Asperger Syndrome and Careers ??

Hi,

Having AS doesn't automatically preclude anyone from joining the police, however you would have to pass the assessment centre and training, the same as for any NT applicant. Check out our FAQ www.npaa.org.uk/faq

The best thing is to discuss it with the recruitment dept of the Force you are looking to join - they can also advise on reasonable adjustments.

NPAA

Hello I am wondering if people with Austim can the join the force

@Arran...but if your child has undiagnosed ASC and is struggling at school, and has declining mental health, what else are you supposed to do?

Perhaps that dubious claim that children can outgrow autism can be cited by parents wanting to drop the label post-education.

Although that would of course bring its own problems, if someone needs reasonable adjustments in the workplace or reason to show the job centre or benefits, they would be stumped.

Arran, good point, the business and governmental world is using a population rating system, with one hand it says everyone should be treated equal and on the other hand it says, the risk rating is too high,, you need X.Y and Z,, oh and whilst your are here,, your insurance, mortgage lending ratings and credit rating is sky-high due to your condition. Again welcome to unfair Britain run by a Libcon. 

Asperger syndrome has only been known about in the UK since 1991 and it was recognised as official by the NHS and education system in 1995, which makes it a very recently identified condition. Therefore it is highly likely that there were people serving in the armed forces with undiagnosed AS during WWII, the Cold War, the Falklands War, and the Gulf War with some having entered battlefield conditions. In the light of this information is it really justified to impose a blanket ban on people with AS from serving in the armed forces or is it all down to the condition now having a label whereas prior to 1991 it would have been treated as eccentricity or a personality issue? Therefore people with (undiagnosed) AS would have been treated on an individual basis. Has any research been carried out into AS in the armed forces both in the UK and other countries?

Imposing blanket bans and more difficult or costly services (like car insurance) for people with AS is why so many parents of children with suspected AS refuse to get an official diagnosis because it has the potential to be a black mark against their child's name in the future. These parents also think that other parents who are pressing for an official diagnosis in order to receive better SEN services at school are shortsighted and fail to look at what happens after school.

Hope said:

I think the armed forces are also offensive - the Iraq war, for example. And it is questionable how far they really do keep the peace in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That's a political problem, not a military one. The military go where our politicians send them, and do what those politicians tell them to do. That is their job. I am sure that if the military could choose it would have pulled out of both Iraq and Afghanistan a long time ago (and probably never have gone in to Iraq in the first place (Afghanistan is a different matter, because the Afghans themselves asked to go in and help them fight the Taliban)).

Of course, not all army personnel are psychopaths, but there is a cultou ure of bullying and thuggery in the forces, which is well documented.

There are well documented examples of bullying and thuggery in the Forces, that is not the same as there being a culture of it.

You get bullying and thuggery in all walks of life. Sadly it is the nature of some humans to act that way.

The very fact that we know about the tragic cases such as Deepcut shows that it is not an accepted part of the military culture.

Yes, we need a police force, but we don't need an armed forces of the scale that we currently have. I think that demilitarization should be the path that all countries should ideally take, and there is nothing stopping the EU from leading the way.

I wish that were true. I really do. I want nothing more than to live in world without the need for the scale of armed forces that we have, but I am also realistic about such situations.

We, in the uk, have become accustomed to living, for last 70 odd years, in a place where we are at little to no threat of invasion by hostile forces.

However, part of what makes that a reality is the very fact that we maintain an armed forces.

If the EU were to drastically reduce the numbers of it's armed forces do you realy think that countries like Iran, Russia, and China would just not invade?

Sadly, it is the very fact that we can defend ourselves that keeps us safe from attack.

I do agree that the armed forces engage in legalized murder;

That is not in question!

and our armed forces are no more worthy of respect than the  Iraqi or Afghan forces. Humans are humans.

And no less worthy either!

I think the armed forces are also offensive - the Iraq war, for example. And it is questionable how far they really do keep the peace in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Of course, not all army personnel are psychopaths, but there is a culture of bullying and thuggery in the forces, which is well documented.

Yes, we need a police force, but we don't need an armed forces of the scale that we currently have. I think that demilitarization should be the path that all countries should ideally take, and there is nothing stopping the EU from leading the way.

I do agree that the armed forces engage in legalized murder; and our armed forces are no more worthy of respect than the  Iraqi or Afghan forces. Humans are humans.

