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Does autism get pushed to one side by learning disabilities?

longman

I've asked this question about employment specifically. I think we can see a pattern in local authority response to autism whereby autism provision has long been tagged on to learning disability, only if someone has both.

However in 2010 the Office for Disability Issues started a project "Jobs for people with learning disabilities" which set out with good intentions, including such typical headliners like "Getting a Life" (I wonder which learning able wise guy came up with that novel title).

What was striking about the Jobs for people with learning disabilities project is that it came with the statistic that only 6.4% of moderate to severe learning disabled find emplyment.

Sound familiar? With autism its 15%. Any wonder the group with 6.4% got to be the Government Project?

I don't know what happened to "Jobs for people with learning disabilities".

But there doesn't seem to be anything like the level of government initiative towards "Jobs for people with autuism". Have we been sidelined again? 

  • Has he tried to get a diagnosis to help him at work?

  • Hi longman,

     I heard recently that the Adult Autism Strategy Review had covered some of the issues you have raised, but in watching the video recently, I'm not so sure many of the strategies go far enough. Particularly on the work issues.

    My brother has undiagnosed Aspergers, Is highly intellegent and has no other learning difficulties, however he struggles to multi-task or with face to face interaction. He works in the NHS.

    He was in IT for many years and really happy. His job was solitary and allowed him to do what he excelled at. When they restructured in the NHS his entire dept closed and he was offered a reallocation option 50 miles away from where he lived. It meant 100 miles a day just to get to work. He was truely unhappy and became quite ill with the stress of travel and the poor option choice he was given.

    Eventually he found a job in the NHS closer to home, but these placements have only been short term contracts. Once again he's been redeployed to another area as an Endoscopy Booking Clerk, following the contract end and the job is entirely unsutible for his abilities. Indeed despite mentioning his difficulties with multitasking and social interaction, they ignored his needs. He is now in a disaplinary process because he cannot cope.

    NHS jobs have wage banding and he was on a good band in his IT position of a grade 6. Redeploying him each time a contract ends has now brought him down many levels in his pay. The latest redeployment has offered him a position as a Car Park Attendant! A band 2 position.

    The reveiw mentions the NHS and that they could be pioneers in the employment of those on the spectrum, but our experience is that he has been virtually managed out because they have not taken true account of his high functioning abilities and placed him accordingly. The stress and affect on his self-esteem and moral has been devastating. From IT technician to Car Park attendant in 3 years!

    It's clear that shad loads of progress will need to be made to change the mindset of employers, however, in institutionalized establishments like the NHS, such progress would be extremely difficult to make, in my opinion. 

    Autism; it seems, Is being pushed aside full stop!

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hous ... s-26450784

    Regards

    Coogybear

  • I was repeatedly addressed by someone in Healthwatch (of all places) as having a learning disability, even though it was quite apparent that I was eloquent and above average intelligence.  The word autism spectrum, and yes, even Asperger's, brings forth assumptions of being learning disabled.  I guess technically we are, in the arena of communication, but if they can't even get their facts right on what is a learning disability no wonder us high-functioning persons get left behind.  We are not viewed as a specific disabled group, therefore they don't meet our needs.