Studying communication & empathy to get a job

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faerie_queene87
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17 Mar 2012, 10:40 am

Hi guys! I have a question. I'm being dx'd for AS right now (the psychologist I talked to is pretty much sure I have AS) but nobody knows about it. I went on a sort of career counseling session and I was told I should take some short courses on communication, because (surprise surprise) I give wrong signals with body language, tone and speed of voice, etc.

There are a few courses on communication and empathy I could take, but they are pretty expensive. I don't know whether they would be useful anyway, and I don't really want my parents to waste money. I have already studied stuff of this kind in university (Business major) but if I am not (yet?) able to apply it, does it mean that my Aspie traits make it impossible for me to learn all this properly?


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kritie
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17 Mar 2012, 5:16 pm

Being an aspie probably makes it harder, but not impossible. Learning NT communication takes a lot of patience and practice. I see it kind of like learning to live in a foreign country. You'll never speak the language or know the customs perfectly, but most of us can at least learn enough to get by at an acceptable level.

If you've already studied communication, maybe what you need now is individualized coaching. The best thing I ever did was find a one-on-one coach (she's a cognitive behavioral therapist with an MD). She helps me work on my specific challenges, like understanding facial expressions.



fraac
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17 Mar 2012, 5:21 pm

You can definitely learn it. Probably something that addresses your specific problems rather than an expensive empathy course for nonautistics, as per kritie. I think I mostly learned from films.



faerie_queene87
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18 Mar 2012, 1:09 pm

Thanks, guys!

I should definitely think about individualized sessions. The cost per hour of the course is almost twice that of the psychologist (AS specialist), after all. I could ask for some focused coaching with her, once I get a definitive dx that I can disclose.


_________________
At age 24, 4 months and 10 days I was officially told: "Congratulations! You are an Aspie".
Now I write about it --> http://happilyclueless.me