Daily experience of an autistic

Sorry to hear that Trainspotter. Is there no.way you can find someone to advocate for you? 

nexus9 said:

Not much changed in the UK since the heady joys of Restart then.

No, apart from things have got worse.

The thing that is wrong with the Governments schemes is that it is all based on Joe Jobseeker to get work.  What Joe needs more than anything is help to get a job.  And when Joe (or Jane) Jobseeker is autistic, he really needs help, help and more help.

When I was out of work for over twenty years however much I looked for work I had to go through many, many reasons why I wouldn't get the job in my mind. Continual rejection did that for me.   And when I did apply (I ought to have been in the Guiness book o records for the jobs I applied for and failed at the interview) I had great difficulty with completing the form, and then at the interview.  I invariably failed the process.

I needed help.  And that should have been by someone acting for me in gaining the interest of an employer knowing my difficuties.  I was not diagnosed at the time, but then Autism wasn't recognised in any way..  I was just seen as someone who couldn't get a job.

And I think perhaps although 'help' at a jobcentre for disabled people is supposedly available, including for those who are autistic, autism isn't really understood.  They see it as malingering and laziness. 

There still isn't understanding at all.

Egads. Not much changed in the UK since the heady joys of Restart then. Glad I got out.

I'm still upset at the completely inaccurate feedback I received from that group interview.

I am considering reporting them for breaking the data protection act in their presentation by revealing addresses of vulnerable clients to people who haven't had references checked or had a DBRS check.   ( See my post a couple of weeks ago).

I've just got a phone call from learndirect that I've been turned down for the care roles we were being prepared for.

I failed in the  group exercise I took part in on Tuesday.

The feedback I received was very unfair.

1. They claimed I didn't make a big enough contribution.
2. They said I wasn't focused enough.
3. I talked over people.

So.  Back to square minus one.

Greetings. At Half-past-Twelve, if another has replied before me, then I do not see that as I Post this here. I wrote a much longer Reply, yet decided against Posting it, in favour of this sort of summary instead...

When put into a situation, and bad things happen to me which are not my own fault (e.g. - misinformation, traffic jams, opinionated women)... I make a note of all such impedences and then state them. When something happens that is not my own fault, then I say that that is not my own fault...

...If all of that is dismissed, then I keep precise records, and state them at the very next time I am put into such a situation. ..! Apart from that, I sort of Post in order to say that I am still trying to follow this Thread, and cannot say much else, as it brings up so many disparate topics. Do not blame yourself for what others inflict upon you - take note of such things and challenge them for a next time, I say...

An update and bad news, disastrous!

Yesterday I signed on at the jobcentre.  Following advice from learndirect I asked my jobcentre work coach for a reference.  As I expected she refused saying it is against job centre policy to give references.

While at the job centre I received a text from learndirect, changing today's start time from 9:30 to 9am and reminding me to dress smartly for today's selection interviews.  My work coach advised me to wear full suit and tie.

Today, I tried to get there for 9am.  But with all the traffic and snowstorm I managed to arrive at 9:02am at learndirect. One of my autistic traits is punctuality.  I was panicking and considering returning home.  Anyway it turns out less than half the class were there on time. Nobody had a suit or tie.  They just wore regular clothes.The actual assessment was a surprise.  We had 20 Min to fill out

1. A personal profile of ourselves
2. Write about  how others see us
3. Write what help or support we need from management and team members.
4. Then a long group exercise about doing a risk assessment and care plan for a downs syndrome man  with a walking frame who wants to go shopping.  And has other personal problems managing his health etc.  

The group was dominated by a very opinionated woman who really got on my nerves.

1. To summarize I blew it 

I suspect that the assessors will be looking for something like this criteria.

https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/teamwork.htm

Considering almost everything else here, given as Tests or Checks, I myself would probably wind up in jail. (Plus I always carry a Rucksack)...

Um, me again. Finally a serious answer from someone else (?)...I was going to write that, considering this particular scenario (sinking ship lifeboat)... I did a little look upon the rest of the InterWeb about it, and that suggested that it is an "Ethical" test: i.e. tests anyone's sense of Ethics....

The given solutions seem to be <>... 1- Save all children, 2- Save any women who are currently "with children", and 3- save someone who can best take care of children. That is what I found, anyway...

Robert124 said:

We will be given a situation of maybe 15 people on a sinking ship and a lifeboat that will only take 6 .  The group task is to determine which 6.  While the group dynamics are observed by the examiners.  I'm terrified.

Thoughts:

1) Try not to be terrified. It won't help you handle the situation better. Being a bit nervous is fine. The adrenaline might give you the mental edge you need. 

2) I could be wrong, but I very much doubt that the exercise will actually be about picking 6 people to survive and ensuring 9 people all die. It's just not the sort of thing they do on courses. The media would have a field day: "Nazi Euro training course churns out fascist customer service reps" -- Daily Fail. 

3) I suggest two things that the examiners might be looking for:

a) whether the team is able to spot any potential ways to save everyone concerned, or simply assumes that the 6 folk on the lifeboat will be the only way to survive. 

b) do the team become paralysed and unable to reach a decision, putting EVERYONE at risk. There are four basic methods of situational leadership -- telling, selling, delegating and participating. There is a time and a place to use each one. But if the boat is sinking, the captain does NOT say, "let's all sit in a circle and discuss how we all feel about this..."(!) 

I can see that sitting inside a sinking ship wouldn't have been a lot of fun. 

If you are outside the ship now, I do hope you remembered to keep your distance as she's going down?

Sorry, didn't mean to cause confusion.

I would be terrified about that exercise too, it's an awful task. I know two people who have been in such a situation (think they were 12 or so and had two life suits which later turned out would also have leaked if anyone had worn them, but nobody did), quite precisely a year ago off the coast of Svalbard, and just watching them when we heard about that Russian helicopter that crashed into the sea not far from there a couple of weeks ago I think it is absolutely pervert to use this as a scenario for such a course where they could use anything somewhat challenging.

I'm missing all the fun due to misunderstanding and misinterpreting the subtle messages.  And the misswired connections in my brain. My spelling is also bad ️

As for sinking ships.!!!!!

The learndirect people have dropped strong hints that the assessment will be the sinking ship scenario.

Where I will be in a small group. We will be given a situation of maybe 15 people on a sinking ship and a lifeboat that will only take 6 .  The group task is to determine which 6.  While the group dynamics are observed by the examiners.  I'm terrified.

Now for the ESS assessment.  The reason is the European social fund insists that all clients they fund have to undergo the assessment.

Yep, indeed, I did. Maybe not appropriate, but watching it from the outside now is a little more fun than it was when sitting inside.

True, but can you fake it by looking in their general direction, looking at their nose, or looking into one eye, then the other?

Robert124 said:

This ESS assessment???

Robert124, I think oktanol is poking fun at this ESS organisation on account of the ongoing "us vs. them" Brexit thing...?

Today we did role playing exercises in groups.

  The assessment criteria is not very autism friendly with eye contact being emphasised.

This ESS assessment???  I was told. Is to assess my level of Maths and English.

Funny thing  is that that this learndirect organisation is also partly funded by the European social fund.  And I did a Maths and English assessment here last week with European social fund logos on the front of the test papers.

I wonder if both these assessments are the same with same test papers ?

Robert124 said:

'ESS assessment at MIND charity.  It's to do with their funding from the European social fund.

Oh, I see, this is the sinking ship scenario!