Adult son with Asperger Syndrome

It is unfortunate that the myth persists, even on respectable websites, that people with autism or asperger's syndrome have an aptitude with computers that would be valuable in the workplace. This has led to many people on the spectrum trying to follow this career path, or going on courses to that end.

There certainly seems to be a propensity for many people on the spectrum to get a great deal of fulfilment and focus from working on a computer, and to develop useful computing skills. Some do develop useful aptitudes with computers, but sadly that seems to be a minority.

Computers, forty years on from early prototypes that filled rooms, are now a medium with a great diversity of arteries and applications. An aptitude for one aspect of computing doesn't take you very far.

And what seems mostly to happen is that some people on the spectrum become very good at games or good at servicing and modifying the software used by their peers, which gives some popularity.

But to succeed with computers you need to be adaptable to change, the technology advances by leaps and bounds, and you hardly get good at one thing before you need to learn your way into another. The narrow focussed inclination of people on the spectrum and resistance to change makes that difficult.

I'm appalling with computers, intimidated by every little thing that goes wrong, and needing to be rescued all the time.

But I've spent a lifetime working with them. In the 80s I was working in the front line of graphics and display design, mostly on map based displays, or sensor information, and the design of graphics in high performance environments, and the ergonomics of displays. This was because I had unusual aptitudes, which meant I could solve problems that stumped software designers and programmers. But the move away from supported environments to the 'personal' interface really floored me. I've gradually retreated.

I'm also a bit worried if all you have looked at is working with computers or warehouse work, though I wonder if the psychologist was just plain ignorant, or clever enough to know there is some sophisticated software used in warehouse management systems.

The problem, as I see it (personally) lies with how far you can move out of your "comfort zone". Someone very narrowly focussed would find it difficult, but even so it is possible to explore how far they might compromise comfort in the quest for useful adaptability. Others may be better able to diversify and adapt.

There is a potential trade-off between what you would rather do and what you might be prepared to do allowing for some level of comfort.

I didn't have a diagnosis (not until mid-fifties) so I was just confronted with the "sink or swim" dilemma. I wasn't badly over focussed, but it took a long time to broaden my interests and do things I didn't like, and gradually I found I could do things if I found an interesting spin on them. Even so I suffered badly from a kind of compartmentalisation between what I could do, and what I not only couldn't do but was quite scared of doing, or quite stupid at (including many key aspects of computing). And I survived sometimes coming very close to redundancy or dismissal because I was such an awkward cuss. 

I think though that you need to take a long hard look at other career options. Look at anything he has shown aptitude for even if not a current hobby. People tend to be fixated by "respectable" careers - teacher, accountant, surveyor, doctor, nurse etc. There's an enormous amount of variety out there and websites you can use to expolore with.

What level of qualification has he reached?

Also IntenseWorld is absolutely right, the difficulties getting disability support are more likely to be because the mess the system is in currently, and the government (particularly DWP)'s gross ignorance of autism, which in the light of the Autism Act is astonishing.

It is unfortunate that the myth persists, even on respectable websites, that people with autism or asperger's syndrome have an aptitude with computers that would be valuable in the workplace. This has led to many people on the spectrum trying to follow this career path, or going on courses to that end.

There certainly seems to be a propensity for many people on the spectrum to get a great deal of fulfilment and focus from working on a computer, and to develop useful computing skills. Some do develop useful aptitudes with computers, but sadly that seems to be a minority.

Computers, forty years on from early prototypes that filled rooms, are now a medium with a great diversity of arteries and applications. An aptitude for one aspect of computing doesn't take you very far.

And what seems mostly to happen is that some people on the spectrum become very good at games or good at servicing and modifying the software used by their peers, which gives some popularity.

But to succeed with computers you need to be adaptable to change, the technology advances by leaps and bounds, and you hardly get good at one thing before you need to learn your way into another. The narrow focussed inclination of people on the spectrum and resistance to change makes that difficult.

I'm appalling with computers, intimidated by every little thing that goes wrong, and needing to be rescued all the time.

But I've spent a lifetime working with them. In the 80s I was working in the front line of graphics and display design, mostly on map based displays, or sensor information, and the design of graphics in high performance environments, and the ergonomics of displays. This was because I had unusual aptitudes, which meant I could solve problems that stumped software designers and programmers. But the move away from supported environments to the 'personal' interface really floored me. I've gradually retreated.

I'm also a bit worried if all you have looked at is working with computers or warehouse work, though I wonder if the psychologist was just plain ignorant, or clever enough to know there is some sophisticated software used in warehouse management systems.

The problem, as I see it (personally) lies with how far you can move out of your "comfort zone". Someone very narrowly focussed would find it difficult, but even so it is possible to explore how far they might compromise comfort in the quest for useful adaptability. Others may be better able to diversify and adapt.

There is a potential trade-off between what you would rather do and what you might be prepared to do allowing for some level of comfort.

I didn't have a diagnosis (not until mid-fifties) so I was just confronted with the "sink or swim" dilemma. I wasn't badly over focussed, but it took a long time to broaden my interests and do things I didn't like, and gradually I found I could do things if I found an interesting spin on them. Even so I suffered badly from a kind of compartmentalisation between what I could do, and what I not only couldn't do but was quite scared of doing, or quite stupid at (including many key aspects of computing). And I survived sometimes coming very close to redundancy or dismissal because I was such an awkward cuss. 

I think though that you need to take a long hard look at other career options. Look at anything he has shown aptitude for even if not a current hobby. People tend to be fixated by "respectable" careers - teacher, accountant, surveyor, doctor, nurse etc. There's an enormous amount of variety out there and websites you can use to expolore with.

What level of qualification has he reached?

Also IntenseWorld is absolutely right, the difficulties getting disability support are more likely to be because the mess the system is in currently, and the government (particularly DWP)'s gross ignorance of autism, which in the light of the Autism Act is astonishing.