Aspies in Social Work

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Hi all, I am thinking about Asperger's Syndrome and social work. I have a degree in social work, despite my lifelong inability to cope well in social situations. I was drawn to it because I have a passion for social justice advocacy and research. In Year 2 of my MSW I had an internship at an agency where I got to do this. I was so happy, I had discovered the reason for my existence. I was good at my work and I fit in with everyone there! For the first time in my life I felt like I could deal with whatever the hell I was afflicted with that no one has ever figured out.

Now the internship is over, they are not hiring but in fact are firing due to the recession, and even the shittiest jobs in social services in my city get hundreds of applications. I know that I am not good in face to face interviews as a therapist, though I can kick ass with asking politicians or bureaucrats the right investigative questions, and most importantly I will stop at nothing to find the answer to an important research question.

Have you as an Aspie had a career in social work? Can you tell me a bit about what it has been like for you? I am not looking for career opportunities/networking here, I am looking for guidance from my social work Aspie elders.

Thank you in advance

I am not a social worker nor intend to be one. The following probably doesn't help.

Before I read this post, I thought that social workers and aspies were mutually exclusive. Unless I am much mistaken, there will be extremely few aspies who excel enough in their social skills to help others in theirs. That you are one of them is amazing.

I have known several social workers, and they categorically are good at language and socialization, bad at math and geography. I can name any country given its capital or even its shape, and pinpoint each on the globe. One of the kindest and most effective social workers I have met cannot identify any country on a world map or do arithmetic in her head.

I, myself tried to become a 'health worker,' a person responsible for the physical and mental health of students in the dorm. I failed because I'm horrible at imagining the plights of others. As part of the test, I was asked to counsel somebody who had been offended by homophobic remarks. I didn't get much farther than 'that must suck.'

So I guess my question is:

What?

and my comment:

Good Luck

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Yes, social worker with Asperger's seems like an oxymoron. I began my education/career in social work before I came close to identifying with having Asperger's.

This is why I am geared towards social justice research and advocacy as opposed to counseling. I know that despite my training I suck compared to my classmates at figuring out how people feel and their motives. I dream that my contribution to social work will happen through research and advocacy rather than direct, clinical counseling.

This all said, thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Have you considered volunteer work by way of getting experience?

I've had great experience with these people

VolunteerMatch.org

You can get something local or virtual. Would you enjoy doing grants? There's a tremendous need for that but I can't wrap my head around it.

Keep in touch, let us know how you go.

What kind of research?
If you wanted to social justice and advocacy, wouldn't you become a lawyer so that you could change the laws?

It is certainly linked to social work but I am more interested in changing attitudes that inform laws, rather than changing laws themselves. If that makes sense.

If you were more interested in changing attitudes that inform laws, I'm assuming that you are good as the art of persuasion. Generally, if I try to persuade someone, they'll be persuaded in the opposite direction. Persuasion requires a high sophistication in terms of social interaction. How do you do it? Are you aiming for awareness of certain issues, such as autism? If so, have you gone door to door, picketed, or showed up to the appropriate conference to inform?

You might consider something in the communications department of a social work organization. That is what I do. I write the newsletter, maintain the Web site, and write the grants. I like to think I help change attitudes through the stories I tell. I have minimal contact with clients, limited to interviewing them to write a success story. I actually enjoy that part of the job the most, though it can be nerve-wracking.

I should mention too, my degree isn't in social work, it's totally unrelated. I got the job based on my writing and organizational skills, and volunteer experience. Organizations, especially large ones, have a big need for marketing/communications, although they may only need 1 person or a few to do it.

As far as the research end, there are also institutes within universities that focus on the social services field - they don't provide direct service but they partner with agencies like mine and use our clients as the research subjects.

My degree is in social work and I will be starting work early next year, hopefully. To be honest, I am scared. I chose social work as my major because I wanted to learn more about social skills and how "normal" people interact. I have learned a lot, but that's the rub. Almost all the social skills I have are learned, not innate and I have to consciously think about most of them, whereas I don't think most people do. I wonder how (or if) this will affect my career long-term.

oops double post

Last edited by punkyboy on 06 May 2012, 10:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Hey there, long time lurker, first time poster.

I know that this thread is old, but I would appreciate hearing from any of the OP's or anyone else.

