INSIDE PERSPECTIVES of AS & Neurodiversity

 

 

 

WORK

 

 

   Aspies often make good workers as many of us are punctual, trustworthy, conscientious, take the job very seriously, above average work ethics and often enjoy working. No matter what level of work, Aspies are at work to work; not to gossip, slack, flirt or socialise.

 

   “My best skills are the ability to focus on the work rather than relationships. Because of this I hit the office working and don't stop working until I have to leave.”

- Rachele, adult Aspie from USA

 

   “I'm good at research and putting things together in a motion or paper of some sort.  I'm good at building up a pattern to support a theory for our case.  I can read extremely fast and can read a file right before walking into court and yet remember everything I read and then win the case.”

- Anne-Marie, adult ADHD/Aspie attorney from USA

 

   “I’ve been tempted – sometimes I used to get angry that I seemed to be the only one working while everyone else chatted or planned vacations or parties, etc.  I’ve even made up my mind to fool around on the job instead of working.  I tried playing some games on my computer at work (like one woman did just about all day!).  But I couldn’t do it... even if I didn’t have anything to do I would always go looking for work to do instead of doing something for myself. ‘Oh good, I can reorganize my files!’ or whatever.”

- Wendi, adult Aspie from USA

 

   “I can work wonders with excel spreadsheets and access databases, and can collect and sort data in lots of different ways, and with efficiency that most of my co-workers have never seen.    

 

   “I believe that a person should give their employer maximum value for what they are paying you for, regardless of how much you get paid. And so I tend to push myself.”

- Tom, adult Aspie receptionist & assistant from USA

 

   “I am good at, and enjoy, things such as organizing, cataloguing, filing, etc. I'm also a very good speller - I don't need to use spell check. I can become very engrossed in paperwork. I would do nothing but my work, I would not slack off to socialize. (This would likely endear me to a boss but make me target among co-workers.) I would never, ever gossip. I'm determined and, of course, a TOTAL perfectionist. Unlike many aspies, I have no aptitude whatsoever for technical things or numbers. However, my writing and reading comprehension skills are very high. Unfortunately, I could only put these skills to work if I was alone. Just the *presence* of other people, even if they are busy and not talking, would make me too nervous to function. The threat of small talk would always be there, even if it never came to fruition.”

- Kitty, adult Aspie

 

   “I have so far in my 29 year-old life worked as a regular employee full time. First 5 years in the manufacturing industry. It was a monotonous assembly line job, My co-workers hated it but I liked it. […] The problem with this job was that I was so incredibly stressed all the time. I put extremely high demands on myself to be best at everything. If it was possible to be the tiniest bit faster, I made sure to be fastest of all. I would take time and constantly tried to pressure myself to become faster and more efficient. This led to me becoming very appreciated by my boss. When production was slacking at one station, I would sometimes be put there in order to bring it back up to speed again.”

- ‘Aspiegirl’, adult Aspie from Sweden

 

·  Some prefer monotonous jobs with predictable routines.

 

   “My ability to hyperfocus helps me with my job which involves a lot of mundane filing which most NT's would find mindblowingly boring but which I find quite good therapy.”

- Kate, adult Aspie

 

   “If I could choose, I would prefer to sit 8 hours a day on the same spot doing exactly the same things all the time.”

- ‘Aspiegirl’, adult Aspie from Sweden

 

·  Others are highly creative and individual and want to be able to make use of their creativity and special skills in their job. They are the starters who are best at initiating things, but not at the day-to-day maintenance of their creation, and work best when given as much freedom as possible within a safe setting.

 

   I’m a typical ‘projects’ person. I love sorting things, solving problems and thinking out new & improved ways of doing things. I prefer getting (or giving myself) a specific assignment that will be over and done with once I finish it. I then need to rest for about as long as I’ve worked and switch to some completely different activity. This is because I hyperfocus so intensely that my mind or body really needs a break when I’m done!

 

   I also need to work on my own terms. When I get to choose where, when and how to do things, that’s when they get done best. It also needs to be something that I believe will be of use to others. I could never feel inspired to participate in production or sales of something that went against my personal values.

- Inger, site-author

 

·  Solitude. Introverts, Aspies and Highly Sensitive People often work best alone.

 

    “I haven't been 'employed' for close to forty years, but chose way back when to work for/by myself, alone, in a remote location. Fifteen years before I had a telephone. Over thirty before this computer. Pretty Aspie, eh? Like Tom's niche, I found mine to be perfect for what I chose to become. Isolation allowed me to perfect my craft in an uninterrupted, people free environment. To some people it would seem like hell on earth but I enjoyed most every minute. Valuing efficient, effective, focused, productive, advances in knowledge, service, and production are our greatest gifts. Best of all I got back just what I was worth!”
- ‘Rainbow’, adult Aspie wood-craftsman from USA

 

  “I have a great enjoyment of organizing, cataloguing, alphabetizing, filing, etc. If I could find a job where I could do these things without having to go through the exhausting 'Hi how are you fine how are you' routines every day I would probably be a workaholic!”

- Kitty, adult Aspie

 

   “Got a temp job at dad’s work, got my own room to file paper and place files on shelves. Felt as comfortable as a fish in water. Unfortunately it didn’t last more than a month, got praise for work well done.”

- ‘Annorlunda’, female adult Aspie from Sweden

 

·  Sensory overload can be a huge problem for some:

 

   “I'd prefer that it be darker in my office, but I can't control that. Hearing: BIG PROBLEM.  I need to be in a very quiet environment or I can't concentrate.  This is impossible in a work environment.  My two office mates listen to music and it hurts my ears even when they turn it down a lot.  One guy was listening with his headphones today, and I had my back to him and I asked him to turn it down.  I didn't realize he had his headphones on.  I was a bit embarrassed, but it was too loud and hurting my ears!  Even when they don't have music on, they can't stop tapping their desks or talking with one another or just making noise in general.  I hate noise.  In my office I can feel it in my ears, like someone is hitting my eardrums.”

- ‘Jae’, adult female with SID from USA

 

   “For me to function in a work environment, I need to be relatively free from distractions, and for me to focus on a project, I need the total and complete absence of all noise. This includes using ear protectors to screen out the hum from fluorescent lights and the sound of air coming in through the ducts.”

- Tom, adult Aspie from USA