To be unable to think of any job DS could do

[alexx321]

He has autism and his timekeeping is nonexistent, he is unintentionally rude to people, he can’t work technology.

Is there anything out there for him?

My severely autistic relative was a postman for many years. Did his rounds mega early in the morning so he didn't have to talk to anyone. I don't know how important timekeeping is nowadays, I would think so long as you turned up and got your round done it wasn't massively important.

I know people are only joking but it’s not helpful ... sorry to sound like a killjoy

How old is he now ? Is he doing A levels

OP there are lots of suggestions on this thread. I suspect that you want him to have a job that is commensurate with his level of intelligence but is not in IT. But I don't think that is realistic.

I want him to have a job ... that’s it really. But I am genuinely stumped.

He is 20.

There are lots of suggestions on this thread where people know someone like your son working successfully.

Is he unemployment at the moment? Is he getting any help? Job centre? Your local council?

Hospital porter?

My mum used to work in a hospital (in nursing) and they had a porter who had quite significant learning difficulties (not entirely sure what) who worked for them.

They were really good with him by giving him one thing at a time to do e.g. Please take this to ward 4. He would do that and then they would give the next task.

He was there for many years.

My ex is autistic, he’s a freight train driver and has a successful business

There aren’t Jenny ... they are people with learning difficulties and DS doesn’t quite fit into that category.

But thank you.

He is at college but won’t be completing the course.

The man who worked at my old workplace who was a cleaner was like your son. No need for good timekeeping as he simply had to clean at night after we left.

Seriously op, look at Project Choice, they do several areas and are designed for people with autism up to the age of 24.

The future is so hard to envisage with our children when we know how hard they struggle with regular day to day life.

My first though was leaflet delivery. Or maybe some sort of Kleeneze or catalogue selling.

Can the college not help? Or your local council?

I know locally our council can and does get people placed in work. The problem is, as you say, without the learning disability it's hard to get help.

My DS is the same although he has another couple of years left in school

What course is he doing at the moment? Is there a specific reason he won't finish it?
He sounds like he's done well for himself so far but you sound very down and pessimistic-are you ok and is there support for you too?

Could he start with some voluntary work in a history museum and see how things go?

Maybe he could have a second go try at college, as he did really well in his GCSEs and if he's interested in History then he could pursue an academic career perhaps.

not sure where you are but a lot of Autism organisations run job support coaches, work experience and supported internships - maybe have a look at them?

There aren’t Jenny ... they are people with learning difficulties and DS doesn’t quite fit into that category.

All the jobs suggested are done by people without learning difficulties too...

Very few people know what they want to do at 20. Just getting a job is a start. He will develop skills and confidence and can figure out what interests him further from there.

@PotatoesDieInHotCars

I get this. People with learning disability often get a help to get their job. People without don't. People who are autistic without learning disability don't get help and very often don't interview well, don't manage group assessment etc, it's very very hard.

This might be a bit of a long shot but we have a young man who sounds very like your son who was a pupil at our school and now works with us as a sort of part time TA/one to one tutor. In all honesty he isn't very good at it (he tells the pupils the answers as he struggles to explain things he knows automatically and he will also tell them if he's bored of them or if they're annoying him! ) But because we all know him well and most of us taught him it kind of works and we can find him jobs he can cope with.

Otherwise I second Sainsburys. There's a man in my local one who I don't think is even verbal. He has to wear headphones and he jumps around and shouts a lot. So he definitely wouldn't be able to do customer facing but they still seem to fully include him - I don't go there that often and he's always there so I assume he's full time.

Library assistant some do sorting and putting books back on shelves in the evenings, genealogy assistant (working from home), would he be interested in anything collectible stamps/ old toys etc that he could sell on ebay? How is he with heights? Maybe window cleaner.

Is he good with routine? At h's old work they had a lab tech that worked overnight who was almost non verbal, he came in around 9pm - he had a very specific role obviously but it worked for him. There's lots is people on the spectrum in academia and science, but they do need to be able to work within the rules, I've encountered some rudeness though over the years

Project Choice isn't really geared up for autistic people with a load of good GCSEs and A levels. You may get lucky, but it's more about helping people with learning disabilities into work. I'm in the same boat, but my DC is a bit younger.

I know an autistic girl who worked in MacDonald's for a number of years when she was an older teenager, until she was ready to go to uni in her early twenties. I don't find her very rude though although she can be abrupt. They were very good with her and she enjoyed it.

Is he good with his hands? Are there any skilled crafts locally? Such as stone mason or book binder? If he's interested in gardening - or could learn to be - that's certainly a place where you can just get on with it and being late isn't generally an issue as long as you are reliable.

Is he prepared to go to college again at all?

I'm sorry you're going through this. My DC is very bright but doesn't really fit with the world and isn't sufficiently geeky to go into coding, which seems to be the only suggestion people have!

Something in a library, maybe? My local grocery store hires people with all sorts of disabilities, but they're usually as baggers, and I don't think you have them there. Maybe stocking shelves?

What course is he doing and why won’t he be finishing? What are his interests? If he’s above average intelligence there are almost certainly coaching methods that can mitigate the time keeping and rudeness problems, if he wants to do that. At the minute you’re listing his limitations but not anything than could spin out into work.