Autistic and can’t work but would like ideas of how to fill my time?

[furtheringeducation]

Once my youngest goes to school full time in September?

Im thinking about a OU course but is it worth it if it’s just for me and not towards a qualification specifically for a job but just something I enjoy ? Do they ever make you go in person or a it all done from home ?
Im also wondering about some DIY projects as I really enjoy this type of thing and the house does need a lot of work.

I don’t really leave the house much but can get into the garden although I know nothing about gardening at all. I just don’t want to do nothing I’d like to find some things to keep my mind active

I know what it is… and I know that adults who have a diagnosis of it can be supported to gain some basic qualifications. I’m not talking GCSEs, I’m talking functional skills.
You’re implying that someone with dyscalculia shouldn't be expected to learn. That’s very patronising.

Your response made it sound so easy though, that gaining a few qualifications will make working possible but that’s not the case, autism is complex, not having qualifications isn’t what makes working difficult.

Not read the full thread, but if it's not been suggested, duolingo is an absorbing and productive pastime.

I’m autistic too, I do manage to work. Don’t really have a choice as we can’t survive on one wage so it is what it is. If you can afford not to work I absolutely wouldn’t.

My best therapy is horse riding and being around horses/animals. I know that would be difficult with your agoraphobia but maybe getting a small pet like a cat or a rabbit or something might help. Obviously not a dog due to needing exercising.

It is good for people with dyslexia to learn to read even though it may be more difficult for them, as it will greatly help them in life.

It is also good for people with dyscalculia to learn to do basic maths even though it may be difficult, as it will also greatly help them in life.

OP currently can only survive and raise her child by depending on her partner.
If anything was to happen to him then the both of them would be screwed.

It is always important to learn how to be independent, even if that independence looks different to the majority of the world.

I work with SEND students.
Some of which will easily be able to live independently and some who will never live fully independently or have DCs etc but all of them are taught independence skills so that they are given as good of a chance at life as possible.

OP can find a partner, have a child, use a phone/computer and start a thread on here - she is capable of a lot of things and I don’t think she should be seen as a lost cause just because she is ND.

Thank you for policing my posting activity. Your comments have been taken into consideration and will be responded to in due course 🙂

When the OP pointed out a lack of qualifications as one of the reasons why she doesn’t work, then solving that particular issue will be very helpful.
The level of condescension and patronising on this thread is unbelievable.

"I know what it is… and I know that adults who have a diagnosis of it can be supported to gain some basic qualifications. I’m not talking GCSEs, I’m talking functional skills.
You’re implying that someone with dyscalculia shouldn't be expected to learn. That’s very patronising."

I posted a link to Wikipedia, for information, with no further comment at all. Not sure how you could so confidently interpret that I was implying anything at all, let alone being 'patronising' when I didn't actually say anything on that post?

Growing fruits and vegetables is really rewarding. Lots of good beginners’ books you can order online.

I am autistic. I wfh as a PA. Everything is done by email, online chats so I don't need to make phonecalls. I find it very rewarding. Being good at English would definitely be an asset. You do not really need maths. I would look into something like this as although low paid it does increase your self worth.

Comments as vile as yours should always be policed.

You're welcome.

Are there any work from home jobs that have no interaction with others?

Yes I think OU is absolutely worth it "just for you".

Do you like crafting or upcycling? You could do this just for yourself or even sell pieces online (etsy etc) - if you don't need the money then you don't need to do loads of marketing etc. That could be a nice hobby.

Look at online work like uTest or Upwork or MTurk, do surveys (Prolific is the best for this IME)

Play computer games - I like Cities Skylines and The Sims 2 for building up realistic mini towns/cities. Almost like a virtual model village simulator! Or if you have the space, maybe even a real model railway, doll's house etc.

Maybe volunteering if that would work for you. It is a little more on your own terms than paid/contracted work is. Animal charities often need volunteers during the daytime when most people are at work. Or perhaps supporting local families with ASD using your own experience and expertise?

Do you like gardening? That can be a nice hobby that you can do from home, either your own garden outside, or houseplants, or local community or historical gardens sometimes need workers/volunteers.

This is exactly how UC is inaccessible to many of the very people it's supposedly designed for! So ridiculous. My mum can't access it either due to the cost to her mental health.

Stop minimising and acting as if it's a choice?

You choose to work for financial reasons but would prefer not to. Other people are not the same as you and maybe don't have the choice. There are many documented cases of disabled people who cannot work living on or below the breadline. Some people have even died because they couldn't work. How dare you suggest OP is choosing that.

That sounds amazing, thank you. I’ll have a look in my area to see if there’s anything similar for my daughter.

Don’t really have a choice as we can’t survive on one wage so it is what it is.

This is very poorly phrased.

You're not working just because you can't afford not to, you're working because you actually can.

If you couldn't work due to your autism, being unable to survive on one wage wouldn't come into it because you'd have to survive.

Wow!

What a load of unkind nonsense some people have posted on this this thread! Well done to those who have called others out.

It's OK not to work - the OP has mentioned she is financially supported by her DH, but for all we know she lives off an inheritance. That is not what the thread was about. It's OK to study just for the joy of learning. I find it sad that some people only learn to earn.

Personally I'd start with the house and garden, OP. Do what you can to make it lovely, and learn some skills along the way.

I just saw someone mention community gardening, and I'd like to expand on that.
I work in a community garden project, which coincidentally has a fair number of neuro diverse people coming along. A lot of them decided to come because they have social anxiety (very severe in some cases) but the garden gives them a place to be alongside others without necessity having to be engaging with others.

There are always plenty of things that need doing, from repetitive mindful tasks like sorting seeds from pods, to full on engineering tasks, photography, recording bugs, endless wheelbarrowing to tire you out, herb beds to get lost in.
If you're a learner gardener, you'll get a feel for what happens at what time of year and you can then replicate this in your own garden and learn from other volunteers. If you have to many seedings you can take them in, if they have to many seedings, you can take some home. We give our excess fruit/veg to our volunteers to take home, but also to our local Pantry. Our garden improves the local community, in terms of nature/biodiversity, and appearance, it makes other people smile, they like to be there, so it enhances other people's lives.
I know how hard some volunteers find it to push themselves to come, sometimes it takes a few years before they feel comfortable, but it's worth it to see friendships developing in people who thought they would never belong anywhere, and that no one cares about them.
Social Farms and Gardens is an organisation which has a directory of community gardens, might help people find their nearest community garden.

I describe myself as a community gardener, when I walk my local areas I notice what's growing, when I see a patch of verge, I'll chuck some wildflower seeds down. I've just noticed sometime else has started planting primroses in a verge I've been tending! That made me the happiest I've been all week!

No I don’t work because I can, I work because I have to.

Work has wrecked my mental health, my DH would absolutely let me quit if we could afford it. Who the fuck do you think you are telling me why I put myself through the sheer mental torture of having to fit into an NT workplace everyday.

I worked in an office for 2 years where no one and I mean no one talked to me because I’m not NT and I didn’t mask very well when I first started.

I'm autistic and cannot work. I have support workers to go into shops with me, do life admin, make phone calls, attend medical appointments etc. I also have two degrees. Definitely worth learning for learning's sake.
Anyway, things I do are art, jigsaws, writing. I hope you find something. I also attend some craft and gardening groups at a mental health organisation.

@MynameisJune

But you are working, so you can?

That doesn't mean every autistic person can work. It means you can work.

Are the job centre not making you look for work? They can sometimes fund courses for you.