Aspies in 'caring professions'

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I've always wanted to work in something helping people, and was essentially told it wasnt a good idea. But now i'm starting to wonder if maybe i can find something suitable, thinking about some sort of career change.

So I was just going to ask - if anyone who's working (or volunteering) in helping-people type jobs [however broadly you want to define that],would be prepared to share something about their experiences - whats good about it, whats bad, how did you get into it, any areas where the aspergers either causes problems or is a particular benefit?

I'd appreciate it, and hopefully it might give me some ideas

My job is taking care of developmentally disabled adults, including autism. It can be slightly hazardous at times due to some of their diagnoses and their need to get out their pent up rage. But it can also be very rewarding due to their happiness with having someone helping them with doing the things they need in order to not only survive, but to be happy. There is no doubt that my Aspie traits effect my work, but there is good and bad with that. The patients seem to recognize or feel that I am more similar to them than I am the other staff members, so they tend to gravitate to me much the way children do. Perhaps because my emotional growth is stunted and I am awkward. On the bad side though, the only problems I have had there have been with the other staff members. Working long hours under one roof with only 1 other staff mean that many staff expect to spend that time socializing or getting along with the other person. Obviously this does not work out well for me. But now that I have worked here long enough, I seem to have developed a reputation and people expect that and so they avoid trying to socialize. So it has gotten better. I do not make much money at all, but I work in a quiet atmosphere with a lot of free time that I can do pretty much anything I want (while they sleep) and I have the added satisfaction of helping someone that really does appreciate it.

Well I've worked in care for about 9 years now.

I started as a volunteer at a summer playscheme for children with learning disability. Interacted with a few kids who had AS during that time as well. However I would say the most rewarding aspect of the work I found was interacting with people who had complex needs. I.e. severly physical disabled and multiple sensory deficits (blind, deaf etc) I found I had a real knack for working with such children and I found them a rewarding experiance particularly when you made a successful communication towards someone and made them laugh and feel entertained and for a moment improve that persons quality of life.

I entered into nurse trainning. Initially my first university (Herfordshire) had an occupational health doctor who told me having AS mean't I was permanently unfit to be a nurse. THis actually got overturned but it too a year long fight against the university before they conceeded they were wrong. On the plus side anyone applying for nursing here in the uk who declares they have AS now has protection against that kind of discrimination taking place again.

I am now a registered nurse in learning disability. I've had experiance of running shifts and leading teams. I'm now managing supported living schemes for a well known UK charity. Sometimes come across other people in the profession with AS.

I think volunteering is definatly the way to go to know if you have an interest in this field. I would not neccesarily recomend nursing as I think sadly its a rather over political profession which puts you at a disadvantage. I hate work politics as it is. But there are plenty of other fields you can explore such as support worker or going into a specialist field such as occupational therapist, speach and language etc

I would say learning disability is a good field for someone with AS as I think while we are not natural communicators we approach the situation with a more open non-judgemental mind towards unorthodox characters. You can begin to understand the kind of day to day discrimination and hatred they are on the recieving of from the general public. You have a similair stake in seeing social inclusion for disabled people reach its full potential. You have opportunities and plenty of practice to develop a sense and understanding of non verbal communication. It is often said learning disability is like learning to speak 50 languages without your mouth.

So I don't know why you were put off this area to begin with. Maybe it is because of your own personal circumstance. Maybe others are deciding that you should not make the effort to aspire to be something to save on disappointment. I think that is the wrong attitude to be giving someone with AS myself. Go out volunteer

If your in the UK I would try charities rather then the private sector or the NHS. I used to volunteer for Leonard Cheshire but there are plenty of other similair organisations you may find experiances from. Such as Age Concern, Shelter, Sue Ryder, Mencap etc

IF your outside of the UK im not sure how it works so can't help you there im afraid

I'm a social worker for a nonprofit social services agency that serves people with disabilities. It is by far the most demanding job I've ever had, but I love it.

