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Joining the armed forces

Justamum

Hello I’m new here looking for some advice. My son is 22 and wants to join the armed forces. He was diagnosed with high functioning Asperger’s when he was 14. He applied a couple of years ago after the army removed the outright ban of individuals with autism from applying. It is now assessed on a case by case basis. He was unfortunately turned down but was advised that the RAF has a much better understanding of autism and hence a greater likelihood of success his first attempt failed and he is about to appeal. My son has improved greatly since childhood and is now able to function to a very high level. He has been working as a carer in a care home catering for dementia for several years and is very good at it. However it was always his dream to join the forces. Has anyone got any experience with this at all. I was wondering if seeing an autism specialist who could re assess him and write him a report would be beneficial. All his medical history is now very outdated and doesn’t reflect his ability now. I have read several studies which suggests there is a growing body of research to support the theory that some children with high functioning autism can and do go on to achieve what they term as ‘optimal outcomes’ which would mean if he were to be screened for autism now he wouldn’t meet the criteria. What do you guys think about this? I’d be interested to hear from others in a similar situation. Thanks for reading 

  • Also, thinking of Gamers and Coders.

    Another initiative which launched last year:

    "...a special scheme to fast-track "cyber military recruits" as part of reforms aimed at getting more people into the armed forces".

    "...the Cyber Direct Entry Scheme used to enlist the group is now being expanded".

    "...Adverts for the programme say those who enroll won't be required to serve in "dangerous environments".

    www.bbc.co.uk/.../c9qe1qp9e0jo

  • in reply to Martin
    Martin said:
    however, I can lip-read to a reasonable extent, so I had a coping mechanism that negated the effect

    I've been doing that since 15, it was years till I realised others didn't do it. I didn't realise why I did it till this year.

  • I do not think that there are just people with an autism diagnosis and people who are reassessed and no longer meet the criteria. I believe that there are also people whose autism negatively affects their everyday lives, but they have developed coping mechanisms, so that they function in their jobs and in society generally. I was diagnosed about six months after taking early retirement, following 34 years of full-time employment as a molecular and cell biology researcher and lab manager. As an example, mass spectrometers are very noisy instruments and tend to be stuck together in multiples within large, dedicated, labs. My autism means that I find it hard to follow conversations when there is a high level of background noise, I cannot filter out the spoken word from the machine noise; however, I can lip-read to a reasonable extent, so I had a coping mechanism that negated the effect of my autism in this situation.

  • Justamum said:
    My son has improved greatly since childhood and is now able to function to a very high level. He has been working as a carer in a care home catering for dementia for several years and is very good at it. However it was always his dream to join the forces.

    I think the majority of the work within the forces would be within his abilities but where I think there is potential for a real challenge is the social element.

    Does he work well in social situations, especially when he could be bullied or ridiculed?

    I have a brother and nephew who were in the army and they pointed out the ruthless bullying by the training staff and the way this is encouraged amongst the troops as a way of "hardening" the recruits.

    Is this something you think he would be able to tolerate? Think not just name calling but physical pranks, humiliations and even being beaten. Adding these traumas to his existing list could be damaging for his mental health and confidence.

    If he is capable of taking this then it sounds like it would be worth the gap year idea that   suggests.

  • A potential new opportunity commences in March 2026:

    "A "gap year" scheme to give school and college leavers a taste of the Army, Royal Navy or RAF without a long term commitment, is to be launched by the government.

    The course is aimed at under-25s and is part of efforts to solve long-term recruitment and retention problems in the armed forces."

    www.bbc.co.uk/.../c62dyp9pgd2o

  • in reply to DormouseAtRest_25

    That’s amazing thank you so much wow I’m so grateful to you 

  • I wondered if your family is aware Of Alex Anderson's RAF career:

    "Alex dreamed of joining the RAF but faced setbacks, including a rejected application. When entry rules changed, he applied again with support from The Prince’s Trust, which helped him build skills and confidence. This time, he was successful."

    Alex Anderson won a Pride of Britain award in 2022.

    www.raf.mod.uk/.../

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yepljpSXRfU

    (The Prince's Trust is now The King's Trust).

    "The King's Trust helps people aged 11 to 30 to build confidence, get a job or launch a business.":

    https://www.kingstrust.org.uk/

    It might be worth establishing contact with these three organisations to also ask them for their pragmatic experience around the topic too:

    RAF Families Federation (RAFF):
    The RAFF provides support for families with additional needs or disabilities.

    https://www.raf-ff.org.uk/

    www.raf-ff.org.uk/.../


    SSAFA:
    This charity supports RAF families with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability).

    www.ssafa.org.ukmicrosoft.aspnetcore.http.querycollection/


    RAF Disability and Carers Network:
    A network within the Ministry of Defence that offers support and guidance on disability issues.

    (This last contact may only be available to serving MOD personnel - it is not clear - worth asking anyway).

    Air-DisabilityNetwork@mod.gov.uk

    There might be sone further information sources here too:

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mod-diversity-networks

    If each of the UK armed services were to prove unreceptive - there are other departments within the wider MOD family who may view things differently.  Here are a couple of suggestions:

    https://des.mod.uk/careers/

    www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/.../

    www.gov.uk/.../become-a-dstl-graduate-or-student