Trying to help AS in the work place -- suggestions?

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We need some insight and help, hopefully from those who experience AS directly -- we have an excellent employee who is diagnosed with AS. When he does a project, the work is always excellent, with exceptional attention to detail. He is pleasant, quite witty and the folks in our work area like him a lot. For the first 6 months, his work was going very well -- however, about 2 months ago, he was occasionally "off" - his schedule which had been so punctual became a little erratic, and he started to let projects slide until the last minute, left early, etc. More recently, however, it seems his ability to judge time is very off -- he has difficulty completing projects in a timely manner and where he use to be very concerned about his job performance, he seems not to really care much any longer about how we view his work, let alone if he finishes a job in time. We have tired talking to him, finding out if he likes his projects, but now he often makes up some very strange excuses for not completing his work, some of which have no relevance to himself, the project or our work area. Because we are in basic research, in a high-profile laboratory, our director has become very concerned about this individual's ability to continue. I am very concerned, as his direct supervisor, about the deterioration of his attitude concerning his work (which he took so much pride in just a few months ago) and this new and apparent indifference to the others in our work group. Knowing he had AS when we came to work with us, we were prepared for these things -- however, given he did not show these traits the first months of his employment and was so productive we didn't worry. Now, we're puzzled and not quite sure where to go or what to do - we know he is an excellent scientist and a really funny and nice individual, however, I am forced to agree with our director -- his new direction in his work is not only hurting himself, but our entire work group (distracts/disrupts the work of 2-3 other scientists) and is now affecting our colleagues and even grant applications. We have explained this very carefully to him over the past few weeks multiple times (sometimes within the same day) the consequences of his actions, and he says he understands, but then reverts to his "new" work style. Any insights how we can help him or help understand what's happening to him? We are very concerned and I am very afraid due to these repetitive errors and unexplained behaviors that he may lose his job... we really want to help him, as in the past, he's been such an important member of our team.

This is a very general place to start for some ideas:
http://askjan.org/media/asperger.html

A google or other type of search for job accommodations for people with aspergers, atusim, etc, will lead you to a wealth of information, and places to go to for assistance and the like. There are places out there that can help both him and you to find ways to work together, and that would be the case in most parts of the world. The hard part is knowing where to go.

The problem is very likely that he burnt out because he wasn't really being himself. He is, most likely, in fact the good worker who can yield excellent results, that you had previously seen, and not the bad worker you see now, but socially and temporally, he was probably functioning in a way that he could not maintain.

Think of people with AS like specialized tools. These tools might not be very multi-purpose. They might not be able to get jobs done as fast as less specialized tools and they might require a training program for other workers to know how to use, but they do a very excellent and efficient job at what they were build to do, and the company or lab that has this tool, despite the initial cost of it, will excel in the long run.

People with AS tend to be terrible at things most people consider easy, and good at things most people consider difficult. This is usually reflected on IQ tests as slow processing speed, but superior conceptual skills. In other words, give someone with AS enough time and they will do quite fantastic things.

Unfortunately most people don't realize this and it causes a lot of anxiety for people with AS, and they then feel they have to operate in a way which they were not designed to operate, and eventually crash. It is like a 747 trying to take off on a runway meant for a cessna.

If I were in charge, knowing what I know about people with AS (as I have it myself) this is what I would do.

I would sit down, one on one, and talk to the person. I would not tell them how they have to work harder, or faster, or be more punctual because he already knows this, doesn't solve the problem, and probably adds to it. I'd tell him I realize that he was probably working at a pace or was handling a workload that was difficult to maintain, and that he did an excellent job but I would like him to work at a pace more maintainable to him. I would tell him I will give him a reduced work load for 6 months so he can settle in better and find a nice operating point. I would also tell him he can take breaks when he needs to. At the end of the six months, if he feels it's not working out for him he is not compatible with the work environment, and nothing can be done about it, then he may resign.

