An Interesting Paradox

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I have PDD-NOS and NVLD. My performance IQ is much lower than my verbal IQ. I'm currently trying to get Social Security Benefits.

I try to explain to people an interesting paradox about my ability to work. With the proper support I could go to school and become a lecturer (like a professor with less prestige) or an academic researcher. However, I could not hold down a blue-collar job. People probably think I am arrogant when I tell them this, and just don't want to work at an untrained profession. Here is my reasoning...

Verbal vs. Performance IQ

I am unable to work quickly and efficiently due to my low performance IQ. It is like I am trapped inside, my intellect is high but I cannot perform. At an academic job the quality of my work would matter rather than my ability to multi-task and make quick decisons. My reasoning abilty, my ability to intellectualize things inside my head is very good. I am horrible at manual tasks.

Motor Coordination

I have poor motor coordination and this prevents me from doing manual labor jobs or jobs like data entry where I am doing mindless typing of information.

Visual Spatial Ability

I cannot take a job that involves driving due to poor sense of direction.

Slow Processing

My brain is slow to process information, especially visual information, so I can't do manual labor where I have assess my environment quickly.

Social Skills

This is self-explanitory, I can't work in a job that requires social skills. As a lecturer I would have to interact with students, but on a purely intellectual level, which is easy for me.

Freedom

I am very introverted. Being a lecturer or academic researcher would give me the freedom to pursue my restricted and obsessive interests.


Though I am not nearly as smart as him, I often use an analogy comparing myself to Stephen Hawking. He is so inspirational. He can only enter data into his voice synthesizer using his cheek, it takes a long time just for a sentence. Inside, his cognitive ability is sharp as ever. Obviously, he can still do amazing scientific research with the proper help. Could he work at a grocery store? Obviously not.

So what does everyone think about this?

Also, any suggestions about getting NTs to understand would be apprectiated.

I am not understanding, what on that list is stopping you from working? I would totally agree that it will be harder to keep a job than the average person, but it seems you could defiantly work if you really wanted to.
Comparing yourself to Stephan Hawkings, the man has ALS so bad he cant control most of his body, and yet he still works non stop contributing to society, he is such a amazing person.
I am not saying that you shouldn't get social security. I am simply saying that you could do what ever you dream of, no disability is going to hold you back!! ! What ever you do with your life is your decision, but you shouldn't let those things listed stop you.

My point about Stephen Hawking is that people understand his condition and he gets accommodations. Think about all the accommodations he must need: he can't drive himself to work or drive himself around to get resources, he can't do his work quickly, he can't feed himself, he can't fix up his house.

I am not nearly as smart as him, but I still have decent intelligence. Although different, my difficulties are just as hard as his, while people can understand being paralyzed, it is harder for people to understand the more covert and complex difficulties that come with autism and NLD.

He wouldn't be where he is today if he was just expected to get there by himself. He needs alot of help from people and he needs the device which allows him to communicate.

Think of all the people that had to help him to become what he is today. A person's intellectual potential matters for how much help they deserve. My potential is not anywhere near Hawking's but I do have above average academic potential.

I just wish someone was there to help me.

Not sure what to tell you about this, except I've been there myself. But there are jobs that don't involve the undoable and don't require a terminal degree. Sad to say, but you may have better luck, especially getting help, if you focus on finding a less skilled job that you can do rather than on emphasizing your strengths and plans for a terminal degree.

Yeah, I understand, although no one has ever been there to help me and I have noticed lots of people hear also, but we have still achieved threw determination, despite being autistic and what ever other disabilities. No one helped me out, I had to learn myself.
For instance, no one helped me out with bicycle racing, I had to learn myself from reading books and observation, and even with the fact that I cant do lots of things with my hands and have very poor coordination with other things, being pretty non verbal, ect.. I didn't let that stop me.
I also didn't let it stop me from learning how to weld and managed to get a job as a aluminum mig welder building signs. I could go on and on with different examples. My point is I didn't let anything stop me from doing those things. The choice to go on SSI is yours, but I am just saying don't think that is your only choice, you have so many. If being a lecturer is what you want to be, then what is stoping you?

