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the great paradox

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Blackheart
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15 Dec 2008, 4:26 pm

since we all know which jobs are especially adapted for our kind,how about jobs that are totally not done or seem absolutely wrong to try but could be just perfect for us.

you'd be surprised:)

for example:)

it might sound strange but a job which involves studying NT or humans in general.
mainly because we spend most of our time trying to decipher human behavior,if we are taught the proper ways of doing this,we could get rather good at this,or am i mistaken?

so psychologist could be a risky but intresting job.
and how about researcher on autism,who knows best?:p

also,never ever try to go military,the discipline and order might seem nice but we wouldn't be able to cope up with the social stress(believe me i tried,entered the post-education for military officer,passed every exam,even the frigging group tests)
had to give up after 3 days of continous social anxiety:(

still,ive heard stories of aspies joining the army and doing rather fine,who knows,maybe it's for those lucky ones who can deal with the stress.



lelia
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15 Dec 2008, 7:05 pm

If you have a diagnosis of AS, you are not allowed to join the armed services of the US.

I should think an effecientcy study could use us.
I was good with the work and the patients as a medical technologist, but not good with the boss.



spockezri
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07 Jan 2009, 8:11 am

Blackheart wrote:
since we all know which jobs are especially adapted for our kind,how about jobs that are totally not done or seem absolutely wrong to try but could be just perfect for us.

you'd be surprised:)

for example:)

it might sound strange but a job which involves studying NT or humans in general.
mainly because we spend most of our time trying to decipher human behavior,if we are taught the proper ways of doing this,we could get rather good at this,or am i mistaken?

so psychologist could be a risky but intresting job.
and how about researcher on autism,who knows best?:p

also,never ever try to go military,the discipline and order might seem nice but we wouldn't be able to cope up with the social stress(believe me i tried,entered the post-education for military officer,passed every exam,even the frigging group tests)
had to give up after 3 days of continous social anxiety:(

still,ive heard stories of aspies joining the army and doing rather fine,who knows,maybe it's for those lucky ones who can deal with the stress.

Aren't we, like, 4T or something like that? Did you hide your AS from them?
Agreed with the first two though :)


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glider18
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07 Jan 2009, 7:07 pm

Well...as an Aspie I find socializing as extremely awkward. I do not find it that pleasant to speak publicly. So what job did I choose for myself? I became a high school English teacher for 19 years. I have adjusted my teaching position now after wising up---I am now a gifted intervention specialist---much nicer for me.



MizLiz
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07 Jan 2009, 7:35 pm

lelia wrote:
If you have a diagnosis of AS, you are not allowed to join the armed services of the US.


REALLY?!

I guess beggars *can* be choosers. That's ridiculous. You'd think with the...

*hands out sarcasm detectors*

hawk-like visual acuity that we have and our never questioning orders and inability to lie and reliability that we'd be the perfect soldiers. Now where am I going to get my 14 grand a year and lousy college scholarship that only covers the first year? Also, where's my parade?

What do they classify it as? Psychiatric illness?

I was already ineligible because I think epilepsy disqualified me, but now I'm offended. Yes. I'm offended by people who kill people. Wow. :roll:



Fnord
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07 Jan 2009, 8:08 pm

I've found no specific rules regarding Asperger's Syndrome disqualifying anyone for military service in the United States. However, I'll keep looking.

I have found several articles addressing the difficulties an Asper might face, and the hazards they may pose to themselves and to others under certain conditions, most notably this article (click on title for link):

> ASPERGER SYNDROME IN MILITARY SERVICE <

One particular section caught my attention:

Roger N. Meyer wrote:
Some Common Characteristics of Asperger Syndrome Noticeable under Stressful Military Conditions

PROBLEMS WITH CHANGE:
    Situationally unsuitable rigid adherence to routine and schedules.

    Out of scale adverse response to announced or sudden changes.

    Unacceptably slow in responding to change.

    Increasingly inflexible approaches and resistance to problem-solving "on the spot".

    Unexpected rigidity and/or inflexibility when faced with sudden change of commander or supervisors.

    Gradual or sudden unpredictable or unexpected behavioral outcomes to routine commands.

    Difficulty in accepting correction or modifying approach to completing a task according to policy, standard operating procedures, or direct orders.

    Literal interpretation of orders and directives - "Inability to read between the lines".
PROBLEMS WITH TEAMWORK:
    Individual becomes "frozen" or can't respond appropriately under high-demand conditions.

    Inability to "read others' minds" when a security or quick decision-making action is called for.

    Consistently poor ability to anticipate the needs of work team members or others not well known to the individual.

    Problems recognizing people after having seen them only a few times, or even once.

    Adverse, consistently negative response to being interrupted or re-directed.

