Jobs for people with AS.

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My psychiatrist said I have severe Asperger's. I would like to get a voluntary job late this year / early next year, as I am taking a year out of university due to mental health problems ruining the past year at uni.

I haven't got any interview skills. I take everything literally. I don't understand humour. I can't shake hands. I rarely smile. I never make eye contact. I talk in a monotone. I don't have much confidence.

I would have great trouble working, but I want to work. I am prone to meltdowns and shutdowns. I have severe sensory issues. I cannot do small talk and I have huge trouble communicating with strangers. People living in this supported housing with me say that I'm "odd" and "weird". I have a communication disability via speech.

I have a full-time support worker at university who helps me when I get overwhelmed, and calms me down if I have a meltdown (I get violent in terms of kicking doors, punching walls etc, and I start shouting swear words). She is from an autism charity and she is good at her job.

I recognise that I will need support at voluntary work but I don't know how it works.

Can anyone suggest any jobs I could handle? I have a problematic mental health history which involves being sectioned by the police (Section 136 of the Mental Health Act) several times in the past, and it is on my criminal records (even though I didn't hurt anyone seriously and I don't think I'm a danger to anyone).

steel maiden,
try united response, have lived in residential homes before with past clients of theirs; though they had LD not autism,theyre very good at arranging supported jobs for higher functioning individuals-
http://www.unitedresponse.org.uk/what-w ... mployment/
one of their clients that lived with actualy got paid [in kind],she worked for fairtrade [she got paid with a shitton of free fairtrade stuff,chocolate,teabags etc]- her job was going into shops and checking to make sure they were pricing the fairtrade products correctly or something like that.

am actualy very surprised have ended up with a criminal record from behavior resulting from autism and mental illness,has that ever fought against; perhaps with the help of a advocate team?

Thanks KingdomOfRats.
I'll have a look at the link.
As for the criminal record, I did hit a couple of policemen and I scratched and bruised them a few times. And I literally had to be carried into the police van, handcuffed, on all occasions, because I was freaking out so much. But my Dad is going to help me get that record removed. I may be getting legal help too.

If you can work remotely, from home, that avoids all the issues with eye contact, smiling, shaking hands and even talking in monotone (if you communicate by email). Obviously whether this is an option or not depends heavily on the kind of work you want to do. Why do you want to work, anyway, ie. what is it that you want to get out of it?

Maybe you should consider volunteering at a thrift store. I spent a few months volunteering at a thrift store, and I found that it was the best place I could have ever worked (especially compared to my later experiences working at a farmer's market). At the thrift store, my job mainly entailed sorting toys and sealing them in plastic bags. It was a mindless, repetitive activity that everyone else thought was boring, but I found relaxing. I was stationed in the warehouse, so I didn't have much contact with other people aside from my coach (except when I went into the break room for coffee). I also only volunteered for 2 days a week at 2 hours per day. It was enough to keep me stimulated, but not enough to overwhelm me; certainly not enough to cause a meltdown.

You have listed a lot of negatives. What are you good at? What do you enjoy? What situations are least likely to bring on a meltdown? You are not realistically likely to get a job associated with psychopharmacology but what else interests you? You communicate well in writing so that is a start of a list of positives.

I want to work because I like keeping busy. The thrift store sounds good. I will need support though, as I have problems with following verbal instructions. Working remotely could work, but I live in supported housing, so I'd have to move out first.

Which university were you at, out of interest?

If you are fine with a voluntary job, then I think a charity shop, as others have suggested, could work well. Sometimes you might need to answer the phone, but it shouldn't be too noisy. Also, you will have to deal with members of the public, who can be quite... different. But it's a good experience.

I go to University College London (UCL).

I once ran a stall with my Dad in a car boot sale. Apparently I scared away all the customers. So not sure if charity shop would be good.