Can I say I can’t do certain things in jobs that are usually expected due to ASD?

[resignedtoit]

I’m getting so much pressure to do certain jobs that I can’t do. I can’t do any public facing roles at all so retail is looking hugely problematic. I can’t do care work as I don’t like to touch others / be touched / deal with personal care. Yet retail and care are the only jobs apparently available to me and I have to job search.

I just can’t do it. Can I get PIP so that I don’t have to look for work as the stress is too much , I put all my energy into looking after my dc and the stress of just meetings and looking is impacting my parenting so an actual job is going to push me over the edge. Would I even get pip for ASD ? I am severely affected

Could you do audio typing online where you type up recordings for people?

How's your grammar? you can get online proof reading jobs too.

Both of these you should be able to manage your schedule around when you are able up until the deadline and communicate via email/ instant message so no face to face interaction.

There are other administrative, book keeping and IT jobs that can be fully remote, although you'd need qualifications or experience - but there are online/ distant courses available and many free ones too - though I appreciate that might all be too overwhelming right now but perhaps when your kids are older if things feel less over stimulating.

Sorry I can't advise on benefits in this area but I hope you get what you need. Our system is beyond messed these days. Good luck.

Around 80%
Around half of disabled work and autism has the lowest rate.

That’s not a very surprising statistic when you consider how severe autism can be, our perceptions are probably skewed by portrayals of higher functioning individuals.

Recommend getting an occupational therapy referral to see what support you need.

Autism's shit. Very few autistics work. Or stay in work for long. It seems to get worse as you are older. Certainly found that. I can't work in the same jobs as I did when younger. Cleaning I could do with the autism (but not the hypermobility). Picking in Argos warehouse worked. Supermarket not so much.

Start with what what you can do.

Eg written communication.

That's because many of those with ASD are severely learning disabled, doubly incontinent and unable to communicate verbally.

Lumping someone as intellectually able as OP into those stats is illogical and sets low expectations unnecessarily.

Going to a capability work assessment appeal in July with autistic son, who has PIP.

He is regularly asked to apply for positions in retail, has had two interviews he simply couldn't attend - total melt down. Has his GP signing him off.

Most people with autism aren't as limited as OP?

What's your sample size?

I’m an autistic person. What you fail to understand is that things like leaving the house and going to the supermarket are optional. If you’re having a bad day and struggling you can choose not to go. But you can’t choose not to go to work. And if you do manage to go, you can employ strategies like wearing dark glasses and headphones to help you cope, which mostly won’t be tolerated in the workplace. You also don’t need to touch or speak to anyone in those scenarios, which is pretty much impossible at work.

As for how I function? I don’t have any friends to go out with. I pay bills online. I shop online. I drop my kids off at school early before people arrive, and I pick them up last while wearing dark glasses and earplugs. In fact I wear dark glasses and earplugs all the time when I’m out of the house. Workarounds, all the workarounds.

But what all of you are missing is the most obvious problem. People won’t fucking hire autistics. Firstly because why would they pick a disabled applicant when they could just as easily pick a non disabled applicant who will be less hassle? Secondly because getting a job is always a popularity contest. Even for a cleaning job, they will pick the applicant they like and feel a rapport with, and that is never the person with autism.

This is a great plan! Please tell me where to access this free support for autistic adults who need to develop coping strategies? Because there is no support available via the NHS. None. No therapy, no counselling, nothing. In fact some GPs refuse to refer adults for autism diagnosis on the basis that there’s no point because even if they’re diagnosed there is no support or treatment available.

There’s research in America that shows it’s still an 80% unemployment rate (or higher) for people with an autism diagnosis and a degree...

But what all of you are missing is the most obvious problem. People won’t fucking hire autistics. Firstly because why would they pick a disabled applicant when they could just as easily pick a non disabled applicant who will be less hassle? Secondly because getting a job is always a popularity contest. Even for a cleaning job, they will pick the applicant they like and feel a rapport with, and that is never the person with autism

That’s quite doom, gloom and defeatist. There are quite a few areas where pretty much ASD staff have the monopoly. Every person my child met in their uni course had ASD. Pretty much anyone in their area of industry has ASD. People then hire people who are like themselves, so not only is the pool of candidates likely to all have ASD but the hiring manager will also have it, so in a way there is the rapport you refer to. There are quite a few areas of work with such a demographic. It’s about working backwards from this to get into such areas.