That might seem unreasonable to many employers but that is how valuable the actual abilities of someone with AS would be to me. I would be willing to take the short term losses because I will get much greater long term returns. Especially in a research field because when people with AS get interested in something we get absorbed in it. I once worked on something for 2 1/2 days straight without sleep, fell asleep, and spent 14 hours a day on it for 6 more months...and I wasn't getting paid.

Thank you so much Chronos -- you have indeed shed light on this subject.

In fact, we did back off his work load in the last month, allowing him to work for about 4-hrs each day (he comes in for 7 hrs, and at times, I do allow him to put the entire time on his time card as I feel he's here in the work place and available if we need him) -- and I think burn out is a real possibility -- now given you suggestions/comments.

The only concern I do have is that he is putting off his work more and more -- so if he has a project he should start at 10AM, I let him start it after lunch (knowing he can finish by 5PM) -- however, now he's not starting until 1:30 or 2PM, meaning, he doesn't finish -- or decides not to work at all that day.

I was concerned he may be become depressed -- is that a possibility? And if so, we don't want to add to it...! But I think sitting down and talking with him more about what he would want to get out if his job is very important -- again, thanks for the insight.

We're trying to cope with this now -- and I do want him to be happy and successful (whether here or elsewhere) -- and in fact, he's very, very good at his job and can accomplish things in the lab that most other techs fail at -- which is why I would hate to lose him. People who know him says he loves his job -- at least that's what he tells them -- so maybe I'll need to let him know that's its OK to feel disatisfied -- we all do, not just AS patients! And believe me in research, there are times we all wonder if we made the right choice -- so I think if be understands he's not alone in that feeling, it's OK -- and maybe that will help him decide if he wants to continue with us or have us help him find a position he would feel more comfortable in.

Thanks to everyone who’s commented -- and again, please keep the posts and suggestions coming! I am always looking for opinions, insights, and even if someone has experienced this themselves and can offer me some suggestions about how they would have liked their boss to handle it -- I would appreciate it. Again, we care about this young man very much -- and really want what's best for him and his well being.

And bjcirceleb -- thanks also -- the website is very good! I will read over it today and get back with any questions....

I think it's so wonderful of you to be concerned about him in a way that's productive. Not many people would care enough to try to figure this out to the extent that you seem to be. There should be more people like you about. :]

What your employee is going through sounds a lot like what I experienced with my last job. I ended up quitting, even though I loved the job. For sure, whatever is going on with him could be different than me. It's hard to explain what happened, but I slowly started being able to perform less and less. I would call in late or call and say I wasn't even coming in. I didn't even understand it, I started feeling anxious at having to go to work. When I was at work I found myself extremely tired, but trying my best to pretend I wasn't. I know people do this all the time, but I wasn't lacking sleep, it was a different kind of tired. I found myself unable to do things I wanted to do, and being slower at things I had been quick at.
I worked in retail, so I did things that I now see are often difficult for people with AS... cashier, customer service, phone... they were all things that required quick thinking and good short-term memory. They are things I can do well, but only for so long. I guess after awhile it became draining. I had expended myself for so long that I needed a LOT of time to re-charge, and I wasn't getting that time. I couldn't, because I had to go in and work to pay for things!
My living situation was also very stressful, so I'm trying to consider this without the stress of where I was living. If I could have, I think the best thing my manager could have done for me was assign me tasks that didn't involve other people for about a week. Things that I could concentrate on without worrying about being interrupted. It can be very hard to think about one thing and suddenly have to think about another, then go back to the other thing. I don't know what kind of work your employee does exactly, or what kind of environment it is. Does he have a lot of interruptions, or possibly the anxiety of an interruption?

When I'm at home (living somewhere better now haha) I cannot work on anything I need to concentrate on during the day, because I have this constant fear that someone will knock on my door and pull my mind away from my task. It's very stressful when that happens, for me. And it happens, inevitably. If he's working on a team, perhaps give him a single-person task? If he IS working alone, maybe set a certain number of hours during the day where no one will interrupt unless it's an emergency?
I don't really know... I mean... everyone is so different, it's hard to figure out unless I'm talking to the person themselves.

