Employment for autistics. Then and now.

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Complicated question. For many autistic people who are classified as "unskilled" the answer is yes. Take something as simple as petrol stations. In the 1950s you had staff behind the till but you also had 4-5 staff who helped fill the petrol for customers and sometimes a guy who was a mechanic who would fix cars that limp into the station.

However if you are talking about qualified technology/IT graduates then surely the opportunities are much better? There are also specialised recruitment/training for autistic people into tech companies, telecommunication and IT companies who acknowledge the benefit of an autistic employee in their ability to diligent and be dedicated to tasks that NTs find boring like coding or design.

According to my brother who works as an electrical engineer many of these new jobs open for autistic people don't even require paper qualification anymore. You can basically train up for the job via online modules within 2-3 months.

For those young enough to be on top of the current coding/development job world - check out https://specialisternefoundation.com/ ... they are a Danish company that primarily employs autistic people in many countries throughout Europe and the US.

I saw this link in a Philip Wylie book that I'm reading. He has a great first-person perspective - if you want to read about ASD from someone like him (or Temple Grandin), look him up! I've learned alot.

If for those not into this 'tech' nonsense world ... just dress up your resume and contact a local recruiter in your field? Even if you've been unemployed, just explain why. Don't be shy about highlighting your talents.

I 'gotta say that I've found an 'inverse age/career level' relationship as I get older. In other words - the people in my company who 'do drone work' are generally over 40 and even over 50. But the core 'change' people are mostly under 30. Seemed normal even pre-Covid, but is a given, now.

For me; I don't want to be treated differently as an employee. There are countless baby-sitting Autism job help groups. I feel - better to join an organization, as a qualified candidate, who would treat you the same as a neurotypical peer. Though these groups can help any of us. We are all unique, so do what's best for you. Good luck!

Yahoo!, attributed to Jacksonville TV channels CBS-47/Fox-30:

"Jacksonville employers looking to hire people with Down syndrome, autism, or other IDDS"