Published on 12, July, 2020
Looking back over my childhood and considering various experiences within my wider family, I can trace not only what I believe to be the "path of autism" but also a fair amount of poverty, to varying degrees.
Now I'm not suggesting that there's a straightforward link between autism and poverty - certainly I can see many positives to my neurodivergent mind which have enabled me to make a fair living over the years - but the patterns do seem intertwined. I can see lots of issues with anxiety, depression and addiction too but increasingly I suspect these might be related to undiagnosed (and therefore unsupported) autism. The patterns seem to involve difficulties in the workplace (choosing and staying in jobs), education (especially higher education where independence and social factors seems to become increasingly important), accessing healthcare and applying for benefits (a stressful process in itself).
During my teenage years in particular, we went through a lot of poverty and our living conditions were quite poor, to the extent that we didn't dare invite people round and our social isolation became ever worse. Dad did what work he could, but was trapped in a low paying job and neither of my parents had much knowledge of the benefits system (I was quite shocked recently when my now elderly mother said that we probably could have claimed something to help).
And going back a generation, my grandmother's house was something of a disaster. No housework ever done, not much with which to do it, no repairs carried out, not much washing, a LOT of hoarding, alcohol consumption and gambling. It was like that with my uncles too, although they were very intelligent people and obviously quite talented in many ways.
Is this all necessarily to do with autism? Probably not. But I'm suspicious. Especially now that my sons are having major difficulties making their way in the world and a lot of our money seems to go on false starts in education and work. There's some good stuff in there too no doubt, but I'm worried.
Any thoughts?
I realised I was very different to everyone else at around the age of 12. I spend a lot of time measuring and comparing people and creating data banks of behaviours - so I deduced that extroverts do better than introverts.
I deliberately created a false personality of confident 'super-extrovert'.
I had spotted that extroverts are just accepted and rarely need to give reasons or explanations for their actions because people just accept that they are 'unusual'.
I learned a few guitar chords and how to cheat on keyboards enough to look brilliantly competent and formed a school band - did a few gigs, got well known. That seemed to open lots of doors because my personality became bigger than the hidden real me. My fake extrovert out-going personality sparkles at interviews
My eidetic memory meant I could appear to be better than reality. I crave data so I will volunteer for anything for the experience. I have no limits or boundaries or inhibitions. More data = more knowledge & more experiences so my personality got even bigger.
My personality and experience got me into good jobs and my memory made me look briliant.- I bacame the 'go to' person for solutions to everyone's problems.
I think my experience shows that you can get a lot further with a fake confident personalty than tons of qualifications.
Yes I would say autism definitely makes people more vulnerable to trauma and more likely to struggle with mental health. These things involve so much processing and dealing with emotion which doesn't come easily with autism. They are also not helped by lack of communicating again difficult with autism.
You are definitely right when you say you can't separate it out into what is purely down to autism. I guess that gives the question is anything purely down to autism?
Yes, I find it enormously difficult and there are so many factors which bring to bear. It was a huge struggle for me to make a living and, because I felt I needed to escape poverty and live up to my qualification level, I really pushed myself beyond all reason and making myself ill on occasions.
I'm kind of looking at the whole family landscape though. I now understand why my dad never pushed himself and chose instead to stay in a very poorly paid job in spite of his vast intelligence. He had, after all, seen the consequences of pushing too hard in his brother, who had a severe breakdown and who mostly lived on benefits thereafter. I also have more understanding of why it's been so difficult for me to do things that are apparently considered easy by most others (e.g. my total panic and alarm at a last-minute request to stand in for someone in a meeting, or to drive across town). And of my sons' major difficulties in staying the course in higher education and getting any job at all.
I'm at the point where I can see us as a rags to rags in 3 generations story. And autism is, I'm afraid, strongly implicated in my mind. I managed to escape poverty myself but am now watching with alarm as my sons repeatedly fail to launch. And I try to keep them on an even keel and off the streets, which is costing us quite a bit (e.g. as parents we have to sign the guarantorship for university accommodation BEFORE either of our sons even starts the course. When, as on several occasions, it falls through, we're left with the bill).