LittleMouse -

This sounds eerily familiar. In May of 2009 I was hired for a new position in the company I'd been with since 2005. I was extremely fortunate that my new supervisor knew something about AS and was highly supportive of me. In fact, part of the reason he hired me was *because of* my "positive" AS traits, although he didn't know of my diagnosis until after he'd extended the job offer.

My first six months were great. Things went downhill fast after that. Oddly, the people I worked for and with didn't realize how much I was struggling and how awful I felt about my job. Your employee seems to be letting whatever's going on with him affect his work performance; I let my work frustrations affect every other area of my life but managed to keep the lid on at work. Well, mostly. There were some things. There were some signs that I truly think those around me should have picked up on.

I was working so dang hard to succeed in my job, mostly because I didn't want to let my wonderful boss down. As far as my direct team was concerned, I *was* succeeding. But I was completely miserable. Eventually I wrote a letter asking for a transfer back to my previous position. It was granted.

I have some random thoughts about your employee. Maybe something will resonate, and maybe it won't:

1. Is there something unrelated to the main parts of the job that is bothering him? For me, having to wear "uncomfortable" clothing was almost more than I could bear, and certainly added to the stress level. It may sound minor to you, but it sure wasn't minor to me.

2. Are you listening to him? Part of my frustration was being moved through four different cubicles in six months. I was always the 'odd one out' and so I got shuffled. The last move was a disaster, and I knew it would be before it happened. I told my boss why it would absolutely NOT work. His response was "try it." Because I would do anything for him, and because I wasn't sure I had any choice, I tried it. A couple of weeks later, I said, "It isn't working, and it isn't working for the ways I said." His response was that maybe we could do something, but in the meanwhile I should try to get used to it. Three months later, I completely exploded over the issue. Boom! This surprised everyone; after all, I hadn't mentioned the problem for three months. They assumed that my silence was because I had gotten used to it. In reality, my silence was more like "I mentioned this twice; why should I have to mention it again? I knew it was going to be a problem, it's a problem, and there's nothing more to say about it." All that to say this: is there something unresolved (in his mind) that he's brought up and that you may have dismissed? Or is there something he doesn't feel he can bring up?

3. Do you meet with him regularly to simply talk about the job, and listen to how he feels about it? Eventually my boss set up a scheduled meeting with me, half an hour a week. Sometimes the meeting would only last six minutes, but it gave me a chance to air my frustrations and the like, and gave him a chance to ask questions not only about the projects I was working on, but how I was dealing with everything. You may say, "But we talk all the time." Not good enough, and maybe *really* not good enough if you end up having to take action.

4. Are there too many projects going at once? I don't do well when I can't ever finish anything because more stuff keeps either getting heaped on top or superseding it.

5. Are you holding up your end of the bargain with timely feedback on his work? This was a very large frustration of mine -- I'd be told that a manager would give me feedback by Thursday noon, and I'd still be waiting for it the next week. Many Aspies have a really tough time when people don't do what they say they are going to do when they say they are going to do it, even if there are legitimate extenuating circumstances.

ok, I've written a novel. Sorry. Maybe some of this will help, and maybe it won't.

For me, it was too little, too late. I still feel badly that I let my boss down by transferring out, especially since (somehow!) my request to leave caught him completely off guard. (I still don't understand this. Wasn't he paying attention?) I don't want to be all pessimistic here, but your situation may not work out. Just because it worked for six months doesn't mean it'll work long term.

PM me if you want.