I am a social worker and in all likelihood, I have Aspergers.

I find that I am great with clients, most of whom are more than a little unusual themselves. I imagine that my clients and I share a lot of the same problems, which makes them pretty easy to identify with. Maybe this is one of the ways that being a social worker is actually easier for someone with aspergers... so long as you only work with clients who are 'unusual'.

My problem is and has always been with co-workers. I haven't the foggiest what they are trying to imply in terms of how I should or should not be acting and they seem to be (or so I've been led to believe) perturbed that I'm not picking up on their oh so polite implications and hints and probably that I need the hints in the first place.

Relations between my co-workers and myself have tended to get better once I tell them that I'm "kind of like an autistic", but I never like to do so. Partly because I'm not actually diagnosed as Aspergers and I don't want to come across as taking on someone else's identity or culture. Partly because I don't understand what changes once I tell them this and they 'miraculously' seem to become more understanding. Partly because I don't want to ask for any 'special treatment' and partly because I don't want to jeopardize my job. As for the last, I am always afraid that disclosing will cause my co-workers and employers to use it as an excuse for why I'm neurologically incapable of the job.

So there you go, words from the mouth of as autistic spectrum social worker.

Hey punkyboy i identify so much! Im a QSW L3 & although I've been on a break having kids n whatnot I can relate to your experiences. I had no problems dealing with clients, the more complex the better for me but my co-workers in some places well I can say are some of the most uncaring people I have ever met. I always felt the outsider and spent 8 years at one place - not one kept in touch!

I have diagnosed ASD & ADHD so excelled in the pace of duty, out of hours, hossie discharge etc which is at odds with the ASD but that's the adhd side. I didn't know i had them when I was working although a dipsw tutor and practice teacher did pick up on it though not by name, they just said I did things a little different.

I had no complaints about my.work and I was seen as skilled with a creative approach - I was doing personalisation before it was trendy lol! Im currently looking to get back into employment after.my break which hasn't been easy but I'll step up the gas when little un goes school in Sept

Interview wise I did really well, I can only say I kinda wear a cloak (masking) & become a different personality when I.work or interview. I am worried about revealing my Dx to.potential.employers but given that I did a statutory qualified position for 10 years I think I've proved it won't be an.issue.

Just a few thoughts:

1. I think you are thinking of clinical and mental health social work. There are actually several subfields within the field of SW, like the public policy work the OP wants to get into.

2. In my experience as someone with ASD working in social services, anyone who genuinely wants to help people can make a difference. You don't need to have perfect social skills, just enough to be able to build a bridge. With clients, one of my most commonly used phrases is "Can you help me understand ______?" and in some situations, I am very open about my difficulty reading people. Often times, as long as people know you care and are trying to help them, they are willing to be patient with you.

3. I work with people with disabilities and I've found that sharing my own disability experience with them actually helps me seem more approachable and better connect with clients. I've known a lot of people who got into their particular field because they went through something difficult and developed a passion for helping people through similar circumstances, ie. a former addict who became an addictions counselor and someone who escaped an abusive relationship and later ended up running a shelter for abused women. Sometimes the best social workers are people who are far from perfect, just because they can understand what it's like to be in their client's shoes.

Hi All

I am in my 2nd year of a social work degree & happened upon this site & saw your posts. I have not been diagnosed with AS but increasingly over the past few years I've been thinking I've got it; I haven't been able to settle down, keep a steady job or hold relationships. Any social experience makes me feel physically sick, I prefer things to people & all my life I thought I was weird, in effect just wrong. As I said I'm in my 2nd year & was drawn to social work for the same reasons as others have said - social justice etc & more selfish reasons which mean that I am actually worth something in society instead of being an outcast. I have always felt unworthy. I'm currently on a placement in a learning disabilities team & it's been absolutely hell, most days I have to escape to the toilet several times just to have a few minutes to myself & not want to run away. Anyway the crux of the story is I had to do a presentation recently in front of the team including the team manager which was a total disaster. I laughed inappropriately & forgot all I'd prepared. I really showed myself up I can't explain why I behaved like that - they wouldnt accept nerves as a plausable answer. Now I'm doubting my ability to see this through, my tutor is questioning my professionalism & until I read your posts I was of the mindset that people with AS have no place in social work. This is why I havent pursued it medically. Thank you all for sharing your experiences you have no idea how much they have helped me.
I am going to go to my doctor & pursue a diagnosis, I'm different but so what?

