need to be acknowledged and negotiated for economic reasons.
  
• In order to accomplish this, people with AS need training and support, as do employers.
  
• A person with AS has marketable and exceptional skills that are highly desirable in the workplace.
  
• A person with AS must manage his or her AS-related attributes to make long-term employment possible and pleasurable for themselves, their coworkers, and their employers. This would be made easier and more effective with the understanding and cooperation of the employer.
  

For people on the spectrum, choosing a job means taking into consideration more physical and social factors than it does for non-spectrum people. When planning your career, you must choose your path very carefully. One way to optimize success is to choose one that works with your strengths and interests and which doesn’t involve too many of your shortcomings. While it may be a good idea to have some social contact, for example, to help you get used to people and develop some social skills,
too
much may just wear you down and make you feel bad about yourself. Temple Grandin stresses “social interaction through shared interests” which is another good reason to choose your job carefully. You’ll be more comfortable being involved in a career with like-minded souls.

There are many
career aptitude
tests available, usually employing multiple choice questions, but people with Asperger’s like being defined by ticking
boxes less than anyone, and those tests will probably not address the same concerns that someone on the spectrum might have. We can have a keen interest in a particular area, but have an equally keen aversion to aspects of the job. Just because a boy with Asperger’s loves airplanes doesn’t mean he wants to fly. Stephen Shore says in his article “Survival in the Workplace” (2008):

I was miserable being involved in the business culture. The strange thing is, is that I find the
study
of business... fascinating. I also enjoy
teaching
business subjects... I just can’t deal [with]
working
with the type of people who are in this field.

Most areas of career interest (if not all) can be studied, taught and/or practiced. As Stephen points out, one can be interested in one facet, but not the others. To identify your interests is a good start, but then you must define what application of those interests would make you the most happy and then break that down even further to include social, sensory, and other issues relevant to those with AS and HFA.

To this end, try making a
Personal Job Map
(see the chart at the end of this section).

•   First, list your
Areas of Obsessive Interest,
whatever they are. They may be as disparate as horses, music, medicine, and engines. They can be specific or general. List anything that fascinates you, that you think you might like to have a career in.

•   Next, there are columns for
Teaching, Practicing,
and
Studying.
Under each of these are
BTA, Triggers, and Solutions.

     –   BTA stands for
Best Things About.
Let’s use
Music
as an example. Some
BTAs
of teaching music might include being immersed in a subject you are passionate about, teaching a whole new generation about the great music you love, and getting paid vacations to boot.

     –   
Triggers
are strong aversions or whatever pushes your autistic buttons and over-stimulates you—things that you should avoid if possible. Still using music as our example, if sour notes, improperly played instruments and stray mucous send you into stim-ville, teaching little kids might not be for you. Other triggers listed under “teaching” might be dealing with unruly behavior, standing up in front of a roomful of people, or getting up early and having to be somewhere every day at the same time. There are also bells and announcements as well as smells and germs and halls teeming with people. In every job or career, there might be a million triggers lurking, waiting to trip you up and ruin your day. You must identify what those might be and decide if and how you are going to handle them. You must decide if the sensory issues that will confront you are things you are willing to try to overcome. Let us not forget that we can work on our overall health and happiness and take steps to desensitize ourselves to certain triggers. There comes a point for everyone on the spectrum where earning money means facing our fears and winning.

     –   
Solutions
are usually there if you look for them, and they will consist of working with what you want to work with while avoiding as many of your triggers as possible. Solutions to the above might be: teaching at college level, or teaching one-on-one, part-time, for example, at a music store or in people’s homes.