I work for a 'Disability Confident' employer - perhaps OP could see if there are any in her area? They commit to offering an interview to any disabled candidate who meets the minimum criteria for the role - in other words, your application is assessed against the job spec rather than against rival candidates.

It's not a disabled person's responsibility to be your personal encyclopaedia to educate you on your ignorance.
HTH.

Yes this! My DH does as his brother is ND. He has 3 wonderful people that work for him with different & separate capacities for work. They are an asset & despite some teething problems have all come into their own within their roles. Colleagues have been encouraging & supportive of the (few) challenges. Please don’t think that there is no place in the workplace.

what about something like stacking shelves? I did it for a bit when my hours were cut due to covid. Theres a small bit of interaction where you are told what aisle you will be on but then the rest of the night i was often on my own in an aisle putting the stock on the shelf. it was actually quite therapeutic making sure everything was lined up!!

OP said she has ASD not "autism". I thought the words were separate for a reason. OP has not used the words autism or autistic.

With regard to having ASD, I humbly concede that I am entirely ill-informed if it is true that most people with ASD have most/all these limitations or an equivalent bundle of challenges:

No qualifications whatsoever
Didn’t go to school
Cannot do any training
Cannot do any volunteering
Selective mutism
suffers with hemiplegic migraines
vomits if triggered by certain things /smells
shutdowns’ where cannot do anything at all
verging on agoraphobia
phobias about animals
"many many more issues"

Those are the things OP said about themselves. I only asked if any of them could be improved, remedied. Maybe most people with ASD have an equivalent set of limitations to live with that cannot ever be changed and I should have understood how extremely life limiting life is for most people with ASD because none of their issues can improve ever.

OP said her "big problems are the selective mutism and sensory issues around smells and lights “ : I wonder if OP mentioned those items because OP thinks actually they could be improved, maybe those things aren’t set in stone after all.

Cleaning for people out at work. Gardening (well mowing at least, no need to be skilled for that) and speak to your gp and also your job coach about getting help with your communication.

Just a thought how about a call centre where you deal with live messages rather phones calls?

OP said she has ASD not "autism". I thought the words were separate for a reason. OP has not used the words autism or autistic.

What on earth are you trying to do here?

By the way, because autism is so varied, of course people will suggest a wide range of ideas. My autistic dd works for McDonald's (they have been excellent) she has friends who work in gchq who apparently are excellent with neurodiversity

Utterly ridiculous statement! Why would they google when they could actually ask the question of somebody who is living through it? It's called exchange of information, it's how people learn.

She wasn't asking. She was just making herself look stupid and being grossly offensive at the same time.

OP said she has ASD not "autism". I thought the words were separate for a reason. OP has not used the words autism or autistic.

No, they're the same thing. There is no significance to OP not using the word autistic.

ASD stands for 'Autism Spectrum Disorder' - it's a matter of preference whether people choose to say they are 'autistic' 'have autism' or 'have ASD' but all refer to the same disability.

No, it’s based on my life experience of being rejected over and over for personality traits related to autism. Being too quiet, too withdrawn, not bubbly enough, not smiling enough, not making eye contact, not wanting to shake hands, being awkward, people feeling uncomfortable when talking with me, conversation is stilted and I’m obviously not engaged, etc.

Maybe in certain areas like computer programming there are a higher proportion of people with ASD who will hire others like themselves. But in the majority of workplaces the people hiring are NT, and they don’t like autistic people.

Maybe in certain areas like computer programming there are a higher proportion of people with ASD who will hire others like themselves.

You could try applying for non-technical roles in those areas (or even a technical apprenticeship if you feel you have the right aptitude) - they need support staff, admin roles and so on. In my experience the senior people in tech areas - i.e. hiring managers - are technical types because promotion is very much skill-based; obviously that doesn't mean they are necessarily neurodivergent!

I was told to get help from social services. They won't work with me because having severe noise sensitivity makes me "awkward".