An older autistics way of dealing with diificuties

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ust 16 percent of adults with autism are in full-time paid employment, and this situation is not improving. The Economist has described this as “a tragic toll, as millions of people live idle and isolated outside the world of work.”
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When people with autism do get a job, they face bullying, discrimination and isolation in the workplace.

I know the harsh reality from personal experience. Who better to research and write about productivity and employment outcomes than someone who has experienced autism and 40 years of competitive employment?

At school I was called ‘ret*d,’ ‘crazy horse’ and other stupid names. Even worse, I was expelled eight times. Teachers did not understand that I could not identify nonverbal cues to behavior. That I needed to move and to run to cope. That I spoke loudly and was perfectly clear about my perspective with teachers and peers but could not reciprocate appropriately in school interactions.

I found school tasks based on rote learning very challenging. I had difficulty processing sound information. I could concentrate for long periods on tasks of interest to me but was unable to respond to teacher cues about where to direct my attention. I was punished repeatedly without really knowing why.

But my mother never gave up on me. Time after time she found another school so I could continue my education. Thank you, Mum. You are the greatest.

These school expulsions traumatized me so much that I vowed never to let a workplace terminate me. When a job was not working out, I quit and found another — 28 times in 27 years.

Then, at age 47, I found a job I held for 15 years, until I retired.