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?

Lots of outdoor jobs. Landscaping, working with animals, keeping livestock, farm labour. Lots of trades, building, plumbing, decorating.

My DS2 is also rather dyspraxic which rules out most jobs requiring physical strength or dexterity. He’s afraid of animals, they’re too unpredictable. He also gets very cross with the weather! 😂

The OPs DS might enjoy the outdoors, though.

I am autistic, unintentionally rude and have no sense of time.

I work in back officer operations for an investment bank and this year got a promotion and bonus.

If he is bright, please don’t listen to all the suggestions of unskilled jobs. It is an absolute scandal that only 16% of autistic people are in employment and half of them are “underemployed”.

Banks, technology firms and even the police force are making huge active drives to employ more autistic people. Look up the Microsoft Autism at Work program. They find we are good at strict process driven roles or ones with standard operating procedures, or looking for patterns (key in a lot of police work, fraud detection in banks etc). The key is to look at what he can do, not what he can’t as a lot of firms can mitigate the things he struggles with.

There are SO many firms now realising that by making some simple, cheap accommodations they can access a whole new pool of talent. I have a noise cancelling headset, a fixed desk and parking space (so I know where to sit and park each day), a flexible work arrangement where it doesn’t matter what time I arrive, any time between 9 and 11 is fine and just work 8 hours from there. The only part of this that cost my firm money was the noise cancelling headset and they have a budget for these things. All my colleagues and managers were given autism awareness training so that they could be understanding of some of my behaviours. I also had a job coach and still have a mentor. The investment the firm made paid off, I am now the most productive person on my team and intend to spend my whole career there.

Google Autism at Work programs and take a look at DXC, IBM, Ford, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Microsoft, Avon and Somerset Police, Willis Towers Watson. I am now heavily involved in these programs so please DM me if you want to know more.

Does he like nature? What about gardening or becoming a tree surgeon?

Much of what has been suggested are minimum wage jobs. Is his 'level' of autism one that means he will never live independently so either with you or a supported living environment or would he be able to live on his own (ie he can handle bills and money, cooking etc). This makes a difference. A minimum wage job will be OK if he is living with you but really minimum wage isn't a living wage.
What does he actually enjoy doing? Both now and when he was younger. Not school subjects but in his actual life. Was (is) he a Lego kid. Or the one who wants to own every Goosebumps book printed and spent every weekend searching them out? Does (did) he like animals, outdoors, cooking, painting, making things, computer games, films, music, sport, long country walks, reading comic books, reading Dickens.... I could go on. Any interests can lead to something.
You need to look at will he able to live independently or will he always need assisted living. Because that will make a difference to the type of job he could go for.

Kitchen Porter in a hotel? Shifts so if he is a night owl he could work evenings. Also get involved in prepping veg and managing stock deliveries etc.

A minimum wage job will be OK if he is living with you but really minimum wage isn't a living wage

That’s not autisum that’s a government failing.

He is to start somewhere - prove he can hold down a job learn new skills and good timekeeping etc

My ds is 27 and I worry every day about his future. He went to uni but became severely depressed by Xmas of year 2 and had to come home. He had a year off to recover and then went back to start year 2 again. Sadly his depression came back to the point where he became mute and couldn't leave his room. We brought him home and he's still here. He does a lot of karate and running and weights and I've been trying to encourage him towards working in a gym. He makes a bit of money doing matched betting and occasionally helping a local decorator.

Back of house in a pub!

The unintentional rudeness will be lapped up with other banter :)

A lad with ASD worked in the same pub as me for a few years. Chefs, bar staff, waiting staff all really got on with him and looked after him when the occasional idiot didn’t have the brains to accept his differences. Times were a lot of fun :)

Front of house did NOT suit him. 90% of customers were great, but some (usually older) were either quite horrible to him OR would try to take the piss/pull his leg/wind him up which he couldn’t understand wasn’t meant sincerely.

He now (in 30s now) works in a museum for a subject he is very into.

Have you looked at some of the disability-work support charities - google ‘Remploy’ and also ‘Purple’. There will be an adviser who may be able to help.

A minimum wage job will be OK if he is living with you but really minimum wage isn't a living wage.