Again, can't thank both Chama and Blasftoff enough --

For this young man, he has access to me every moment he is at work -- his work area is right outside my office, and I always let my office door open -- My policy is that I want an employee to come in immediately if they feel the need, no matter what -- rather than let it eat at them as it can affect them negatively in a number of ways. In fact, he's quite good about coming in and every morning I do spend about 45-60 min in the main tech area with him and the other techs - I go around to each station, ask how they are doing, if they have questions, and if they need help, or any other issues they have. Even when he has come in on a weekend (because he hasn't finished a project), I've always made a point to drop in if I hadn't planned to work and just see how he's doing and if he's OK. But I do this for all employees, if they have to work weekends (I always take the holidays so my employees never have to work on a paid day off). I do this as I remember what it was like being the tech, being left alone, not getting feedback etc, and made myself the promise that I would never do that to my students/techs or post-docs and try to provide them with the support that I had received, or at times, wished I received… But I admit I could very well be missing something that he needs – one of the main reasons I am posting here on this site!

He's always been very good to say when a project is going badly, or very well -- and in fact, for AS, communication doesn't seem to be a large problem for him - which did surprise me when he first joined our team. And when he's on his game, he's very much a team player -- but in fact, his projects (as most of the work in our research laboratory) are designed to be run by a single individual (although at some point, the data comes together under a larger, more broader question) - and we have very much often allowed him to set his own schedule - which in the past he was quite good at. As I said, it all came crashing down since the holidays...

He does have his own space and due to our location and type of work we do -- fortunately, there is no need for him to move around to different desks, offices, etc.. But I have tried to keep the evening students out of his work area as I realized he is very particular about his testing rooms, his research materials and that his desk remains clean -- I try to check this area in the AMs now, before he comes in - so this doesn't add to any stress he may experience.

BUT, the emails from both of you (Chama and Blastoff, particularly Chama) seem to resonate with what we are seeing -- and I think Chama you have captured in your post precisely what we are now observing in our employee -- I really felt he cared about his work and what was happening, but for some reason, just couldn't motivate himself to get the job done. He is also quite tired during the day, and more recently, we find him asleep at his work station, with the work undone. That leaves the person who finds him in the difficult position of letting me know, or asking me to go and wake him up – which sometimes, is uncomfortable for everyone. If we had the type of projects, with open ended deadlines, it wouldn’t be so problematic. Unfortunately, our work revolves around living animals (which, by the way he really loves) and pretty much runs on a continuous time table -- and most projects last at least 5 days in succession (in fact, his projects come in 6 day blocks, but I allow him to run 4 days on the first week and 2 days the following week, and that has been working out quite well). And Blastoff's suggestion, as some of the others yesterday -- about talking more to him, may work.

I know there is some stress at home -- and that part of his family is preparing for a large move out West, and he will have to decide this summer to stay on the East coast or to follow them. This certainly cannot be easy -- as it wouldn't be for any young person (early 20s) facing this type of decision for the first time.

He's so talented and good at his job (and I mean it, from the 20+ years I've had in research, he certainly ranks among the top 10 students/techs that I've had) -- and although I do tell him this, I get the feeling sometimes it doesn't register with him. I wish there was some way he could really understand what an important member of the team he was (we’ve put him on recent publications for submission and posters, and I think he understands the significance of this) -- in fact, everyone is concerned about his sudden change in temperament and personality -- we really want to help him to be happy and successful (whether it's with us, out West, or in another job -- as he's a really a great person).

Thanks so much again -- and these postings have been so helpful. And we'll try to keep you posted! And if you think of anything else – please don’t hesitate to post or contact me!

This. Definitely this.

From personal experience I can tell you this is what made me go through the same cycle your employee is in.. in four of the last 6 jobs i've held.

Everything is great at the start... a few months later I know the system, my dept and other dept's jobs better than the head manager and supervisors combined... because of this I would given minor promotions, awards etc.... (but never a raise *sigh*).

and then it begins. Project upon project is piled on me and while I work on them I get constantly interrupted to fix other people's mistakes or to help a dept. that has 10 people who can't figure out why they're having a problem. I can't multitask. At all. I start something and if I'm given the chance to focus on it completely I finish it in a quarter of the time, twice as good and it will be on your desk with extra improvements and suggestions to make it more profitable. Interrupt me constantly and it simply won't happen.. it gets put to the rear of the to-do list to be finished in a last minute panic.

