Now Garry has written a book about the challenges and difficulties he faced growing up, attending college and finding employment so that others can learn from his experience. I Want to Work – an Asperger Story relates Garry’s story, includes a foreword by Dr. Attwood, and offers strategies to help adults on the spectrum find employment.

Topics include:

• Leaving school and finding a career path
• Dealing with disclosure of an Autism Spectrum diagnosis
• Finding employment support
• Training managers to be more aware of Autism in the workplace
• How to overcome bullying and discrimination
• Employers who specifically employ adults on the Autism Spectrum

“My transition into employment was not an easy process.  My first real job was working casually in a Brisbane supermarket but not really being well understood and I was dismissed for no reason.  I know some people work in supermarkets and are able to survive in them but for me, the experience was not much fun.  I experienced some bullying and intimidation while working in them as well as being under ineffective managers.  My first real job was in 1999, just after I graduated from the University of New England.  As I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in 1998 by Dr Tony Attwood, I joined a disability employment agency and was successful in being placed into the Queensland Parliamentary Library.  I really enjoyed my time here as I could feel like a human being and was valued in the job I carried out.  I was under a supportive supervisor who knew of my strengths and having worked hard within the Queensland Parliamentary Library, I was offered a further 4 months to work within it.

After I completed my placement at the Queensland Parliamentary Library, I then went through the musical chairs process of finding a disability employment agency which I hoped would assist me in finding employment.  After repeated attempts I find the right one and submitting employment applications, I was to land employment in a state government department.  It was here that I worked for 12 months in a traineeship and I successfully completed a Certificate III in Business and Office Administration.  It was after I completed this qualification that I went to the United Kingdom.  Despite trying to obtain employment, nothing was available so I thought I would make use of the time and go to the United Kingdom.

Upon my return in 2001, from a four week holiday, I was to find the search for employment difficult.  I did not know whether or not I should reveal my diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome to prospective employers.  Added to this, I just was disability employment agency hopping as I just could not find an employment consultant who could assist me in successfully being placed into employment.  I undertook volunteer work, I submitted job application after job application but found my attempts unsuccessful and my time totally wasted.  One of my more successful work experience attempts was working in the library of a Brisbane private school.  It was here that I worked for 12 months as a volunteer. Despite my knowing and the vague promise of me obtaining a position in the middle school library, I was to later find my application unsuccessful. Despite this, I was also contacting the school myself instead of the disability employment consultant.  I then had a breakdown and it took me a few months to join the disability employment agency bandwagon again.  I worked part time after perseverance and finding a helpful employment consultant with a disability service provider.  It was with success that I found then another supportive disability employment consultant who assisted me in obtaining my current position within the University of Queensland Library.  Within this position I mainly shelve and sort library items and ensure they are shelved in accordance with the Library of Congress (American Classification System).  I am also involved in some other library duties where required.”

Garry’s website is full of information, links to resources and advice, including “Strategies in finding employment for adults on the Autism Spectrum”  (Click HERE to read.)

For information on how to purchase his book, click HERE.

She says  ”I started writing about what it was like to raise a child with autism when it became clear to me that so few of my friends and even family understood my first born son’s behavior. In telling my story, I believe I have helped readers learn to tolerate the differences in others.”

About Matthew she says:

“Matthew now attends a day program that provides vocational training but is about to transition into a work program through Camphill California. Matthew loves garden work/ landscaping and has been doing it on a freelance basis for many years. He is GOOD at it and we are hoping a job coach can help him learn the practical work related stuff:

1) How to interact with employers

2) Following employers/customers instruction (and not just do what you are obsessed with!!)

3) Money management (and more stuff)”

Here’s an excerpt from A REGULAR GUY: GROWING UP WITH AUTISM…

My eighteen-year-old son told me urgently – we need to go to the hardware store. I took a deep breath. Another adventure with my autistic son was about to begin.

When we got to the store, Matthew rushed in and disappeared behind the shovels and the toilet seats. I followed, warily. Matthew reappeared with the orange extension cord he had in mind.

“Mom, give me the money and let me buy this–like I’m a regular man,” his forehead twisted with intensity.

I handed him a 20 and told him to meet me outside.

I stood behind Matthew in line, clutching a bottle of Elmer’s glue I had grabbed. He wanted me to look like a regular woman, anonymous to him, shopping at Ace Hardware. I watched as Matthew put the extension cord on the counter and handed the saleslady the 20-dollar bill.