In many ways social work isn't a natural fit for someone diagnosed with AS, but finding the right population to work with makes a big difference. My job involves helping people with various forms of disabilities to live out in the community and avoid entering an institution. Most of my clients feel isolated or on the fringes of society to some extent and I think my own experiences with AS help me better empathize with what they're going through.

For what it's worth, people discouraged me from going into social work and I had some doubts myself, but it turned out to be the best risk I ever took. I wish more people on the spectrum would go into social work because the professionals making decisions over the services our community receives often don't understand us nearly enough to do so. We need to be better represented!

If you want to get a better sense of what it would be like to work in social services, I'd recommend looking for volunteer opportunities. Most nonprofits are happy to have free help. Good luck!

If you love it, go for it. I used to teach, and I really don't mind it because I am good at explaining and I like to see people learning. I was good at it -- not supposed to be a good job for aspies, right?

What I wasn't good at was fitting into the culture of teachers. Very social and don't-rock-the-boat oriented. That's where I crashed and burned.

No reason you can't succeed, especially, as someone said, picking the right population to be helping.

You know, this is funny because this was a question I was going to ask too. I've heard so much about Aspies being better at technical jobs, but personally I haven't had that same experience. I guess it really is different for everyone, but I've worked with developmentally disabled children (aged 5-21) for the past two years now, and I love every minute of it. It's an extremely challenging job at times, both mentally and physically (dealing with behaviors) but it is also extremely rewarding. It feels amazing to know I am making a difference in someone elses' life in some manner, and helping them to be their best. And a plus that I see, is that by being on the spectrum myself I can both understand from an insiders point of view, and learn from it all. I get that this kind of job is not for everyone, but if you find a specific population you're drawn to, you may find a job you'll never want to let go of.

I know at least three especial ed teachers who are somewhere on the spectrum or at least claim to be. One of them definitely is and she is good, one of the best. She is extremely good at working with all children who face challenges of some kind. There are a few school psychologists I bet have it.

Not many language pathologists, though. Perhaps it's the social communication aspect.

It's surprising because when I started out, I really thought I was alone in this. There are several people I know of that I suspect to be on the spectrum and do the same job as I, and then coming here I see it's not unusual for us to be drawn to such a job!

hey thanks for all the replies, its really interesting to see other people drawn to this sort of work too. And really helpful suggestions

I have a few questions -
- are you able to be open about having AS in your work (or about your communication style etc if even if you dont mention it by name) or do you have to hide it?

- I think the increased empathy and identification with the client group because i know discrimination as well is very accurate - do you have problems with this and the other staff/ the system? How do you know when choosing where to work that its somewhere that empowers clients rather than patronising them? (i had this problem working in a care home for older people before i was diagnosed, in the end i left because i was so uncomfortable with how ppl were treated).

- Ladarzak - what age group did you teach?

thanks

> what age group did you teach?

I taught mostly adults, but some teenagers. This was an school for foreign visitors to learn English. I got on fine with the students, I think, because they didn't expect me to fit into their culture. The difficulty was that I don't fit into the mainstream culture that I happened to be born into.

One of the worst thing about teaching kids would be dealing with their parents, I expect. Luckily, I never found out about that directly.

Well, here's the thing. For the most part I have learned to adapt to my environment and behave appropriately in most social situations. Unless I know someone really well, I don't disclose anything like that. There are people that I consider close friends both at work and outside of work that I have never mentioned it to, simply because it has never interfered or come up in conversation. If someone were to ask, I would tell the truth. But as far as broadcasting it? I'd rather not. I'm sure both my behavior and occasionally my speech can give good hints though to those who pick them up. I feel more 'odd' after nights that I barely sleep, and I am probably less aware of how strange I sometimes act.

I feel like if you were to openly say "I am on the spectrum" during an interview, or even to a co-worker once you're on a job, you may not be treated the same as if you didn't say that. Of course it could go both ways. Depending on the level of awareness about ASD's, and how accepting the person(s) are. Someone can be a caretaker for, or teach someone on the spectrum, but it doesn't necessarily mean they're willing to accept the fact that some higher functioning individuals can also do their job.