Pcplod,

I have removed the worst parts of your attack on autismtwo. When you joined this community, you agreed not to "post messages that are offensive or insulting to other users". Please do not do it again.

You are welcome to engage with people's views, but a personal attack like that is not acceptable.

Autismtwo, bearing in mind your earlier remarks, please be a little less free with epithets relating to mental illness.

Alex R - mod

The only problem with that theory, 'two, is that if they were all truely like that neither the police nor the armed forces, but particularly the police, could actually do their jobs.

Their primary roles, after all, are to keep the peace, not to start riots.

It's been a long long time since our armed forces were offensive in nature, for example, they have much more of a peace keeping role than anything else.

In fact the 'modern british armed forces' have been defensive in nature since their inception.

There may be some bad apples in both the police and the armed forces, but that doesn't make the entire barrel rotten.

I can quite understand your postition and views, 'two, as I am a pacifist too, however I also come from a military family (my Dad was in the RAF) and so I know something of both sides of the coin.

Okay Scorpion, my broadbrush is probably to broadbrush generally as you do not know anyone true heart, but today with all psychrometric testing as the employment testing norm, the disposition of these people will be psychopathic(violent/verbally abusive/power/controlling/ title/positions) and narcissistic (uniforms/self feeding ego/authority) in there core nature.

So.., lets make no excuses for them,, until society is straight up, too point out these people,, society will never be peaceful. These people are running our society, that is why society is warring and history so bloody.

I am sorry, but I don't like them, never will.

Anyway I am off this subject, the world can march along in rows....following there false flag, with the psychopathic narcissistic king and psychopathic leaders leading the way followed by the sheep drones dressed the same in little rows of mind brainwashing, walking to there slaughter as part of some sort of elitest death cult worship ceremony.

I think the thing is you can't label all members of the armed and police forces as the same.

Be that label good or bad.

The armed and police forces do contain psychopaths, as does any walk of life.

But they also contain people that are good, and decent, and honourable.

It is a sad fact of reality that we need the police and the armed forces, and that they do an important, and very difficult job.

They, as a whole, deserve our respect, however, we should equally not ignore the fact that sometimes individual members of those forces most definitely do not deserve any respect, and nor should we ignore the crimes they commit against other individuals and humanity.

Pc, we are at both ends of the curve here in opinion, I honest too god, think there is two types of autism depending if you are hyposensitive or hypersensitive. With hyposensitive people there is no pain so maybe  the best ones to join any braindead killing or controlling organisation, I know with my hypersensitive nature of autism,, I would not be anywhere near the killing fields or the riot control shields.

You see all that..., quote "all ex military. one commanded 3 regiments and became the Royal British legion boss for bristol. Low educated? to be an officer you need a degree normally. have u got a degree? my life cudnt be better and i would do anything to be accepted in to the armed forces".. that is what I am talking about... scary social positioning, social titles, false command chains, competition, territory, killing etc.. this is so faraway from my reality.

My Autism is soft and gentle,, although in opinions it may come also differently because of my autism. But believe me,,,,, groups are just hordes without mind and the military and police are just an extension of this with uniforms.

You can buy a lot of smarties for 40 pounds ~ Billy Connelly(Comedian) talking about joining the army

Pcplod now TORA , TORA !

You are a sad sad person my whole family is autistic. all ex military. one commanded 3 regiments and became the Royal British legion boss for bristol. Low educated? to be an officer you need a degree normally. have u got a degree? my life cudnt be better and i would do anything to be accepted in to the armed forces. you need psychiatric help!!! Autism is not gentle you shud pay a visit to my school autism is gentle is it f**k

Hero's not,.,, they are MURDERERS ! paint it as you wish,, the paint is still red with blood. I have compassion for life ! I help snails cross the road,, AUTISM IS GENTLE ! kind, beautiful and enlightened,, please do not put autism in the same category as psychopaths.  Armies are killers !  

quote"some soldiers unfortunately come home with PTSD",, those guys are secondary psychopaths,, they were not primary psychopaths(those ones are still killing), the PTSD people should not have joined, only they were looking for identity as they were from the disconnected ghetto looking for family,, see how the system works,, getting low educated drones from the ghettos by the government designing negative conditional social environments from birth so they join up for a better life.

ajh79 , your son has dodged a bullet,, people with autism in my mind should never join any brutus club be it police, army or the local stasi.