She was Flo, an old timer, with a bouffant hairdo and eyebrows painted on. I saw the two of them having a little conversation, and could tell by the confused look on Flo’s face that she might need my help – but stood back to respect Matthew’s wishes.

After what seemed like an eternity, Matthew stepped outside and waited for me as I marched up to Flo, placing the glue on the counter.

“See that guy?” she whispered. I glanced outside and saw Matthew standing there with a self-satisfied look on his face. ” He’s got mental problems!”

Apparently he had asked her if rhododendrons were poisonous to goats.

When I told Flo that Matthew was my son, she looked mortified.

I explained to her that Matthew was autistic, and that he had instructed me to stand back so he could be like a regular guy at the store.

“I feel terrible!” she said, “But he must know he’s –different.” Knowing that Matthew’s hopes, dreams and lack of self-awareness would be too hard to explain, I shrugged and took my glue.

Flo didn’t know how many times I had said to Matthew, “If you want to be treated like a regular guy, you’ve got to act like a regular guy!” or “Regular guys don’t talk about poisonous plants all the time!” Unfortunately, social awkwardness is wired into Matthew’s brain, and no amount of instruction or reasoning was going to change that. I glanced at Matthew as we drove home, and could tell by the strange smile on his face that he had moved on from his “regular man” frame of mind to the absurd.

What would happen if Dad ate an oleander, he asked, and the lump that had been in my throat on and off since his birth returned. ***

To order a copy of A Regular Guy: Growing Up With Autism go here:

http://www.amazon.com/Regular-Guy-Growing-Autism/dp/098018360X/ref=pd_rhf_p_

Read more of Laura’s writings on autism at:

http://www.laurashumaker.com/ and http://blog.sfgate.com/lshumaker/

Topics include: networking  … the importance of small talk (and how to do it) … office politics … dealing with authority and change … time management tips … managing anxiety and stress … how to be a team player … accepting criticism and feedback …  and much, much more.

Examples from coaching clients are used to illustrate common employment challenges and how various techniques are applied in actual circumstances. This book is a handy reference that readers can refer to again and again for guidance on specific job-related topics.

The pragmatic recommendations will benefit individuals who are entering the workforce, as well as those who struggle to maintain employment, or who want to improve their performance and advance their careers.”

(Book description is from the Forward Motion website. Click HERE to read more about it or to purchase a copy.)

Disclosure is a personal decision. Whether it is the right option for you depends on the nature of your job, your overall performance, specific challenges that you face, whether you have had a disciplinary action, and your comfort level with disclosing a disability.

There are benefits and risks. On the plus side, disclosure provides you protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Some of my clients have saved their jobs by disclosing and requesting accommodations. The risk is a job offer rescinded, a promotion denied or a job lost, without the real reasons being stated. It can be difficult, expensive and time consuming to prove discrimination.

Employers are compelled under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. A qualified individual is one who meets the employer’s standards for performance and productivity. An accommodation is a modification or adjustment that allows individuals to participate in the interviewing process or to perform the essential functions of their job. The modifications must be realistic and cannot cause an undue hardship for the employer.

Whether an accommodation is reasonable or not depends on your job and your company. For Susan, a data entry clerk, requesting written instructions was reasonable. Ken, however, worked as a financial analyst. His supervisor explained that Ken’s job required judgment. It was not possible to provide written instructions about how to address every situation.

Disclosing does not guarantee that you will receive a job offer or continue in your current employment. Employers do not have to lower their standards of quality or productivity for an employee who is disabled. Let’s suppose that all customer service employees are expected to enter at least 30 orders per hour. Because of Asperger’s Syndrome, your processing speed is slower; you can only enter 22 orders per hour. You are considered unqualified for the job.

Accommodations are decided on an individual basis. Most employers are very willing to make adjustments that are reasonable; however the discussion is a negotiation. The more prepared you are, the better your chances of getting the accommodations that you need. Proactively suggesting solutions greatly increases the likelihood that your employer will implement them.

Here is an example of how one of my coaching clients disclosed to her employer. Tina is a receptionist for a large financial firm. One of her duties is to make sure that visitors have the proper security clearance before leaving the lobby area and entering the facility. One particularly busy day, Tina issued a visitor badge to someone she thought she recognized as he rushed through the checkpoint and quickly flashed an ID. Concerned about the possible security breach, Tina reported the incident to her supervisor, who issued Tina a written warning.