Personally, I'd prefer to go that extra mile, and prove that I CAN do just the same as any NT can, instead of becoming exempt from things right away. The only thing related to all of this that I have talked about in the workplace is not driving (due to anxiety), and that's because I've been asked. I'm sure some people have figured it out, but they've never mentioned it either. I'm fine with that. I guess it really all depends just how well you're able to adapt and what accomodations you need when working. For some I'm sure it would be much easier to make the workplace aware in a more direct manner. And if you need to, I don't see anything wrong with that either. And lastly, to answer your question about how to select an agency? You really just have to observe, and you probably won't know until you're hired. If you're still enjoying the job a year from when you started, I'd say that means you've found a good place. It's taken me two tries to 'get it right'. I love my job currently, but I felt a little different about the agency I worked at before this one. A lot of my acceptance felt 'forced'. Like people spoke to me only because they had to or pitied me, I felt like I was talked about when I wasn't around, and occasionally I felt ridiculed for things I was not taught, but did incorrectly. People were much less direct, or concrete with the way things were expected to be done, and the bulk of it was having to assume how things should happen and how new problems should be dealt with. Behaviors, actual teaching, etc. I work much better in an environment where I feel like I have adequate training, and I'm able to ask a question if I do have one, and not get an answer that might not be the same if I asked the question a day before. Feeling respected, and knowing that my co-workers and the clients both appreciate me is a nice feeling too. I also didn't feel like I shared the same passion with a lot of people working there as I do at my current workplace. I could sum it up to dignity and respect not having the same value at the old place, both when dealing with others, and with clients. It may take a few tries to find the right workplace, but once you do, it's all worth it. Best of luck to you!

I brought it up even when I interviewed for the job. I knew it would come up as in issue eventually. I'm not that good at pretending to be something I'm not. And other people will always find the "weakest link", in my experience. Thankfully because I don't actually have to sell anything and it is an environment that seeks to understand mental disabilities or conditions, it has worked out thus far. There have just been a couple people that I have had to stop working with (other staff, not patients), but I didn't lose my job over either instance. In my experience, I have only known that it was an empowering environment by working there long enough. It also helps that it is not the type of institution where it is the last resort type place. We are the place that guardians want their wards to be and will do what they can to keep them here instead of having to ship them off to a more lock down institution. So our treatment and behavior are very much expected to reflect that we are a good place for them to be.

I'm going to fully read this thread later when I can pay attention long enough, but it sounds like it has alot of answers. Right now I'm an EMT, but want to go paramedic or Maybe even RN ( United States. Who knows what they call it in other places?)

Being a Basic has been hard for me, with the whole adjusting to people, but it's made me come out of my shell alot.
And the worst part is, there isn't enough information for me for process to make the emotions part of my brain shut off so I get scared, and then I don't talk to my patient. So I can't be cleared to run alone, I just run as an ALS Assist most of the time because I have the knowledge just not the personal skills.

I never thought I'd get this far. so it is possible for us aspies to be in so called "Caring Professions." It takes a long time for your work partner and everyone to understand. Just don't give up.

I am a health care professional, and I work in the field of neurology. It is definitely possible. I had some setbacks early on due to my not making eye contact messing me up in interviews, but I took a year and went to school part-time to get a second bachelor's degree and work on that. I've managed to adapt quite well in the professional sphere, even if personally I'm a mess. I work a lot with ASD children and adults, which is helpful, for me and for them.

~Kate

Can I ask what you do in Neuro?

Always liked that stuff...The tics would never let me do brain surgery though.

I am not starting a career where I am helping people's problems (at least not directly), but I want to get into communications because I believe in the power of sharing information. Having done without interaction for so long, I have insight into its power, and wish to share that insight with others. And, of course, whatever my clients want me to share with them.