New staff member confided in me his having Asperger's

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On January 1, I hired a new reporter to fill a vacancy in my newspaper's editorial department. ':D'

Last week during a four week review of performance, I brought up some minor issues that, since this is his first permanent reporter job, needed to be addressed... at that time "Robert" explained that he has Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD. ':?'

As I am doing more research (wow, there's lots out there) I'm finding that AS does explain some of the issues I was concerned with..., but still, what does this mean? I've been doing as much research as I can so that I can be better informed and to work with him to make him the best reporter possible, and eventually move on to a bigger and better career in Journalism. '8)'


Robert is a good employee - comes in on time, writes well and is doing the 'meat and potatoes' of the job just fine. I do find I must be very explicit and careful to explain exactly what I want/need for stories and job requirements. This is his first time away from the community where he grew up, and he's moved across the country to take on this position.... with the hright encouragement and guidance, he will succeed - I'm sure of that.However, I'm simply trying to find more information on AS in the workplace and how to accomodate him without making him feel uncomfortable or singling him out.

I guess I'm looking for feedback and suggestions... any help you can provide me, in addition to the stack of reading material I already have, would be great...books can be very clinical, but I'm looking for something a bit more specific to my situation.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Dan

Well, if you want help and information specific to your situation, it might help to get specifics about the situation. (Or at least as specific as you can get without violating the privacy of the individual, of course.) If we don't know what the "issues" are, then it isn't likely that any information given will be very constructive...

Ya, specifics would be nice!

He is lucky to have a great employer!

Since Robert's already told you that he has Asperger's, he might be willing to sit down with you and discuss exactly what he needs from you and his co-workers. Once you've done that and accommodated his requests, you can probably treat him just like anyone else on your staff. Being high-functioning myself, that's all I ask for at my job - equal treatment. I do request knowing when my breaks will be ahead of time, but other than that I ask for nothing special out of anyone. If I do need anything, I just ask. If nothing else, Robert will likely need the confidence to ask you for whatever accommodations will improve his performance. If he's not really outspoken about things, you might need to ask occasionally if he's got issues you can help him with.

It sounds like Robert's doing really well for himself given the circumstances, and you sound like a good employer for doing your homework on Asperger's.

Like the others, I really do commend you for looking into AS and what are appropriate accomodations for your employee in the workplace. That's really wonderful.

My husband has a friend who works for an engineering firm in Seattle, and he has an employee who has Aspergers. My husband said he will ask him how they accomodate this employee, and then I'll get back to you.

From my limited experience with two sons who are not yet the age to be fully employed, I know that they need to be told very specifically what their assignments are, and they need extra time to accomplish those assignments. They are both easy to get along with, even thought their social skills are not perfect, but they do fit in to a group and even enjoy working with a group. But the more specific that you can get with your requests for assignments, the better the end product will be. And if you need to assign something that will be a better piece by going into huge detail, this Aspie employee is your man!

Kris

Your a great boss!

One thing which has often disturbed me in workplace environments was not understanding the rules well enough. Human relations often bend those rules - and I'm not really sure how you can adress this issue with 'Robert.' Sometimes when it looks like someone is getting preferential treatment, it is especially difficult for me to cope with it. Just make certain that there is always an open door to discuss issues such as this, and that there will be no retaliation for doing so - not that it necessarily would change any of your decisions, but it would probably help 'Robert' to understand your reasoning some of the times. Maybe this is a good tactic in general too though.

I think your doning the right thing by researching Asperger's. Your on thr right track! My boss is very undrestandin and excepting. Sometmes thats all we need. You sound like an oper person, so maybe you should ask him what he needs, or ask him if he wants to talk! It might be that simple!
Best of luck to you and Richard!

I wish there are more employers like you out there! Thank you for keeping a heads-up on the needs of your subordinates.

A book I'd like to suggest is The Complete Guide To Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Attwood. It is a succinct and easy-to-read compilation of how people on the spectrum relate to their world.

It helps if you put all instructions in writing.

Keep it simple and organized.

No advice to add but just wanted to say that I also wish that more bosses were like you
I think more people would feel able to confide that they have autism/aspergers if they were

Advice from one who's been there: a person with Asperger's can be a good journalist. I was one. I'm now with the same company, but chose to change jobs. I still do reporting, but more featurish 'fluffy' stuff rather than the 'hard news' I used to specialise in.

Perhaps unsurprisingly I found the human-contact side of the job most difficult. The hardest jobs I ever did were the ones that involved going out to a fair/event/rally and talking to people with little prior planning. They were hell, but I came up with the goods. (Only once did I do REALLY badly, but it was a dumb idea to be sent to a cattle sale to get stories anyway!)

Patially to compensate for the weaker social skills, I quickly became very good at the technical side of the job, writing, editing, and fact checking and research via databases, internet, clippings morgue etc.

