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kcarsons
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01 May 2015, 6:03 am

Has anyone got any UK advice for my 26 yr old son, on help in finding a career path.

He has had a Morrisby assessment which shows he is intelligent - in the top 10% for his verbal & reasoning skills, but is weak in numerical & manual speed skills. However, his concentration is poor, as is his memory and motivation.

As his mother, I am increasingly at a loss as to how to help or advise him. He is just drifting along at the moment and needs a bit of a push in the right direction.

Has anyone got any ideas?



Hyperborean
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01 May 2015, 6:26 am

There are different agencies around the country, it rather depends where you are. I know some in my area. The National Autistic Society might be able to give you some contacts, as could local autism organisations.



carthago
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01 May 2015, 6:48 pm

Firstly, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm not from the UK and I don't live there now. However, I've worked in London and Glasgow, and many of my friends are British so I'm not completely in the dark.

It would help to know what his interests are and if you're in a major metropolitan area, as institutional support and the jobs market varies considerably in the UK. For example, Glasgow has plenty of institutional support but a paltry jobs market, whereas York has a booming jobs market, but less institutional support. Types of jobs available are also very different regions. If you're interested in law, look for work in Edinburgh. If you're interested in energy, look for work in Aberdeen. If you're interested in banking, look for work in London. A lot of this is common knowledge, but it applies--your son might not fare well in highly technical STEM oriented markets, like Suffolk. Then again, there are plenty of peripheral businesses and myriads of chip shops, all of which need workers. Whether or not those are on your radar, I wouldn't presume to know.

As you've noticed, your son's lack of motivation is going to make this rather difficult. And it gets worse, as most interviewers take motivation into account. Applying on his behalf would be a complete waste of time.
So one option is to enroll him in school. This would give him time to take an interest and find himself in a particular field.
Another option is requiring that he contributes to household expenses (which will ultimately mean getting a job).
If he is absolutely unwilling to budge, find out why. Does he have an internet addiction? I suspect there is a problem beyond just being on the autism spectrum. That is the issue he will need to address if he wants to rise in the world. Supposing he has an internet addiction, there are effective treatments for that problem.

Some aspies fall off the spectrum, or learn to overcome their challenges almost entirely. That is possible, but it takes more motivation, dedication, and hard work than most people have in them.

Good luck.