new diagnosis

I probably have Aspergers though not yet diagnosed.  I struggled at school, I enjoyed learning but was bullied for being clever/quiet/weird, even by teachers, and that meant my results suffered, as I felt abnormal.  When I left school I was so relieved, and enjoyed being in my own world at home, until my mum broke my joy by telling me I needed to look for a job or go to college.  She was stubborn, and made me look through local paper until I found things to apply for, and made me apply.  I dreaded the idea of working, but I was offered the two apprentice jobs I had interviews for - so I felt confident about the job, even if not confident about working with people.  When I started, I did struggle with people and was bullied but getting paid help, and after a year could buy my own car and be independent (I need freedom).  A few years later I changed jobs, and worked my way up to a good salary but didn't fit and became resented, got more bullied and stressed, so I realised I needed help and quit.  I wish I could of got help before I started working, as I had to struggle by myself and could of done much better with help/support.  Its important to do something though, my partners son may be autistic and has quit college because 'its too much' and seems content to drift, and depend on others.  I've never been like that, I hate drifting, and don't like relying on others.

Anyway, I'm studying towards an IT degree with the Open University, which is hard work as I have to read, write, and understand academic stuff, and should of done it when I was younger and offered a sponsorship (but turned down due to anxiety about all the students there would be).  But I still love learning and I feel better about that, even if other people don't understand.  Its good to learn, and having Aspergers probably helps that process, but its also good to try and work at some point, even if part-time, otherwise all that studying is for nothing.  Having Aspergers can mean avoiding difficult things, like work, but you also need to try working to know what you can cope with, or not.  Might mean trying different jobs until it works out.  Thats what I've realised anyway.

Just try and encourage him to keep going, and go to tutors etc. for support, and maybe learn at home about academic writing/reading, etc..  Having Aspergers means having to try harder to do what comes naturally to others, it doesn't you aren't capable - if some tasks are really challenging, there's probably just something you haven't learn to do yet.  I used to write myself off because I couldn't grasp what was required, but now I see its my Aspie traits getting in the way.

Dunno if that helps.

Just to add to what Azaezl, said, though I'm not sure what's offered at College level, one thing that may well combine all his interests, and would set him up for a very good, HFA/Asperger's friendly job, would be 'Computer Games Development' - if he's any good at maths then he could go down the programming side, but I know at University level you can also do degrees that cover the more creative side of games creation (game design and script writing).

Okay from his interests I'd say college courses in the following may be of interest;

Creative writing courses,English lit (depending on what types of things he likes to read), media studies or film studies(it depends on what is available). I'd advise getting a list of courses from the local colleges and sitting down with him and go through them to see what captures his interest.

As for part time jobs off the top of my head I think ideal things (if he can handle dealing with people) are jobs in shops such as game/gamestation,blockbusters, hmv anywhere that the focus is video games or films even if he is just stocking shelves it will be more interesting because it's revolving around his hobbies, or maybe he could look at working in a library or a book store.

No ideas on the part time job. I am having no success either x

Thanks all of you so much for your comments.  His interests are computer games, reading books, writing short stories (most don't get finished but that's ok) and films, particularly science fiction and fantasy.  Your comments were much appreciated as I have a meeting today with the careers adviser at school to help M make decisions.  Also need to try and encourage him to get a part time job if poss..........any ideas welcome as all attempts so far have not met with success!! 

Hi 

My 16 year old son has asd. He was diagnosed at the age of 11yrs. He is looking to take an ICT course at college in September.

We found the student support staff at the college were very understanding and can put systems in place to support my son e.g. support to plan/ organise course work etc. 

I recommend your son choses a course that interests him (my J doesnot know want he wants to do with his future either) and make sure you get an appointment to speak to the sudent support team to find out how they may be able to support your son. 

Hope all goes well x

As Scorpion said what are his interests? Finding this out can help him find a path to take when it comes to education and/or employment. If he's interested in video games for example, have a look locally to see if there are courses aimed specifically at that field. 

A few years ago I was very interested in web design and photography and so I took uni courses in both those fields and became completely immersed in them and did quite well on my exams. 

First up, don't think of it as a 'problem'.

Yes, we often find some things hard that neurotypicals find difficult, but we also often find many things easy that neurotypicals find hard.

There are many positives to having High-Functioning Autism or Asperger's, and that's what you need to focus on.

Now, one of the best things you can do is to encourage him to follow his interests, whatever they are.

When we're interested in something, we will often find a degree of focus that neuroptypicals find difficult, and that often allows us to excel in the field of our interests.

What are his interests?