    Argumentativeness, challenges to direct orders, or inappropriate demands for explanations.

    Gradually or consistently lacking in "common sense".

    More than usual avoidance of contact with others when not on duty or accomplishing joint tasks.

    Rejection by members of command who rely upon a sense of camaraderie for effective performance of difficult or complex missions.

    Dangerously high vigilance to auditory or visual stimuli -- out-of-scale startle reflex.

    Poor appreciation of danger to self; deficient sense of danger to others.

    Fails to understand when "Enough is Enough".

    Little apparent ability to provide constructive criticism or positive correction to others.
UNUSUAL THOUGHT PROCESS -- PROBLEMS WITH COGNITION:
    Arrives at answers to problems which, while correct, could subject others to danger or harm" along the way".

    Consistently arrives at conclusions without being able to describe steps used to reach them.

    Excessive devotion to ritual behavior of any kind not easily explained by religious or health reasons.

    Unusual difficulty in "finding place" or resuming a task after interruption; preference to "start all over again from scratch.

    Greater than average concentration difficulties or lapses of attention.

    Difficulty generalizing from one specific task to a related one involving only minor changes in detail.

    Difficulty responding in own words to request to repeat what was just said by someone else.

    Unusually slow response to verbal or gestural commands (not related to a known auditory or vision acuity medical condition).

    Insistence on telling "all the truth" when "telling it all" is not warranted by the situation.

    Inappropriate perfectionism or attention to detail when "good enough" will do.

    Unusual lack of initiative in starting routine or new tasks.

    Requires repeated step by step instruction for learning simple, new tasks.

    Constantly seeks assurance, acceptance or approval from others for self-directed tasks.

    Failure to "See the Forest for the Trees" -- transfixed by details, not the whole picture.
PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL MANIFESTATIONS:
    Unkempt appearance; and poor awareness of physical appearance on others -- bad personal hygiene.

    Unusual food preferences that may inconvenience meal preparation or require elaborate preparation rituals.

    Sleep problems (interruptions, difficulty in falling asleep) resulting in chronic or unpredictable attentiveness during waking hours or hours of duty.

    Unusual tolerance to or reaction to heat, cold, light, sound, touch, taste, smell, pain.

    Hair trigger temper.

    Limited emotional vocabulary and expression (different than being taciturn or stoic).

    Flat affect -- Unable to understand or express a wide range of emotional expression.

    Little or no apparent capacity to empathize with others' pain, discomfort, or suffering.

Overall, the article is a bit long, but well worth the read.



Last edited by Fnord on 07 Jan 2009, 8:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.

spockezri
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07 Jan 2009, 8:15 pm

Fnord wrote:
I've found no specific rules regarding Asperger's Syndrome disqualifying anyone for military service in the United States. However, I'll keep looking.

I have found several articles addressing the difficulties an Asper might face, and the hazards they may pose to themselves and to others under certain conditions, most notably this article (click on title for link):

> ASPERGER SYNDROME IN MILITARY SERVICE <

It's a bit long, but well worth the read.

Domo arigato, Fnord-san!


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No one's going to take me alive,
The time has come to make things right,
You and I must fight for our rights,
You and I must fight to survive.


Kirska
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07 Jan 2009, 11:35 pm

lelia wrote:
If you have a diagnosis of AS, you are not allowed to join the armed services of the US.

I should think an effecientcy study could use us.
I was good with the work and the patients as a medical technologist, but not good with the boss.

This is another reason why I am hesitant to get a diagnosis. What other roadblocks exist or might exist in the future? Is my peace of mind really worth taking that chance?

I don't see myself ever wanting or needing to join the military, but still.

As an example, I work for a defense contractor, and I have found that it's a good business for me to be in as a US citizen and engineer. What if one day I need a higher up job that requires a high security clearance and they're put a roadblock there? You never know.


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russian
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08 Jan 2009, 2:47 am

20/300 vision and asthma kind of killed the military career track for me.



Buddha_Beast
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16 Jan 2009, 12:42 am

I was in the Navy for two years and hated every minute of it, but my cousin, who joined the Army a few months back and is now in Iraq, absolutely loves what he's doing so YMMV. He is very autistic (much further along the spectrum than this aspie). As a kid, he was in a special school for a while and then home-schooled. At 27, he has, until now, never been away from his parents, had a job, or driven a car.
The Army is well aware of his Autism (it would have been impossible for him to hide it), but they don't care. He did kind of hit the sweet spot - at the height of an unpopular war and just before unemployment started shooting up. But even in times of peace, recruiters will work very hard to get someone in. As long as you can pass the brain-dead-simple ASVAB, don't have any real physical disabilities, and don't have too long of a criminal record - you can do it.