You have to be a social psychopathic(primary for army), (secondary for police force), by nature to join these ranks and have a predator nature and be insensitive at root to join the uniform gangs.  

I know ex-soldiers and a policeman via mental health centres,, they are all ex-alcoholics, abusers and rigid psycho's.

AJH79 do you come from a family of psycho's ? check for tatoo's, smoking, drugs, drinking, fighting and a life of stimulas. I would go as far as to say,, people who are in the army and police are sub-human being, having a job which legalises killing ? or kidnapping people and locking them up. The army and police force is a sickness on humanity organised by gangsters we call government.

Not a place for someone with autism/aspergers. Has your son really got autism ?

Most of the people in the army have "hidden" mental health problems and low IQ and if they do not have, they soon will have on joining.

Take him too an ex-servicemans club,, he will change his mind in moments, once he sees all the murderers, drinking away and talking about "harry who bought it". Sad bastards living in a sick world, under a false guise of glory, protection, duty.

Just remember, it will be over by christmas, do your bit ! your country needs you ! blah blah blah,, line up lads,, empty your bladders, over the top,, rattatat tat.. King and country ! medals and flags,, pine undercoat for the heros. The murdered and the murderers,, DO NOT JOIN THERE DEATH CULT CLUB !  unless you are a psycho and enjoy war, death and blood.

PS there is no king and country,, only manipulated idiots and a stage show illusion being run by demons of this underworld they call earth.

How that I think about it,, why bother talking about the demons,, demons love war,, GO ON JOIN ! the demon ranks, when on earth do what the demons do on earth. HAVE A BLAST !

I think the mention of Army, police, government, authority is trigger for me.

Does anyone else hate these organised death and penalty groups ? they scare me ! because they are nutters in uniform under a command of another entity, not there own free will....

yeah you need help mate. i assume your a separatist? 

have a long think about where this country would be without police and HM armed forces.

im a autistic police officer it suits me perfectly just like the army cadets did. oh and i know ex soldiers and ex- policeman as well. some soldiers unfortunately  come home with PTSD but they are human

[Abusive language removed]

Whatever the issues for refusal you also have to consider the working environment. Perhaps, if the armed forces are so pedantic, they could offer on their website some more helpful information about what's expected - so as to better inform people who don't have the aptitudes, rather than have them try and fail.

A primary requirement is teamwork, but to a degree of almost blind loyalty and committment to one another. In a conflict situation they need everyone to work closely together. Hence training involves a highly socialised system.

Not my idea of a good place to be for someone on the autistic spectrum.

Added to which there is a lot of bullying, explained away no doubt as character building. If anyone has read the stories about some army locations such as Deepcut, where there were suicides because of the level of bullying, it is clearly an environment where people on the spectrum are likely to suffer more than others.

That's not withstanding the potential advantages someone on the spectrum might be able to offer. But that's the way the armed forces seem to want to do things, and they don't want people who cannot be brainwashed and reprogrammed into a cohesive and committed team player.

basically its not illegal for them to say no as they are exempt from the discrimination act. i have very mild aspergers syndrome and have served as an army cadet cadet for 4 years with no problems. however all of the armed forces turned me down. The police however look at it as a case by case basis. i am a police cadet with gwent looking to be an officer in the near future. basically no to military but police is an option.

to ajh17 i would be happy to go into more details on this. i know how hard it is not to be able to do the job u want. for several years i was determined to be in the military police.

stranger said:

I would love to know how it's legal for them to say you can't join the army due to Autism. Some people with Autism (I live with one and have at least one friend this is true for) have virtually no problems.

To put it blunty, they're the Army, not Marks and Spencers, that's how.

I'm a firm believer that you can achieve a lot when you set your mind to it. If that is what makes him happy.. he oughtta go for it! They might need to change the rules there For they nééd to learn that being an Aspie doesn't necessarily imply not adequate.. might even be overly adequate...: Strict, loyal, extremely interested, heart in the right place..

The structured life is great for anyone, esp. when an Aspie..

Your kid needs to understand that the army surely is not a piece of cake! Are there days he can come and see.. even ask whether there might be a problem (displaying his pro's and con's ---> without the label..)

I'd say.. Go for it. One should dó what one's heart tells you to!

Good luck, Love, B'fly