Months of last minute panics later I burn out from the stress and switch to mechanical mediocrity which seems to be the standard practice of everyone else in the office... after all, the get paid the same I do yet I end up doing my work,their work and then some.

So the question for you would be... is your AS scientist being given more workload than others because he is perceived to be 'able' to handle it ... is he being constantly interrupted (meetings, mini-projects, etc) from his main task ?



This is another big one for me though in a different perspective. There's a problem... everybody knows its a problem yet nobody has done anything to fix it. I know how to fix it.. I submit the solution with a description of how the problem comes into being and how making minor changes to the process that causes the problem will make it stop.

It is ignored. Months go by the problem persists.. it becomes a chronic problem and causes major issues. Management then causes more problems by trying to solve the original problem by FEMA-like damage control: covering up the effects rather than fixing the cause.

This is absolutely maddening. Things like this happened so many times in just one year I ended up giving my resignation to the CEO directly and walking out that day.

Wow Dantac -- this sounds rough.

Actually, we only give this person one task to focus on at a time. Given we are in research, and also are associated with a major medical center and do know about AS patients and symptoms, we were very careful not to over-load this individual.

And yes, you're right -- he can do things quick quickly, but we also realized that his time management recently has gone a bit south -- and we are hoping to help him with that and I am realizing that this may be a bigger issue than we previously suspected... so this is helpful to me.

I don't think we use "Fema-like" strategies -- I'm so sorry that your experiences were so negative...

Fortunately, our person was given a raise and a title change in the fall -- although his duties stayed about the same (and due to the salary freeze at our institution, this was no easy feat!) Again, we've been very conscious of his AS and have tried to work with him as much as possible. But you did give me some thought about seeing if our individual thinks there is a problem that is being ignored or not fixed -- so I definitely need to address this --

Again, I'm so sorry your situation was so negative -- do hope things work out for you soon.

Since you mentioned that he's going to have to make the decision to move with his family or not, maybe whatever's going on is stemming from that? I know that when I'm truly worried about something that one thing colors everything I do. Some people can be worried or stressed, and have the thought in the back of their minds, but focus on it mostly when they choose to. Something on the scale of what you mentioned he's going through would be something that would infiltrate every thought I had and I would become obsessed with it, even if thinking about it would solve nothing at the time. Maybe trying to make this decision and thinking about all of the future what-ifs for each option is draining him? It's a life-changing decision, like you said.

If that is the issue, it's probably impossible for him to make his work important because most of us are mono-taskers in a sense, and this worry would be the one task. If he would be willing to talk with you about it, maybe you could listen to what is worrying him. If this were the case and I were him, I would feel a lot better if someone just let me state all of my worries out loud, even the stupid or obvious ones. I wouldn't be looking for advice on which one to choose, just someone to acknowledge my worries and maybe even give me their thoughts on both options so that I would feel like, in the end, I was able to make an informed decision not just based on my own thoughts.
It sounds really important, especially since you guys are on a tight schedule, that he actually gets his work done and I'm sure he knows this. The further behind he gets, the harder it probably is to start up... Umm, so, obviously there could be another reason for his behaviour, but IF it is because of his family moving, maybe letting him talk -- and perhaps if he's willing, setting aside a short time each day after to catch up with him, and see if he has any new worries or even old worries he feels like he needs to say again? Maybe if his worry was consistently acknowledged, it would give him some mental room to set it aside for parts of the day and get some work done.

I know that some people with AS don't like to talk about these kinds of things, but some do so maybe he might. Or have him write you an e-mail about it if he doesn't want to talk about it in person.

I guess it can be hard to talk to employees about personal situations and you wouldn't want to seem pushy or invasive, so (still, IF this is the problem) make sure he knows that he doesn't have to talk about it and you won't be upset if he doesn't, but that if he does want to talk about it you really are interested in hearing it. Knowing that kind of thing makes me feel more comfortable with talking.