I don't know whether I'd have even considered a career in journalism if I'd known back then I had Asperger's. (I just assumed I was weird and would grow out of it. I didn't.) But it can be done.

Yes, I think if you can have a discussion with him about what he sees as his particular working style would be good for both of you. Instructions are fine, but also to be given the freedom to incorporate my own personal knowledge and research into things are good too.

My one big piece of advice would be to keep feedback with a positive slant. I don't take questioning about my work very well, however it's only because I am a perfectionist, so feel sometimes like I've let the team down if I've not done a task according to expectation.

I think it's wonderful that you are doing some research - not sure if you should tell him that though...I know I hate the feeling of being "examined" - if you know what I mean...but I think most people are like that!

If only there were more employers like you... Great management

It would be great if you could stick around and give us your experiences from the other side of the fence. I know I, for one, would be very interested in how you find your AS employees different from your NT's.

I think it's this that I am at the wrong end of at the moment...


Les

not be taken advantage of!
I have been taken advantage of at my job (sometimes i wonder why i am still there) and want to have the seniority list go in full force (some one was promoted that was below me in seniority)

photoman -

Asperger’s - devoid of social skills and common sense. Lack of executive functioning abilities. High levels of anxiety. Can be sensitive to sound, touch or light and lack the ability to eliminate or ignore interfering stimuli.

Many live in a world where everything is one way or the other, with nothing between. Black or white, with no gray. Right or wrong, without exceptions.

Some develop their own code which, when violated, can cause students to totally ignore their teacher and refuse to acknowledge his presence for the rest of the school year because he slighted them in front of their peers.

(On one discussion, a mother described how her daughter was doing that with her teacher. An Aspie responded that she had done the same, “Because he didn’t apologize.” Of course, the teacher wasn’t aware that he had offended the girl and she refused to speak to him, wasting the rest of the year).

The opposite is true, too. Managers often criticize for mistakes and fail to note good performance. In the world of Good vs Bad perception, that can be interpreted as ‘I’m bad until told otherwise.’

They have many legitimate complaints about the NTs and how they are treated by them, but most fail to understand that 95% of what bothers Aspies about work and their coworkers is felt by everyone, not just them.

You are ahead of the curve with him trusting you enough to confide in you. That you are involved in finding out about Asperger’s shows that his trust is in the right place and you can use it to help him. Since he has gone through college, it is likely that he has learned the basics of independent living, but the lack of executive function skills, like being able to remember lists of tasks or to do something or be somewhere at the right time can be a problem that copious lists, charts and alarms can cure.

Dental hygiene, clean underwear and showers can sometimes escape their notice. A friendly reminder, given in private, will work wonders. Public ridicule or humiliation is devastating and can terminate a relationship.

Try to stay on his side, even if it means blaming ‘them’ for those occasional bad things that happen.

If you are willing to go the next step, ask him about his relationship with his family. Chances are they are attentive to his needs and they may be happy to have someone they can contact if they need to.

Sometimes financial problems arise that need hands on assistance. Aspies can be gullible and fall victim to scams or just spend the rent money on clothes and ignore the eviction notices until it is too late. It’s hard to keep up on that stuff across thousands of miles, but that reminder is a great tool or you could get the Computer guy from the paper to help set him up with direct deposit and payment of his bills.

If you find that his homemaking skills are lacking, a housekeeper may do the trick, or you can see if you can’t recruit your daughter to give him some lessons

On the other hand, since every Aspie is different, Robert may be obsessive about neatness and a Scrooge about his finances, but have occasional meltdowns, where he gets overwhelmed by the world around him and has to find a peaceful place to unwind.

Now for le piece de résistance - You have a newspaper, Robert is your reporter.

Robert is an Aspie and the number one topic across the world is the meteoric rise in the number of children being diagnosed with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. The whole world wants to know more about this epidemic and you already have an expert on the subject on your staff.

Why not . . . ?

(Do you spell Pulitzer with one ‘L’ or two?)

Interviews -
Doctors -..a medical description
Doctors - about medications
Doctors - about treatment
Teachers - about programs
Educators - to explain the lack of mandated Transition Planning, to prepare students for a successful and independent life.
Organizations - advocacy
Parents - experiences
Parents - problems
Aspie - students in district
Aspie - students in college
Aspie - working career jobs
Aspie - working menial jobs
Aspie - no job, diploma, degree, advanced degree
Lawyers - estate planning, special needs trusts
State agency that administers Medicaid
SSI - requirements for services - disability, diagnosis, documentation, diligence
Educators/Parents/Politicians - Services available through the school district until the disabled student is 21 years old and services after school.
Medicaid Waiver Programs
Aspies in the military
Aspies and the law - motor vehicles and sexual harassment
Aspies in jail
Aspies with children

That should give Robert something to start with

Good luck

Rick