Published on 12, July, 2020
I currently employ a lovely young chap of 19. He is an apprentice and has been working with the company for about 4 months. What we originally believed were excentricities are now becoming more noticably signs of Asperger Syndrome. He shows pretty much most of the classic signs. We have asked him to tell us about his medical history but there has been no diagnosis. My staff find him quote difficult to deal with at times as he has ritualistic behaviour which can result in mild arguements, repetive physical behaviours which interfer with his work and many occassions where he has been unable to empathise. To be honest we do not know what to do. My partner and I are both ex teachers and have both had experiences of working with children who have asperger syndrom. He is quite typical of the children we have seen. We feel that if we knew that he had it then we could accomodate his behaviour better..at the moment he leaves us and our staff frustrated an confused by his actions. By knowing we would be able to adjust and accomodate. The main question is "what can we do to help him and thereby help us?" I need to know if he he has the syndrome (although I am pretty sure that he does) and what I can do to support him if anything...?
As someone with an aspergers diagnosis who has worked a lifetime both in industery and education, this thread epitomises the problem many of us have in the workplace.
There's an apocryphal statement about autism that seems to fit this situation very well: "there's nothing wrong with me - it's other people that are the problem". OK he might have autism, or as has been pointed out, dyspraxia can account for these differences. But it inevitably is other people that seem to have the problem! He probably feels he's managing OK.
All through my career people would pick up on niggling little things I did, things that really did not matter, but were compiled and presented higher up the system as concern - never amounted to anything of consequence, but kept some NTs busy for hours on displacement activity from what they were meant to be doing.
So I read bigbossy's concerns:- he ate all the chocolates one time, has ritualistic behaviours that result in mild arguments, he piles orders in stacks of five.........
If he has not disclosed a diagnosis it is not your responsibility to diagnose him yourself.
I can only say my own life experience was of exactly the same trivial mindset, NTs obsessed that someone should be slightly different. Who made you judge and jury over the rest of us? Such self conceit and arrogance.
Leave him alone, and just ignore minor differences of behaviour. If basically he does the job properly, just a little oddly at times, what's it to you that he isn't a perfect stereotype of your brain pattern?!!