Lack of skills?

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Hi guys,

I want to ask one question, which might be a bit weird, since it's probably based on the literal understanding of language:

Does the fact that I was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome mean that there are certain things I can't do, like, at all, or does this mean I can do anything, only that certain things are more difficult?

Sorry for asking, but I've been employed at various places for four years and many former psychologists were constantly discouraging me from choosing any career I wanted to choose. When I was pointing out that they're insulting, discouraging or judging me, all they said were things such as "You care too much about what we say".

Also, the phrase "poor social skills" makes me think of it as a subjective judgment rather than an objective description.

Yes you can do anything, Aspergers comes with traits that make some things difficult. In my experience it doesn't make anything impossible.
And it is totally insulting when people tell you to not even try... e.g. "maybe you should be a librarian since being around people is hard for you" or "it's ok to just not be social" - the fact that something is difficult or uncomfortable doesn't mean that you don't actually *want* to do it, and it definitely doesn't mean you'll never be able to. Maybe it means you'll do it differently, but you'll do it if it's something you want.

It means certain things will be difficult for you.

But nothing is impossible, if you have the motivation.

There are things I can't do--I can't dunk a basketball since I'm only 5' 2" tall--I don't think any amount of practice will fix that. But, I learned to catch balls and stuff in my 30s--it just took me longer to learn. Calculus was pretty easy.

Think of a choice of career as belonging to a larger category of jobs that you find interesting. You might not be able to do every kind of the same type of job, but you can definitely find something that you enjoy and enjoy a lot. You just need to be mindful of your limitations. I'm not discouraging you from having your dream career. Instead, I am merely suggesting that you look at jobs as belonging to fields and that you should pick a suitable job in the field that you enjoy the most.

For example, say you want a job in health care. You might not be able to handle the strains of a doctor, but you may be able to run the machines that a doctor uses for their diagnoses. Another possible job is working in the laboratory, dealing with blood samples and so on.

Another example would be working in business. Perhaps the most stressful positions are not good for you, like being a high ranking administrator. But there are plenty of other job opportunities in the field. You may not be calling all the shots, however, that doesn't mean that you still can't have a very important position and even one that controls a lot of people.

Yet another example would be a job in education. Being an elementary school teacher could prove to be overwhelming because of having to deal with young children. Even middle school and high school may be too stressful, because you're still dealing with young people. However, you could have an important position at a college or university. Maybe kids are beyond you, but adults are not.

Basically, I feel that people with disabilities can succeed, as long as they understand that some things may just be too much for them. Afterall, autism includes social difficulties. However, I really do stress that there is no reason why you cannot have your dream career. You just may have to settle for something that is not exactly what you want.

You can do anything but you can't be the best at certain things. For example, a person with aspergers will never win the popular vote for president.

You CAN be the best at some things because of your Asperger's, though. My attention to detail combined with my special interest of grammar has made me an outstanding copy editor. I understand that I'm lucky in the sense that I can make a career out of that interest; a lot of people can't pursue their interests into successful careers.

I think knowing why you are affected is important. Why can't I do whatever, I'm I stupid am I lazy? No, it's just autism getting in the way. Ok then lets see if there is a way to work through it or around it.