Hi blue collar aspie here

Hi 

Just thought I'd say hello. I'm not actually officially diagnosed but I've known for quite some time that I'm on the spectrum. I know because of the way I live my life, I don't mix well with others and I prefer to be on my own with my interests. I like History and the sciences, all of them, ha! I have an 8 year old with the condition as well, luckily she's getting the help at school which wasn't there when I was a kid and she's so far doing well, science in particular. 

I'm currently struggling with a low wage manual job in a refrigerated warehouse, the main problem being getting on with the lads in there. Not that it's their fault really we're just, in cerebral terms, differently orientated. 

Just here to see what's going on really maybe pick up some pointers for getting through and improving things, thanks 

Parents
  • Hi Matthew and welcome.

    Work is one of the main areas we struggle, as it involves communication, cognitive empathy and social skills. NTs use "small talk" to evaluate other people and work out what their group identity is, e.g. Football supporter, music fan, fashionista, etc. Some of us Aspies have more unusual interests, which most people aren't interested in such as science, history, sci-fi, computers, etc. They may find it difficult to "place" you in a familiar group, and group identity will be important to them.

    I'm a woman and I've found common interests with female colleagues due to my interest in nutrition (they're always going on diets) and fashion (I've always been interested in art & design and this is a branch of that). I also have male colleagues and have common interests with some of them - music of the 70s & 80s, comedy programmes/movies. I don't discuss my interests in Sci-fi or playing The Sims computer game (too "odd" for them) or sociology or politics (they're not interested, or it would cause arguments)

    Do you have any other interests your colleagues might share? Music? Movies? Video games? Sports? Paint balling? Sometimes you can find out someone has an interest or hobby you didn't know about because they usually don't talk about it due to it not being popular, like playing an instrument, breeding dogs, or taking part in reconstructions of battles. To find this out, you need to learn what to ask - such as what did they do at the weekend, what music do they like did they see x on tv the night before, etc. Sorry if it sounds like I'm telling you the obvious, but sometimes we autistic people can struggle with this sort of stuff. We also need to learn to actively listen to others and not launch into a long monologue about what interests us.

    You might find it easier to get on with NT colleagues if you can learn more about how they are different to us. I recommend a book called "A Field Guide to Earthlings" by Ian Ford, which is a guide to NTs for autisic/ asperger people.

Reply
  • Hi Matthew and welcome.

    Work is one of the main areas we struggle, as it involves communication, cognitive empathy and social skills. NTs use "small talk" to evaluate other people and work out what their group identity is, e.g. Football supporter, music fan, fashionista, etc. Some of us Aspies have more unusual interests, which most people aren't interested in such as science, history, sci-fi, computers, etc. They may find it difficult to "place" you in a familiar group, and group identity will be important to them.

    I'm a woman and I've found common interests with female colleagues due to my interest in nutrition (they're always going on diets) and fashion (I've always been interested in art & design and this is a branch of that). I also have male colleagues and have common interests with some of them - music of the 70s & 80s, comedy programmes/movies. I don't discuss my interests in Sci-fi or playing The Sims computer game (too "odd" for them) or sociology or politics (they're not interested, or it would cause arguments)

    Do you have any other interests your colleagues might share? Music? Movies? Video games? Sports? Paint balling? Sometimes you can find out someone has an interest or hobby you didn't know about because they usually don't talk about it due to it not being popular, like playing an instrument, breeding dogs, or taking part in reconstructions of battles. To find this out, you need to learn what to ask - such as what did they do at the weekend, what music do they like did they see x on tv the night before, etc. Sorry if it sounds like I'm telling you the obvious, but sometimes we autistic people can struggle with this sort of stuff. We also need to learn to actively listen to others and not launch into a long monologue about what interests us.

    You might find it easier to get on with NT colleagues if you can learn more about how they are different to us. I recommend a book called "A Field Guide to Earthlings" by Ian Ford, which is a guide to NTs for autisic/ asperger people.

Children
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