Millions of people survive on the minimum wage. There are always going to be people who earn the lowest legal amount - that's the way these things work. Unskilled jobs will never demand high levels of pay - it's the reason they're unskilled.

Is it important to him that he earns money?

I wonder if volunteering in various areas might help him get a sense of what he would like to do.
I used to work in a scheme designed to get people who wanted to work into employment. Check for schemes near you that are similar.

Volunteering can be a great way to try out different areas with less pressure on hours worked, time keeping or productivity. For example seeing if your love of animals really does translate into wanting to spend all day cleaning them out! Some times it also allows for trying out different roles eg if you're volunteering in a charity shop, they can move you around (my db wanted to do shelf stacking/pricing but it turns out he is really good at PAT testing electrics there, subsequently did the qualification and now does it full time) which can help you get a sense of what you might want to move on to

not everyone is that bothered by the paying aspect and they might rather work at something they enjoy (e.g. museum) then something that pays but doesnt interest them.

I think volunteering is often felt a bit demeaning but its a vital part of our society, it can build skills and confidence. Your ds has good gcses (better than mine!) And it doesnt necessarily mean he is being thrust into a world of low pay/no pay or unsatisfying jobs, it might be just a stepping stone
There are lots of roles out there and often with a bit of luck and determination the right fit can be found.

What does your ds think about work? Has he got any plans?

Get him to apply to your local cinemas. I know that sounds really random but I worked in one and they seem to really attract people within autism who are looking for work. I worked with about six people who had varying degrees of autism. Maybe it is because there isn’t much human interaction once the customers have gone into the film? I’m not sure. They all loved their job though.

For those criticising the suggestion of buying a watch (or using some other devices)

www.autismspeaks.org/expert-opinion/autism-and-difficulty-gauging-time-strategies-common-challenge

Autism speaks is a terrible charity. But no one denied that some people will see an improvement with a watch, however some won't, so to post a dismissive oh that can be solved with a watch surely. No not always.

About my comment re minimum wage. A 20 something single person could just about live on minimum wages - if they live for example in a rented room, bedsit, houseshare etc. Is that an environment the OPs son could live in? He will never be fully independent living on his own with a minimum wage job (I have been there, done that).
It does depend on 'how' autistic he is. If he stays living at home because he really can't live independently then he may be entitled to benefits or his mum carers allowance (MAY be entitled - I know how bloody hard getting that is). It really does depend on the level of his autism.

Any employer would be legally required to make reasonable adjustments. You seem very negative about him. What are his strengths?

Round here we have work schemes
for those with learning disabilities. If you google 'About With Friends Cromer' you should be able to find some inspirational examples of a charity providing work for learning disabled youngsters.

Ps I know strictly speaking autism isn't a learning disability in its own right, but there can be a lot of overlap and obviously some people have both to contend with.

Gardening, behind the scenes at a stately home/museum, library assistant, post room of a solicitors (a decent one won't particularly care about the time keeping as long as the work gets done and they tend to do fewer compressed hours)

To those saying these are all minimum wage/entry level jobs, he's 20 with no work experience. The important thing is to get some work, paid or unpaid and the confidence to then progress. My dd worked in McDonald's and they were were great, worked in the kitchen and after 6 months got promoted, they didn't care she had autism, they cared that she could do the job.

Yes, most young people start out in MW jobs. Plenty of older people doing the same.

My brother is really intelligent and 25 with autism, coasted though gcse and got all As. Did not do so well in A level as had no idea how to study so forwent uni, got a job in a glass factory due to family connections and has done factory work since, earns the same as me, about 20k 4 days a week in the factory and does the most boring repetitive job ever which he loves because it is repetitive. He can get a job, just needs an open mind from you where to look

RuffleCrow
Autism and learning disability are different things. It's not a 'strictly speaking' situation. They are different.
A person can be autistic and have a learning disability.
Or an autistic person could be getting incredibly good results at school, a first at uni and unable to make toast.
What is hard to find is support for the bright autistic young person who isn't the stereotypical aspergers genius.

FreeTed thank you for the lecture. I actually have an autistic child myself who has no learning disability, but whose autism presents in such a way that it affects him in a similar way to those who do have a learning disability. If you've met one person with autism you've met one person with autism.

There are some brilliant suggestions on this thread. I especially like the useful info from autistic mnetters.