We all write novels here... oh no! I wish I had something better to say, but alas! I'm no psychiatrist. Even if the problem isn't his decision to move, I hope some of this helps, because it sounds like this is stressful for you AND for him. I hope it gets worked out soon.

LittleMouse, I think I would like to come work for you....

It sounds like the time is coming, and soon, for a really frank discussion with this employee. You've told him how valuable he is. Tell him again. You've told him how great his work was. Tell him again. You've told him all kinds of stuff. Tell him again. And then... lay it out.

Carefully. You don't want to give him an excuse to quit, which he certainly might if he feels cornered. But it sounds like you can do it in a way that says to him, "We really like you and we will do whatever we can to help you succeed with us. Your performance right now is not acceptable, and we want to help you get back to where you were. What's going on?"

Or something like that.

I think you're basically on the right track and that your instincts are sound here. You can help him, but you can't do this for him. I truly hope he comes around soon, for his sake and yours.

Burnout and/or depression are possibilities. I once heard a similar story about someone who suffered from manic-depression. For the first few months, everyone was amazed at his productivity, but then he flipped from mania to depression, and everything went to hell. Unfortunately, no one (including the employee) knew what was wrong, and eventually they had to fire him.

Anyway, in addition to the document bjcirceleb mentioned, also take a look at the booklet, "The Employer's Guide to Asperger's Syndrome"
< http://www.autismsocietycanada.ca/pdf_w ... ndrome.pdf >. (That url is for the first edition of that booklet. You can request a copy of the second edition from http://www.forwardmotion.info/freeguides2.html .)


I still have problems getting things done. Here are a few other general suggestions I have come across in the past couple of years.

"The List Is Life: Finding a new way to manage my day."
By John Dickerson
http://www.slate.com/id/2231023/

"Get-It-Done Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More"
http://getitdoneguynews.com/
See also http://getitdoneguynews.com/#steverinterview .

"Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity"
http://wikisummaries.org/Getting_Things ... oductivity
See also http://www.trgtd.com.au/ .


Let me preface this final part by stating that I do not mean to be rude or insulting, because it sounds like you are doing a lot to try to help this employee, but what is the employee turnover rate like in your lab? The first job I had after grad. school was awful for a lot of reasons. Having undiagnosed autism/ Asperger's did not help, but I know I was not the only one suffering because four other people (in a very small research group) quit during the couple of years I worked there. Whenever someone quit, the PI and co-PIs would blame everything on the former employee.

Hi, as it happens, I have just published a book on Asperger traits in the technical workplace. I don't know if it will help your particular problem, but it may give you some undertanding from the point of view of Aspie technical workers.

Google "Asperger Awareness Plowright". Let me know how it goes.

I can't thank everyone enough -- all the resources and tips. This is really great.

We certainly don't want to fire him, and so far, I've been pretty successful shielding him from the Director of our facility (who fortunately, is across the campus, in another building - he's empathetic, and a sweet guy, but sometimes, not so tactful).

And Charma -- your insight that he may be focused on the impending move of his family and that he can only focus on one thing is great. We always think of multi-tasking in regards to technical or work (whether at home or work) but in fact, I've become very aware that multi-tasking is not about doing, but about mental juggling - hence, it doesn't matter if the thing is work, emotional, intrusive thoughts about past and present - it's simply another thing to think about. Being in the basic research we do, this makes 100% sense to me, although no one has really researched it... insightful!

And thanks for the additional refs everyone -- and yes, I am going to talk to him this AM -- (no pressure, I want him to do his regular AM activities - coffee, email, checking a few websites he likes to look in each AM, and when he's ready, we'll talk). I've also managed to make this a light week for him (helps as we're scheduled for snow mid-week and he can't have an ongoing study if no one can get in...!)

Again, thanks so much for all your help and comments, critiques, and insight... I truly appreciate this!

We need to clone LittleMouse .... could use more bosses like this in the workplace