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How to explain how you think to your employer

ByteBandit

Hello,

I need some pointers to articles for my boss that help to explain why it is that I have little difficulty with technical tasks, but cannot get my head around business concepts and processes. 

I'm 40, HFA, have been in my current job for 5 years, survived three rounds of layoffs and am employed as a senior software developer in a small team.

I am happy in the job, it is extremely accomodating of me personally and my family needs but I recently said that I was unhappy with the work because of the lack of engagement. Had a meeting, another one next week.

The lack of engagement is because a lot of the work is fairly menial (comparatively speaking) and/or I lack the comprehension required to do the work properly and whilst I can do the bulk of the work through brute force, it invariably goes to somebody else to be fixed, which I find really quite soul destroying and competence questioning.

The areas where I excel are the ones that are more free of business specifics and tend to be more technical.

My boss does not understand how such a seemingly contradictory state of affairs can exist. I don't think this is disbelief, just doesn't understand.

I have spent hours trying to find a down to Earth article, that is reputable and recent to explain how I think differently, the visual nature of my thoughts, the somewhat haphhazard memory which is simultaniously the font of my creativity, etc.

I describe myself as a software developer, but honestly, it feels more like being a digital artiste. I work 9-5, but I think 24x7, ideas just pop into my head, 'visions' will appear like some shadowy image somewhere between 'me' and the inside of my eyes. Yet it took 4 1/2 years to learn which of the two top draws has socks and which has pants.

How do you explain this to a lay person? I keep coming across Temple Grandin articles, but they are old and lengthy.

Any help appreciated.

Parents

  • Thanks for getting back to me on this Zara NAS.

    However I think employers want to see something that backs up what an employee is explaining.

    As things stand at present, the official bit, whether presented by the employee or looked up on the web, is mostly the triad of impairments.

    This doesn't cover 90% of the difficulties employees might need to explain. So many employers, receiving a personalised account, are likely to say, "well I looked up autism on the NAS website, and none of what you say is supported by them, so I cannot accept what you say is a problem is reasonably down to autism".

    Most of what may cause people problems - sensory overload or upsetting sensory experiences, information bottlenecks and overload, melt downs and seemingly excessive stress reactions, not being able to follow instructions properly that are given out in meetings, not responding appropriately to colleagues or seeming aloof etc etc....none of these things are corroborated by NAS factsheets.

    And that's an awful lot of let down.

    Also the skills NAS claim people on the spectrum have are mostly either misleading or insufficiently qualified by the down-side aspects.

    It isn't simply a case of updating.

Reply

  • Thanks for getting back to me on this Zara NAS.

    However I think employers want to see something that backs up what an employee is explaining.

    As things stand at present, the official bit, whether presented by the employee or looked up on the web, is mostly the triad of impairments.

    This doesn't cover 90% of the difficulties employees might need to explain. So many employers, receiving a personalised account, are likely to say, "well I looked up autism on the NAS website, and none of what you say is supported by them, so I cannot accept what you say is a problem is reasonably down to autism".

    Most of what may cause people problems - sensory overload or upsetting sensory experiences, information bottlenecks and overload, melt downs and seemingly excessive stress reactions, not being able to follow instructions properly that are given out in meetings, not responding appropriately to colleagues or seeming aloof etc etc....none of these things are corroborated by NAS factsheets.

    And that's an awful lot of let down.

    Also the skills NAS claim people on the spectrum have are mostly either misleading or insufficiently qualified by the down-side aspects.

    It isn't simply a case of updating.

Children
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