I have major fears for the future and many of these revolve around the fear of poverty.
Yes, I'd agree it stretches much further. However, I'm also wondering about the role of autism in making us more vulnerable to trauma and mental health issues. I certainly have a certain naivety that can make me more vulnerable, plus the repeated experiences of rejectiona nd not fitting in have taken their toll on my mental health over the years. It would be impossible to separate out the strands and say, "Yes, this is pure autism."
I'd definitely say I've underachieved over the years too. My earnings have not been commensurate with my effort, experience and qualifications. Meanwhile others rattle past me in the fast lane powered by their self confidence and know how in the social domain, often without even the qualifications that are stated in the person spec. I sort of feel confounded by it all.
Complicated question! I don't live in poverty, although I have done at times when I was younger. I'm now well-qualified (thanks to the free HE system when I was young where academics had more discretion and I could study in my own way) and have a managerial job - but the only way I can cope with it is to work at home and part-time so my salary is the same as it would be for a menial job. I couldn't do it if they weren't supportive of my difficulties in dealing with 'fuzzy' situations and conflicting demands and if they made me go into the open plan office at HQ. I have a council flat I got back in the 80s when there was such a thing as 'hard to let' and they gave them to 'bohemian' people - otherwise, I've no idea how I'd pay a contemporary private sector rent. I live in constant anxiety about poverty because of the difficulties I have in getting and holding jobs even though I have a skillset that's in demand. I've survived by constantly re-training into skills where there's a shortage all my life - people are more tolerant of 'eccentricity' when they're desperate for the skill and because they're well enough paid that I can work part-time or freelance but still pay the bills. Every time the government starts talking about council housing I go into a meltdown of extreme anxiety, I haven't claimed benefits since the 90s because it's now so stressful I can barely cope with it. I'll retire in 3 years but because of the instability in my economic life I don't own anything and don't have any pension - I'll find ways of working around it (I hope!) but I'm staring serious poverty in the face now despite having a PhD and working all my life. I think gender is definitely a factor too, I have male relatives who work in complicated areas of finance and make a fortune, they're accepted as 'eccentric' and manly. Female relatives with the same level of IQ are poor. By contrast, I get criticised for 'thinking like a man' and constant complaints that I'm 'too analytical' or 'cold' and unfeminine at work. I don't 'do' relationships so I'm alone and have one salary instead of being a two-salary outfit. I don't know how 'direct' it is but I think my financial instability - and probable poverty in old age - certainly flows from the ASD.
I certainly wouldn't say I live in poverty by any stretch of the imagination. But there are elements of my life that mean I'm not that well off. I have a 2:1 degree, yet I work a minimum wage part time job which is also term time only meaning that my wage falls below the living wage. I would find the stress and pressure of many other jobs too much and prefer to be comfortable in my job. I would also hold myself back if there were an opportunity for a promotion in my workplace as the idea of an interview with people I already know makes me feel physically sick. Interviews in general make me very anxious and there would have to be a strong reason for me to go through any again. Last time I did one was because I desperately needed a job.
I also have had issues such as over paying on my electric bill for months as I kept putting off ringing them as I hate talking on the phone. I have over paid on cars because I'm easily talked into things. I probably pay more than I need to on food as I prefer to go to the little shop close to me than bigger, cheaper stores and I just buy what I need at that moment rather than planning ahead and buying in bulk.
There are also reasons that I spend less than others though as I don't socialise a lot. I don't spend any money on things like make up or expensive dresses or anything like that.
I'm very fortunate to have a very loving and supportive family who would help me if I did get stuck with money.
So yes there probably is some kind of link between autism and poverty or at least not being really well off. But I wouldn't say it's a direct link. And it probably stetches further than autism to other conditions and mental health problems and traumatic life experiences.