Sorry for the long delay.

To the poster directly above me; For what it's worth, one of the reasons I haven't gone about pursuing an 'official' diagnosis (besides the cost) is because I'm not sure it would make a difference. I mean, would professionals knowing that was the case mean that they would be able to direct me to services that could improve my social skills and interaction with colleagues? Would it mean people would understand better?

In any case, I continue to have problems articulating myself to co-workers and bosses/managers. In my most recent post I actually experienced some troubles with the clients I worked with/supervised, but this seemed to be cleared up by being very open and honest about my limitations (excluding being autistic) and to feedback, as well as asking people for feedback a lot and whether they felt like they'd been listened to/heard. Having formal meetings for this was great. For me, it feels like saying these things a lot must seem too obvious, but it seems to work (like smiling in pictures, it feels too fake, but it looks fine afterwards).

Another helpful tip (at least for me) is to confront problems as they're happening (or you think they might be), rather than leaving it because you're not sure. As long as you're not saying it every day, it's fine to approach a co-worker, who seems to be acting a little strangely and ask if they are alright, or to say "I feel like we're miscommunicating here, can we talk about why that might be happening?" Be sure to provide examples of why you think this is so (i.e. You have been unusually quiet around me and I wasn't sure if it's because you're upset).

Actually, I'm starting to think that one of the key issues here is that I don't respond to/notice nonverbal feedback, so it looks like I'm being intentionally disrespectful, when what I need, is overt, verbalized feedback, attached to examples and concrete reasons. I'd like to think I'm pretty open to my being wrong (I say it all the time!) and that, presented with concrete examples in a respectful way, I can respond appropriately.

Of course, I'm also very bad at office politics and I tend to stick my feet in things that come back and bite me later. Unfortunately, I think that social work/social service work is a bit ripe for this particular problem. In general, I think my best postings have been where others saw me as sort of the 'office eccentric' and found this charming.

But back to lyn1980. As far as public speaking/presentations go, I think I have some suggestions. The key is to be familiar with your topic area in a conversational manner and then just go up there and have a conversation about it. It helps to practice a lot too. Like when you're preparing for a job interview and you ask yourself interview questions. Another tip, which I've heard from other aspies to be helpful, is to approach the presentation as a performance you are putting on. That is, if you're not good at presentations, create and use a character that is and convince yourself that you don't care about the outcome. For me, as soon as I start getting anxious I'm f****d. As long as I can keep myself somewhat emotionally detached I'm okay.

It's interesting that so many others here have identified social justice, research and societal change as being guiding reasons for entering social work. I didn't expect to find so many like-thinkers, although I'm not really sure why. Perhaps this is naive and a bit self-serving, but it seems to be that we should be able to contribute something unique and valuable to this field, particularly in light of our unique perspectives and skills. I think a critical aspect here is that, while our autism/aspergers makes it difficult to communicate with our co-workers and bosses, the fact that we are 'different' makes our clients more likely to connect with us.

It seems to me that we should find a way to continue to have this conversation and to help each other navigate these problems, rather than be pushed outside of a field we love by bureaucracy and traditionalism.

Wouldn't it be great to form a sort of 'autistic social workers' group that would make it clear to neurotypicals that such a thing is possible, allow us to support each other, and provide a space for people to use their individual talents.

For example, I'm great at online research, learning new software, connecting these things to social justice, disseminating information, advocacy and forming connections with clients. I'm terrible at talking to people in power and 'selling ideas'. Other people might be great at some of these things, but also be good at interacting with the media (i.e. Temple Grandin), while not being good at making connections to clients. We could play to each others strengths, while providing support for our weaknesses.

I even think that we could make this a business. For example, recently I came across an aspect of social research which I had never heard of. It seems that many not for profits ask for Requests for Proposals for literature reviews and other research. There's no reason why we could form a group to respond to some of these.

Anyway, I've gone on too long, but if any of you are interested in this idea, or just want to keep chatting, then post a response here.

I'm not in the social work field (though I am interested in social justice issues), but if that's what you're good at then by all means go for it!