Published on 12, July, 2020
My adult son (28) does not acknowledge his ASD diagnosis (which he has had since age 14) and masks his autism (and his learning disabilities) so well that he has been successful in getting jobs that he is entirely unsuited for. These jobs inevitably end badly as his employers realise his skill set is not what the job requires and/or incidents occur. He has completely unrealistic employment aspirations. Has anyone else had this experience and how can I help him become more realistic about work opportunities and open about his ASD with employers and others?
I had similar experience with the difference that I didn’t know my entire life, why I’m different. Since I explored the condition enough and got enough confirmation that this is me, I started thinking seriously, where do I actually fit and what should I do. I stopped caring what others expect me to do (as my job) but what suits me. Maybe your son needs help to figure out what he actually wants to do in life. Is he satisfied with the jobs despite his boss not being satisfied with him? Is he doing that only to fit in? Maybe he needs help to accept himself the way he is. Maybe meeting other autistic people would help him if he has not met anyone like him yet? Does he have a therapy? Heavy masking often leads to burn out.