24 Results in Work

ASD adjustments to the interview process

The National Autistic Society suggests that more than 1 in 100 people are affected by an ASD. They also suggest that as many as 80% of people with an ASD are not working, yet are willing and able to. If you are an employer it is likely that you will come across a person with an ASD at some point. However, it is down to the individual whether or not they disclose their condition on their application form. Some are afraid to do so in case of discrimination by the employer. (My advice to people with an ASD would be to generally always disclose (if not at interview, disclose when you start the job.) If a person has disclosed to you that they have an ASD when they apply, there are some reasonable adjustments you can make to make things better (more productive and sincere) for both of you. In this blog article, I will briefly give some suggestions on the sorts of things you could do to help a potential candidate with an ASD when you see them for interview.

How might autistic people manage projects?

I've been thinking about project management. I think of projects in three stages: Planning Doing End result A part of being self-employed and running a business is that I have to manage a lot of projects (from start to completion) and I have to think of the work in terms of the bigger picture. So I work on all three stages all the time. This is opposed to someone who is employed and perhaps is more used to working mainly on the ‘doing’ aspect of the project and might not have to think much about the bigger picture. Lately I've had to do quite a few things that I really did not like doing, however I've been very happy with the final outcome. Possibly one of the differences between me and some of my friends and colleagues is that they very much like ‘doing’ whereas I very much like ‘thinking.’ Maybe this is another aspect of introversion (me) vs extroversion (them). Here are some thoughts on the subject of project management and how it may influence people on the autistic spectrum.

Things for people with ASD to consider when looking for work

In October 2016, the National Autistic Society found that only 16% of autistic adults were in full time work. This is such a low percentage! But I completely understand why it might be so low. Reasons can include the person with ASD having trouble with the whole job application process, not passing interviews, or struggling to keep up with the social and executive function demands of employment once they do actually get a job, hence not lasting long before leaving. Another big reason is that most potential employers are not understanding of ASD in general and do not quite realise the reasonable adjustments that ought to be made to help a person with ASD pass the interview, for example. I know of someone who has applied for hundreds of jobs, has had hundreds of interviews, yet has not been in work for 10 years, despite really wanting to and trying hard! I've had - and still have - lots and lots of different jobs. It has taken me a while to get myself on the right career path however and I've been very miserable in some of the jobs I've had (jobs that should have, in theory, been very good for me). Here's my advice on finding the right job and perhaps thinking about it in ways you've not thought of.

The challenges of autism in the workplace

In the news last week, “Microsoft seeks to recruit autistic workers.” This is excellent news because, unbelievably, only 15% of adults with autism in the UK are in full time employment, according to the National Autistic Society. I too, add to this statistic. I have been unable to sustain full time employment and, now it’s… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you wou…