The Struggle to Find a Job: An Autism Job Request
I have a friend, J , who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome. J is 21 years old and was just diagnosed with AS less than a year ago.
When he was younger, and in his teen years, he was misdiagnosed as having ADHD. Medication did not help him, and discipline in the home – grounding and taking away video games- did not help either.
J is having a very hard time finding and keeping a job. He also cannot complete college. He suffers from an obsession with video games, and he cannot focus on doing school work or meeting job deadlines. Except for math, he failed all of his college courses – not because he does not understand the material but because he procrastinates in homework and simply does not comprehend the importance of meeting deadlines for an exam or for a job.
In the past, he did work as a stocking boy at Kroger’s, however, Kroger’s had to let him go because he stocked too slowly and too meticullously. I am a volunteer computer trainer. I have been teaching J how to build web sites, and he does learn programming lightening fast; however, when I give homework assignments or tasks for him to complete, barely anything gets done.
J’s mother and father divorced almost two years ago. The mother has basically given up on her son and claims that if he doesn’t “man up and get a job” – he’ll simply live on the street. His father has taken custody over him and is almost in a panic because he’s not sure how he can help his son.
J started seeing a therapist half a year ago; however, no one is seeing any improvement. And not only that, the bills are getting very tight, and the clamour for J to find work is reaching a critical point.
Where can we go for help?
Thank you!
M
If you have any suggestions for M on how to help J, please share them! I’m sure there are others having the same struggles. J is very fortunate to have someone like M on his side.
-Barbara
M–
I don’t have any great ideas, but if you could take that video game obsession and turn it into something productive that might be helpful. Maybe he could study computer programming and his project would be to design & develop a video game if that would channel his interest. Maybe there is a company that would pay him to test video games online as a part-time job (although every teenager in the country would want this job so it might be hard to find).
Otherwise, you have to use the video game as a reward. If he does a certain amount of homework, then he gets an hour of video games. Maybe you could password protect his video games so someone else would have to enable them?
As for a job like stocking, he may need a job coach with him to help him for a while and then to monitor him periodically. Maybe he could have a handheld video game that he would be allowed to use on breaks with this type of job (his reward).
Another thought is a behavior specialist with vocational experience — this individual may be able to help channel his interests or break down the tasks for him to tackle. In general, everything has to be broken down and even then someone may need to keep him “on task” until he can learn to do it himself.
Just my thoughts. Maybe someone else has some more specific ideas? Good luck.
Thank you so much for the advise! He tried going to Devry to study game programming, but he can’t get past the core: English, History, etc.
But a “job coach” sounds very good! He needs someone to walk him through his jobs. Where do we go to find a job coach?
M
Hi,
Try going to your local employment office and explaining that your son is autistic and needs a job coach. Likely they’ll either test him or use his dx in order to qualify him for a state funded program that will give him a job coach.
That’s what I did to get one for myself. (I have Asperger’s).
Hope that helps you!
Angie
I wish I knew of some programming certification program that he might be interested in that didn’t require the English, history, etc. I don’t think companies pay people for alpha or beta testing.
Each state has its own agency that can provide job coaching services. In Texas (where I am) it’s the department of assistive & rehabilitative services (DARS). I saw a list of agencies by state somewhere online but I can’t remember where. For DARS, you have to go through their intake process and get approved. This takes time & in Texas, we have an 18 month limit on those services. Other states will vary.
If you have the $, you can hire private job coaching services. I suggest surfing the web for job coaching services in your state or local area or contacting one of the Aspergers Syndrome Associations. The only one I’m familiar with in USAAA (US Autism & Aspergers Association) http://www.usautism.org/about_us.htm. I know there are others.
Good luck!
One more thought:
In one of the other posts on this website, John Solyst of CSAAC mentioned that the ARC can help with job coaches. Check with the ARC in your area.
If you are interesed in a private coach, you can contact Bill Goodyear at billgoodyear.org. He is a very experienced coach. He is also mentoring a cadre of coaches. I am participating in that project, and am also a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coach Federation with many years experience working with individuals on the spectrum and their families. A coach would work on developing a vision of what he would like to do with him, and then agree on goals and steps to take to reach them. A supportive coach can make all the difference!
The type of coaching I’m talking about is somewhat different than a job coach, per se, who often goes with the individual and supports them in learning a specific job. A Life/career coach might do some hands on things, but often coaches by phone or Skype. Check out Bill’s website.
Same here – I’m currently suspended from college and I’m seeking a job.
Good luck, Tiffany! I hope you were able to get some tips on our website. Please come back and leave your job story or stories (successes or failures) here on our site so others can possibly learn from them.
Thanks!
Wow, does this sound familiar…this young man’s story could be my son’s story. My son, another J, has done the college, with similar results. He has PDDNOS, closely aligned to Asperger’s with only one inconsistancy. He is unemployed and on disability… but really wants a job. His “job” interviews last maybe 5 minutes, compared to other applicants who last 20 minutes or more. It is tough watching him try so hard with little to no results. He has, at this point, given up. Here in Canada there are programs but he was unsuccessful in the first one because he didn’t like the nondescript jobs they kept giving him. So, because he quit the job, he now has to way 3 years before he can switch over to another placement program that offers more career oriented positions. It is a lot of government red tape that is successfully demoralizing the disabled.