Aspgerger Syndrome Workplace Survival Guide

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As I get more and more into this book it started to really sink in that I have a true disability and there are things that I won't be able to do......Ever since I graduated college I have made nothing but foolish decisions on what to do with my life on the day to day.



I should've been diving into this book the WEEK after I graduated college. But, again I was burnt out mentally from having to do the same thing over and over again. The thing that makes my situation dangerous is that I am on my own paying my own bills.............


There was a lecture given by a Job Coach who wrote the book BTW named Barbara Bissonnette on youtube. If you find it and watch it she gives a compelling lecture on Aspergers in the workplace. She said that many people with Aspergers Syndrome are years behind their NT counterparts in emotional growth. She was not kidding.



The only thing that was on my mind after college was I needed a 9 to 5 job that was in an office, paid well and gave me balance. That was a good decision on my part...........But the main reason why I wanted that situation is so I could date as many women as I wanted to. Because as we all know, if you have AS, you have PROBLEMS in the sex and intimate relationships department...............


My success in life at this point, is crucial......and the problem is my brain is not cooperating that well......

IMO, the main reason to want to have a fulltime job (at least for me) is not trying to date as many women as possible. The true reason for me, is having something to do on a daily basis, earn money (and because of that having a pretty good adult life), be useful to the society. At my work, most women are unavailable, already married or are not interested in me, or I am not interested in them.

On the social area, it is also to avoid understimulation, having social satisfaction, because I am pretty extraverted and I actually enjoy social interaction.

On the other hand, for some people with AS living independently and having a fulltime job, can be hard.

I don't want to be supported by family all my life and living on benefits, part-time jobs are even harder to get than full time jobs, and volunteering jobs seem to be doing nothing for me.

Worked in an office, retail, warehouse, library, nothing has worked out for me, all these things require some degree of social skills, interacting with people etc.

Well for you two I might be of some help. I'm going to tell you guys about my triumphs and my mistakes. Now I know that I don't know you guys and the way I type this may come across as condescending or arrogant but know that I don't mean to come across that way.....Again I just think I can probably be of some help.


I'm assuming that both of you have an official diagnosis. If I were either of you I would get my hands on a binder and keep copies of your diagnosis that you received from the professional who gave it to you.

Now, for me my situation started to change for the positive 100 fold once I got enrolled in college or University for any of you out there that are in the United Kingdom.


Now to my knowledge every University in the United States SHOULD have a Disability Services Office or DSO.......I remember it well......It had been a year since I was diagnosed. The Vocational Rehabilitation Services at that time did not know what to do with Asperger Syndrome at all. They tried me out a job at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the downtown area. I failed at it of course. But then they put me in a job as a janitorial clerk at a Kroger grocery store......When I first started out I was 27 years old, embarrassed, but mentally, I never felt more at ease when I was performing the duties required of that position.


Around January of 2008 is when I enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. I talked to one of the Disability Services Office coordinators there and he agreed to work with me. It was there that I received not only the best academic rehabilitation but also I got tools and tips on how to successfully navigate through that grocery store.


My Grade Point Average upon my graduation from college was higher than what it was in high school. In high school I graduated with a 2.5 GPA. My college GPA was 2.874.....not a huge difference I know, but for me it was something. I successfully held down employment not just as a janitor but also as a dry foods clerk AND a dairy clerk!!


This went on from 2008 until Spring of 2013.....I never felt more liberated in my life than what I did back during those few years. The problem started around my fourth year at Kroger.....



Having not received a diagnosis until the age of 26 I did not have much self-awareness at all. I had and still do have the resources to attract a member of the opposite sex.....However at the time of my diagnosis I decided that it would be best for me to put dating and intimate relationships with the opposite sex on hold. That caused frustration in the long run.



On top of that I had begun to experience burnout in my job.....Now for someone who is neurotypical, burnout can be a much easier problem to solve as of this date.......Though not for all of them. And most certainly not all the time.


If you have AS, job burnout can be deadly, especially when you don't have the tools or the know how or even the resources to figure out what to do about it....I am now starting to get those resources.

The mistake that I made was I did not keep up enough with the Autism community both online and off to keep a look out for new developments in the realm of employment. I also held off dating for too long. And I just kept going and did not take care of those two issues until they started to threaten my livelihood.

So here is something that I also have that might help the both of you. Get on a search engine and type in Jessica Kingsley Publishers. They have an entire catalogue dedicated to Asperger Syndrome and how to cure the problems in each stage of life.

So my suggestion to you guys would be this. Do some research on local universities, see if they have a Disability Services Office. Go in there, talk to them, see what they can do for you. Also get your hands on that catalogue...they even have books on how to gain and keep full time employment successfully.




My experience has been you can have all the desire and drive in the world but if you don't have the knowledge, or the resources or the right people guiding you along the way.........You're like a plumber without any tools to do his job or even the training.


Also, the road to full recovery and rehabilitation will most likely be long and hard. But if you have the right combination of love attached to will.....you can do it, again provided that you have the right tools, resources, and people.

About "full recovery" I would be a Raun Kaufman (an autistic that advanced so much that he believes that he has been cured from autism), but I don't see a direct relation between a workplace and dating.

About dating: For a long time I believed: Dating is not for me, since women are difficult to handle. They have been playing tricks all the time, in my eyes (although they might not have the intention to). First: dating and autism are an impossible combination. Women are generally not attracted to autistics and if they are, relationships would end in an utter failure. This is especially true for autistic men, and in a lesser extent for autistic women, also due to dating roles that men and women have.

Secondly, I have put it on a hold, also because I want to prevent it to be an obsession. There are other things in my life which are often more important than a date.

Now, the problem is biting me in the back, since I am almost 50 years old (I start to realise that I have made very big mistakes on that area). But fortunately, I looke about 15 years younger, and could attrack (not too) young women as well.

Thanks for your contribution, Mr. Connor.

I hope it helps.