Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi does anyone know if having Aspergers or any ASD will stop you joining the police force or any of the armed forces ???
My son is very keen on one of these careers but i am not sure if this will hold him back
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.
The British Army list Autism as a psychiatric condition (!) and automatically disqualifies service. http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/AFCO_5_Army_01_Sep_11.pdf
The standards are pretty similar if not the same across all of the Armed Forces.
Whether their version of Autism extends to Asperger's, I don't know - but before my diagnosis I scored well above the threshold for my BARB test for any job, I did well in my interview(s) and I was physicially fit enough to run a mile and a half in the alotted time (though I struggle to regulate my breathing).
In the end I think the issue was because I had an operation and there was a 6 month rule regardless of circumtances which removed eligibility and/or because a former injury was giving me gyp.
The police standards are not as restrictive as that of the armed forces http://policerecruitment.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/npia-02-20112835.pdf
It generally depends on the problems that AS cause him. He can't be turned down because he has AS. As a result of AS, some people may have problems which will make joining the forces a problem.