Brainstorming session please to help a person age 36 find a suitable job who suffers from Aspergers syndrome?

Question

He cannot work a regular job as sleep pattern is erratic so when he is meant to sleep he can't but when he is not supposed to sleep he feels really tired. Very talented in computer engineering but feels not worthy to charge for work as not qualified. Very talented electrician but again not qualified nor feels worthy to take an exam. Wears scruffy clothes all the time with new ones sitting in his drawers unworn as he feels it is a waste to use them. Yes he has no self worth but will not see anyone about it. When ill will not seek any medical attention.
He is the loveliest and kindest person in the world so I would like to help him to help himself to earn a living. At the moment his parents help him out as he will not sign on as unemployed for all the above reasons and because of his aspergers syndrome.
What do you suggest he could do for a fee paying job please?

Answer 1

Take my advice with the biggest pinch of salt you can. Because I have no experience whatsoever with people who suffer from autism or Aspergers syndrome. But your question really touched me, so I did a bit of digging.

First, remember that many people with Aspergers go on to gain sustainable and successful employment. It is estimated that there are about 332,600 people of working age in the UK with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), and of this number an estimated 259,506 are thought to be of average or above average intelligence.

A good starting point is to support the individual to find out as much as possible about the job they want to do prior to making applications. If for example, the person has expressed an interest in becoming a hairdresser, encourage them to observe a hairdresser at work and make notes about all the tasks that they are expected to perform. It’s not unusual for the individual to ‘discover’ very quickly that there are aspects of the job that they could never do. This can be a painful process and having to abandon a career option will almost certainly cause distress to the individual.

In addition to making enquiries with the Disability Employment Advisor, it is worth doing your own research to find out if other organisations, like local charities and colleges run employment courses.

I wish you and your friend the very best of luck.

Answer 2

I'm not sure that the sleep thing is anything to do with the Aspergers. Are you certain he even has Aspergers. Reason I say this is that my son was "diagnosed" with Aspergers on the basis of 2 minutes with a doctor - a senior one at that. The experts on Aspergers will tell you that there are no experts and very little is known or understood about the condition. I wonder if the sleep patterns could be dealt with as a separate issue? Maybe that would help. He needs to know that he is as worthy a person as the next guy and deserves to have a life and the chance to earn a living. There's no reason why he shouldn't after all, if he has the help he needs. There must be an organisation for people like your friend to get help from surely? I wish him so well and think your friendship and the support he has from his family will help him through this in the end. Just keep him positive and you stay positive too - maybe he'll start to see himself through your eyes - I do hope so :0)

Answer 3

Contact the national autistic society. It is, I think, national aspergers year would you believe! They are fantastic people who give lots of support and advice - practical stuff not airy fairy umming and ahhing. I know how hard it must be for this man to feel he is able to partake in everyday life but if he is aspy then he most certainly has the ability to do so and to be very valuable to society.

Please use the NAS as your first port of call - there is a web site you can look at now with loads of info and contact numbers. Personally I would hope he can get the qualifications he needs to do the computer stuff which is perfectly suited to many (tho not all) aspergers individuals.

He may also be entitled to benefits other than signing on due to the disabling nature of his aspergers. He has nothing to be ashamed of and infact I find many people on the autistic spectrum much more pleasant company than those supposedly "normal" people.

Good luck in helping your friend to help himself. I really hope you both manage to bring about a change for him.

Answer 4

Are you sure he acctually has Aspergers Syndrome?
Or that the Sleeping and Aspergers are related.

People with Aspergers tend to be very sensitive to routine. They have to do everything at a certain time, and can get quiet upset if this routine is interfered. That also applies to sleeping time etc.

Then again, I am one to talk, I go for days without sleep, so maybe the shrinks have us wrong. Certainly the persistence of wearing the same clothes all the time is consistent.

He needs to get his **** in gear, fix his sleeping pattern to gwet it more consistent and go on to lead the best life he can. By the way, I did that years ago, and now I am a successful Business Consultant, freelancer and Businessman. If I could do it, so can he.

Answer 5

http://www.nas.org.uk/

This has lots of information that would be useful.

As someone with Asperger's( still awaiting official diagnosis) The most important thing I can ask is that does he know he has Asperger's?

My life was a bit of a mess, though I had a job and still do, with a large amount of stress/depression related symptoms. My unofficial diagnosis of Asperger did a lot to help me understand who I was and why I did what I did, and thus helped me become much healthier although it is not easy.

A lot of what you have written about your friend applied to me before I realised what was different about me.

I would suspect that he will have very few friends who call round and that also does do help.

As for jobs, I feel he first needs to address his Asperger's and the associated depression that often accompanies it.

If I can offer any more specific advice, please email me.

Answer 6

I have a brother with AS and he's finding that although he can do certain jobs he still can't multi task.

He is on benefits.

You would need to get him assessed ( DEA can do this) and a his parents would have to fill in the forms for DLA. He would need to state that someone needs to be with him all the time to go places with him and suppervision most of the day and night. Go on incapacity which requires a decent doctor to ask if he can go on sick which leads to it. You can do this as a parent without the doctor even having to see the patient.

If you think he can manage the multi tasking of a job (as employers think you have around 6 arms and two heads) then I would suggest a small office job as he wouldn't have alot of new faces to get used to and so communication would be better. Maybe part time with flexible hours. Needs to be on incapacity benefit. Permitted work. See job centre.

Unfortunately you need to get him on these benefits in order to access any courses or work help. Including below.

There is a course that you can send him on which teaches life skills. Go to the DEA and ask on the residential training course. He would go away to live with others with disablities of all kinds and he would learn to cook, clean and socialise with others like him. Independant but within a group.

The clothes thing sounds like depression and AS mixed and this just may be the way he is. He may snap out of it when he realises there are ways to get out and about with others like him and change clothes etc to look better, but he may not. (I have to bully brother into showering etc, hee hee)

I am presuming you are in the UK.

Hope this helps

Blessed be

Evany

Answer 7

How about starting out something small and part-time ?

How about being a tutor for kids ? He must be good at math and the science.

Once he gets some money coming in, he will feel better.

There are consulting jobs that are flexible with work hours. Only if he start looking.

There is even ebay job. May be he can start assembling computer and put it up for sale in ebay or local newspaper.

Answer 8

My brother has Aspergers and is good with computers and filming stuff, he often creates websites for people. Your friends could probably do something like that. If he is self-employed with a job like that he could sleep when he wants. It may take a while but soon he could have money coming in.

Answer 9

my sister has aspergers, which as you know can be very complicated, it also varries from person to person...my sister goes to college full time and is able to function quite well in society, although she has the symptoms, she only has 3 outfits that she likes to wear,ocd, sometimes she is socially awkward or inapropriate...but she can still function...in your friends case it seems a little more difficult for him...he has to want to function in society to a degree...attitude plays a part...my sis has accepted aspergers and does not let it hold her back...your friend might have to collect unemployment or disability...it does not seem like he wants to work, sounds like hes making excuses, but i dont know the severity of his aspergers....his attitude about it def plays a big part in the whole picture tho...

Answer 10

hi hun I'm a full time carer for a 27 year old aspergers, sounds classic symptoms to me. it could be him lol, he lives with us has done for years as his mum cant cope, iv been to hell and back with the mental health team, email me direct on [e-mail] I'm happy to help in anyway i can, but its not easy I'm afraid and paid work is few and far between as they cannot hold a full time job down, but have a few suggestions, but not easy to explain on here. Hope to hear from you .. Suzie x