Tina explained to human resources that Asperger’s Syndrome affects her short-term memory and her ability to recognize faces under stress. Her employer agreed to turn off the television in the lobby during Tina’s shift, because the sound is distracting to her. Employees have been instructed to send written, not verbal, visitor requests to Tina in advance so that she will have more time to process them. Signs are now posted in the lobby informing visitors that they must check in with the receptionist and show appropriate identification.

Sometimes, despite disclosing and giving your best efforts, you lose your job. If this happens, or has happened, to you, treat it as a learning experience. Try to find out from the employer specifically what went wrong and what you need to improve. Research other industries or professions where you can transfer your skills. Do not become discouraged. With determination and practice virtually everyone can learn new skills, gain insight into strengths and limitations and improve their personal presentation, all of which increase the odds of finding satisfying employment.

Excerpted from the Asperger’s Syndrome Workplace Survival Guide: A Neurotypical’s Secrets for Success, ©2010 Barbara Bissonnette, Forward Motion Coaching, and available exclusively at www.ForwardMotion.info.

When I was born, not only was I born with a talented gift of drawing, I was born with autism and I am a slow learner at things. I like playing video games, surf around on YouTube, and spend time with family and friends. I don’t play video games as much because I like to stick with my artwork.
About The Book

An amusing pack of comic strips, Dustin and his dog, Darling, will bring us flashes of laughter and fun as they introduce more exciting and lovable characters that would surely amuse us with their unique characteristics.

Let us meet some of them now like Speed Phreak, the speedy superhero who can run as fast as the speed of sound. He has an evil twin brother, Evil Phreak, who will later escape from cartoon world to the real world. Will he be sent back to his sketchbook world?

Whenever there is a crime, Speed Phreak magically comes out of a sketchbook and saves the day. But he is not the only superhero in this comic book, you will also come to get to know a pirate, a biker, a secret agent, and a sniper. These four other heroes will help Speed Phreak in his battles against the villains. These characters can come out of the sketchbook whenever they want.

But, how did the speedy superhero get his name Speed Phreak? It was when he saved the day for the first time. The people in the town of Marietta, Ohio were stunned by his super-fast speed and fighting moves. What will happen after the crimes are over? Where will they go?

Dustin & Darling are definitely cool, fun and witty and they are inviting us to join Speed Phreak, S.A.M., Mystery Rider, “Dinghy” the Pirate, and the Marietta Sniper as they fight crime, evil and save Marietta from Evil Phreak and his men.

http://www.dustinanddarling.com/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1441512535/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

I’m asking for help in reaching my goal of selling 2000 books. Please help.

Mostly they provide advice and continuing education to counselors and service providers at agencies in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, but thanks to a new guide designed to help disability service providers do a better job and to Autism Works, an upcoming national conference on autism & employment, the rest of the country is now able to benefit from their studies.

Adult Autism & Employment: A guide for vocational rehabilitation professionals, written by MU School of Health Professions clinical associate professor Scott Standifer, suggests how to accommodate  adults on the autism spectrum during employment services and in the workplace.

“Until now, there hasn’t been a resource available to employment service providers that is specific to autism and provides recommendations to help with the features of this growing population,” Standifer says. “This guide provides specific advice on a variety of employment issues for adults with ASD and, ultimately, helps the counselors find jobs for their clients.”

Autism Works will be Thursday & Friday, March 3 & 4, 2011, at the Sheraton Westport Hotel in St. Louis, MO.  The conference will bring together the disability employment services community (vocational rehabilitation) and autism community to learn from each other and improve employment options for adults with autism. Topics will include: understanding the vocational rehabilitation (VR) process, what VR counselors need to know about autism, job development and work-place supports, funding possibilities for employment supports, and insights from working youth with autism.

Besides bridging the gap between vocational rehabilitation,  one of the goals of the conference is to bring new voices into the discussion. Speakers will include Dan Tedesco, father of a child with autism and software developer who is busy building autism-specific iPhone applications; Joan Kester who provides technical assistance for voc rehab agencies and who is busy working on her dissertation on building communities of practice at George Washington University; Paul Andrew, who works for an agency that certifies disability employment service providers internationally, to assure they are doing person-centered, professional work; and Zosia Zaks via video link, a trained vocational rehabilitation counselor who has autism. As Standifer says, “She embodies the very connection we are trying to make with this conference.”

For more information on the Autism Works conference, go here: http://dps.missouri.edu/Autism/Announcement01.html