How will I cope with a job?

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I am mostly nonverbal. I cannot cope with any social interaction. I live in supported housing but I am trying hard to move into independent housing with floating support from an autism charity, just so that I can isolate myself as much as possible. I get sensory overload just by going outside. I have had loads of public meltdowns and have been taken to psychiatric hospitals by the police many times as I lost it completely in public. I have no social skills and I don't feel the need to learn any. When I am forced into a social occasion, or a place where socialising is expected, I'll be in the toilets with the cubicle door locked, stimming and rocking with my hands on my ears and my eyes closed. I need a support worker to take me to the doctor's or to places like banks because I cannot manage the face-to-face interaction myself. People touching me get hit or punched as I lash out in response to physical contact. And I have multiple neurological and psychiatric illnesses.

Question: will I ever get a job and stay in it?

I want to work in neuroscientific research. I do not want to have an office job.

But I cannot even manage a conversation and public transport in rush hour is a total impossibility for me (I've been known to walk 5 miles in the pouring rain to miss the rush hour on the buses and Underground).

am surprised were sectioned in a pyschiatric hospital and not a forensic or ASD acute unit if they were aware of the aspergers as well as the schizophrenia,last year after a few major incidents at home had been sectioned for four months in an intelectual disability acute hospital called greenways and prior to that had been kept in accident and emergency for twenty hours hand/leg cuffed and pinned down by four police officers the whole time because the onsite pyschiatric unit said coud not have a place with them as very severe challenging behavior was caused by autism and ID,not pyschiatric,they had been willing to send up north to a specialist hospital in newcastle because greenways didnt have a place come up at the time.
there are a lot more ASD acute units down south as far as am aware including one owned by the NAS.

about jobs, if the company boss is willing to accomodate then there is no reason why cannot work as long as needs/issues do not clash with the tasks/environment.
this is the main reason why disabled people cant work-not because of their condition but because of companies being less accomodating of their issues and needs but there are many out there who are decent,
used to live with two profoundly autistic adults who had jobs with the national trust,one intelectualy disabled adult who worked at mc donalds and one severe,older HFA who worked on the tills at argos.

have a look into united response if they are in the area are in they may be able to help with getting a job,thers also remploy;have known a severe HFA [through the company of the last residential home had lived in] get a job through remploy;though he lived in his own place with support,he also has been sectioned many times for forensic behaviors.

Thanks for the great advice.

The police officers assumed that I was having a psychotic relapse because I was talking nonsense and they misinterpreted my screaming and stimming. They had five police officers, and ambulance there every single time and I've had to make formal complaints before. Handcuffs made me bleed once. I asked to go to an autism unit in the Bethlem Hospital but the psychiatrist on the ward refused to even look at the form, let alone send me there. I had rapid tranquillisation several times a week (ie forced injections of haloperidol) because the nurses misinterpreted my meltdowns as psychosis.

The above means that I now lock myself in my bedroom for a week, if not two, due to the fear of having a meltdown outside and getting Section 136 (Mental Health Act) arrest again. I tried to go to the supermarket alone a while ago and security had to throw me out, threatening to ban me from the supermarket. I had been having a sensory overload-induced meltdown and was throwing milk cartons everywhere.

So I'm pretty much housebound most of the time for my own safety. Which would make it so hard to get a job.

I go to uni but I have a taxi service paid by the governmentto take me there and back. And I have a full time support worker there who is trained in autism.

I will look into what you mentioned.Thanks for the good help.

What about working from home in the field you're interested in?

The internet has created countless telecommuting options for jobs where you never have to go anywhere or interact with anyone face to face.

There are bound to be plenty more than I can think up, but:

IT/programming
Graphic arts
Filing/paperwork
Transcription
Accounting
Sales/marketing (social networks, email, phone)

There are tons of basic roles that must be done in most organizations that can be done from home. Chances are the neuro-research industry needs some of these things done as well and may be able to accommodate someone working remotely.

As for actual research jobs, some data analysis/number crunching/spreadsheet/database work and so forth could likely be done remotely as well.

Maybe try contacting every firm in this field that's near you (or not, since it's remote work) and inquire as to whether they have any work from home opportunities that you might be able to slot yourself into. Explain that you're interested in the work and want to do something that supports it to help earn a living and support yourself and you might just find someone willing & able to make that happen.

_________________
No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

That's something I'm trying to figure out myself. I'm pretty much fully-functional, although I've burned out of every job I've ever worked. I'm scared that I won't be able to have a career.

steelmaiden,
that doesnt sound fair at all what have been put through.
they shoud not be using a pyschiatric unit for an ASD person having meltdowns outside if their ASD is the cause,personaly know two severe aspies who were sectioned in our local generic pysch unit but they were sectioned because of having severe depression on the side;not because of their ASD behaviors.

it woud be worth speaking to the social worker or getting an advocate from the social services mental health team involved;ask if they can put ASD inpatient services as a reaction to police intervention- written into the section 117 aftercare plan or support protocol if have not got the aftercare plan anymore,they will have to do it then, pysch wards are no places for spectrumers even with mental illness on the side plus no one shoud have to feel a lower quality of life because they fear the effects of something they cant help.

KingdomOfRats, Thanks for the advice. I will have a discussion with my care coordinator. The psych ward was hell and I would get ill in there even if I were well to begin with. Thanks.

As for jobs. I'll have to speak to my care coordinator and also the NAS people about it. I can't even do some simple things and need daily support right now.

you could do a cottage industry
if you have space you could blow glass and make a decent living or sew or even build a 3d printer and make stuff to order

I have a Freedom Pass and an Autism Alert Card. I receive Housing Benefit, Disability Living Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance. I also get benefits at uni.

When the police sectioned me, I had a medic alert necklace (saying psychosis, autism and bleeding disorder, and also having my dad's and my friend's contact numbers) AND my Autism Alert Card. They ignored both. I made a formal complaint against Wimbledon Police and they did apologise but next time I was sectioned it was five officers pinning me down and handcuffing me, strapping my legs together and shoving me into the back of a police van (with bleeding on my arms once). They took my glasses off me despite the fact that I can't see much without them. And I had to sit in a cold, locked room for 10 hours while the nurses ignored me screaming, crying, punching the walls and showing other challenging behaviours.

I am in supported housing for mental health and the carers have no training in autism. They tell me I'm stupid if I can't speak, and they never handle my meltdowns right at all.

I will hold off getting a job for now. Get uni done first.