Many things, for one, money.

Money isn't stopping you, it is just a obstacle in your way. I never said it will be easy, you just have to have the right mindset. I have had 9 or so different jobs in the last 6 years, while working toward my goals. McDonalds will hire just about anyone, and you can ask to work in the back, so you wont have to deal with customers. It wont be any fun, but you save every penny you can, and you will be working toward your goals and dreams. The last job I had I dug ditches 9 hours a day, was no fun at all, then I spent the rest of the day on the bike, all working towards my dream job.

I understand. I can't do entry-level work because I just get bored and cause trouble. But there's no way to jump ahead to the kind of position where all of my skills and intelligence will be engaged productively.

Many closed-minded people will tell you this, but it's not true. Many disabled people get social security and go to school at the same time.

"You have to climb the social latter", they'll say. Don't let that kind of negativity limit you.

I could see where it could be hard getting a good job after not working for awhile, but if a person proved themselves in school by doing excellent work it would help.

What's your dream job roadracer?

Dude...I think you are being a little unrealistic, given the current economic situation. My advice would be to take whatever work you can get until the job you really want comes along.

I agree with Anna. You have unrealistic expections. Mainly, what makes you think that if you get the job you want you'll only have to interact with students? It's been my experience that the higher up the job ladder you go, the more you have to interact with others, not less. Plus you are going to have to work your way into that position and that's going to mean years of networking, and all the other crap NT's do. Sorry. But don't set yourself up to fail. Know for sure what's involved and if you can put up with what's necessary to achieve it. For me, I can't put up with most of what the NT's call a normal business day. So I stay away from it. Low pay or not I'd rather be happy and poor than miserable and less poor.

Your point about "knowing what's involved" is very valid ItsMike.

I guess I might be unrealistic, though reality in unfair. We shouldn't have to do all this "social networking" and crap that NT's think is so important. We should be able to hold jobs which use our intellectual potental to it's fullest extent. It's not fair that many autistic people are stuck in jobs which don't take advantage of their skills. Hopefully autism advocacy will change this eventually.

I have to the intellectual potential to get a terminal degree and teach...

I guess if I really have my mind set on getting an academic job, I will have to adapt and learn to network the best I can, and avoid situations for which my networking ability is not developed enough.

Realistically, this is years into the future, but I could learn to network when I am in school.

I will definetly get a better idea of what's involved though.

I'm not sure what you're saying. I went to college and graduated with honors. I'm having a lot of trouble finding a job, and I think it's partly because I have very little in the way of experience. Further degrees wouldn't necessarily help with that.

Also, I seem to be stuck in an awkward limbo where I'm too disabled to get anywhere in life, but not disabled enough to receive services. In college I never even asked for special accomodation.

I just don't know where to go from here.

Professional bike racer
Originally I was shooting for the top of the sport hoping to race the tour de france some day, looking at things more realistic now, unfortunately I don't think I am going to make it that high in the sport. Falling short, but still making it to the pro level is still a great achievement for me. If I would have listened to all the people that laughed at me and said "yeah right" when I said I wanted to be a pro cyclist, then I would have never got anywhere
You should set your goals as high as possible, sure people will say your talking crazy, or being unrealistic. If you fall short but have got to the level of being a good lecturer, then you have still achieved success. It wont come easy for anyone, NT's dont say 'I want to be a lecturer' then easily become one, everyone would have to work hard to get there

You are 24. Try graduating at 33. I'm 8 years into a career hunt.

HOWEVER, som good studies came out as recently as Dec 2008 that directly address Vocational Support for people with AS.

Go print out a copy of: http://www.autastics.org/JVRpaper.htm and "Counseling Adults with Aspergers" http://www.shrs.pitt.edu/cms/uploadedfi ... TTE_08.pdf.

Both are useful to give to a VR person.