Job readiness?

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Dear community

I would like to get feedback regarding my 17 year old with Asperger's. She shows very little interest in working, or driving. The driving I'm not as worried about but family members say her wanting to be "lazy" over the summer has no relevance to aspie but I'm not sure this isn't just a matter of not socially mature enough. What is your opinion/suggestions about job readiness?

Well, I was basically the same way when I was 17. I feel like i probably could have done either, I just did not want to at all. It might have helped me, actually, since working has helped me find ways to deal with people and learn social skills. But then, I was pretty socially disconnected at that age, so I'm not sure how it would have gone down. Even at 20 I hardly made it through my first successful interview. The lady was clearly taken aback by the awkwardness of everything about me, but it turned out she was fairly nice and said "Alright, I'll give you a chance, but I'm trusting you not to let me down." Not too encouraging.

So yeah..... It's hard to say. -_-

I needed a fire lit under my tuckas to be motivated to support myself. I have always been lazy.

What are her interests? Can you get her started volunteering in something that is related to an interest of hers? (For example, a lot of people with AS are interested in animals, and might be willing to volunteer at an animal shelter.)

You might also share with your family that "laziness" is relative - she has to work five times harder than they do just to have a basic conversation, and that IS related to her AS.

That being said, I think it's a good idea if you can give her some kind of structure over the summer, whether that be classes or a job or whatever she's capable of. She's legally an adult in a year, right? Does she have some kind of support set up from the school system for transitioning to adulthood?

I try to set expectations with DS, who is only 12, that he do some kind of schoolwork throughout the summer and take on more responsibilities around the house - I think summer vacations are very misleading for kids on the spectrum, because you just don't get them in real life. I do worry about what will happen when he's your daughter's age.

Fear and insecurity may play into it, too. Not to mention that finding a job isn't that easy, and just the thought of it may overwhelm her.

My son worked 3 weeks last summer but isn't working this summer simply because he took too long to get his paperwork in. And now he finds he misses it. So before next year I expect a lot more motivation on the question.

A few things that helped connect and motivate him last summer:
1. As a Boy Scout, he had an easy "in," given that the local Cub Scout camp is always short handed.
2. He had experience working with children because he had worked daycare for volunteer hours; volunteer hours have been required by some of his classes.
3. We had told him that since he could work, taking on some sort of work would be the trade off for us agreeing to pay for an expensive summer experience for him (programming camp, out-of-state Boy Scout ventures, etc), and / or buying him a much better computer. He could keep half of his earnings as discretionary money and give us half to subsidize the expense of what he choose.
4. He had pressure from school to connect to the work force.

Item 3 is what motivates my NT daughter to look for paid work: that is how she gets more of the expensive things she wants.

But, if you can get the motivation, you will have to consider if you can get the ability. Finding a job is hard for all teens, and especially so for Aspies. This isn't likely to happen without substantial help from you.

I think I'd start with a conversation. Talk to her about her feelings on the question. Get a sense of how knowledgeable about the process she is or isn't. Etc.