A pattern among employed and employable autistic people

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Hmm...

1) Something like the Rotary Club?

2) There are a lot of contractors who hire out teams of specialized laborers; what specialties do you propose?

3) Perhaps one easily-identifiable organization with several divisions and chapters ... ?

Just to clarify, are you proposing that this organization focus mostly on non-degreed and non-STEM-degreed people?

This is a worthwhile project.  Do not let some cranky old man talk you out of it!

Non-STEM people are needed even in the "new" economy----especially in Health Care! Many people are going to get sick, and need all sorts of procedures. Who will man those machines????

STEM makes it somewhat easier----but you can thrive without a STEM sort of degree.

F.Y.I.: Medical degrees fall under the "S" in "STEM".  Even lab techs need a "T" degree.

I'm not talking about doctors. I'm talking about something like X-ray technician or MRI technician. It's somewhat "STEM"---but not as STEM as something like engineering or computers. Or medical school.

They're academically-demanding----but not as much as more "pure" STEM.

Dude, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  A technical degree is (guess what?) technology-related!

A non-stem degree in the medical field would be something like Food-Service Management or Business Management.

I didn't say "non-STEM." I said "somewhat STEM." Maybe a "STEM-lite." Or something "related to STEM."

I've done okay without any STEM skills at all. It's not a lost cause if you don't go for STEM. STEM just makes it easier. To portray not going for STEM as a lost cause is not correct.

I would certainly advocate someone going for a STEM degree over a non-STEM degree-----but there are some folks who are not cut out for pure STEM----maybe myself included.

Last edited by kraftiekortie on 15 Feb 2021, 11:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

Please define your terms; what differentiates "STEM" from "STEM-like"?

I would guess "related to STEM" would be a better descriptor for something like X-ray technician.

I've had to use "the back door" all my life; and I've managed.

Like I said, it's OPTIMAL to go for a STEM degree----but one can manage without one, though it's harder.

We should adopt a more UK-type system of "qualifications."

You would "guess"?

So this is just your opinion, and not a well-established fact.

Never mind, then.

If I always went solely by "well-established facts," I wouldn't be where I am today. I had to rely on "conjecture," too. It was a "well-established fact" that people with autism couldn't make it in the adult world back when was a kid. I transcended that. I didn't listen to the pundits. Pundits aren't always right.

It is a well-established fact that X-ray technicians, MRI technicians, echocardiogram technicians, and that ilk are NEEDED. How they're related or not related to STEM is a matter of opinion. I would say there's at least a peripheral relationship to "pure STEM." If one is not cut out for Med School, one could successfully pursue those avenues, instead.

No, more like the National Association of Black Accountants or the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, but for autistic people in whatever profession, and focused on specific local geographic areas (e.g. the NYC metro area) rather than attempting to be nationwide (at least here in the U.S.A.).

I hope to launch an organization for computer professionals, starting out as the small, informal Autistic Techies of the NYC Area, hopefully eventually to evolve into something more organized and formal.

I hope also to encourage other people to form similar groups for autistic people in other career categories. Various possible examples are listed here.


Just computer professionals for now.

But hopefully the proposed organizations for autistic people in other kinds of professions will eventually encourage the formation of similar teams for their own professions where appropriate.


I think it's probably best to keep things relatively small, profession-specific, and locale-based, with larger networking groups and leadership-training groups (such as the Autistic Peer Leadership Group) to help the small groups organize and stay in touch with each other. While some autistic people can develop leadership skills, I doubt that very many of even the very best leaders among us can handle the politics of a large organization.


I aim to encourage the formation (by other people) of many different organizations for various different career categories. Again, see the examples listed here.

Hopefully the proposed autistic professional associations, for various professions, would also spawn "allistic auxiliary" groups of friends and relatives of some of the autistic professional association members. Hopefully some of the members of the allistic auxiliaries could also be members of the local Rotary Club and similar organizations, thereby aiding our outreach to the local business community.

Last edited by Mona Pereth on 15 Feb 2021, 12:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I like your idea, and I have bookmarked your webpage.

It’s great that Mona is providing a way for people on the Spectrum to get through the back, as well as the front, door.

There are ways around the “conventional route.”

I am fairly well educated. I have a Degree from a world famous performing arts college, and several years experience working in finance industry in reconciliations and lower level IT positions.

I have the capacity intellectually to take in information.
However, I have some major barriers, and this is why I have found myself to find it hard to find and sustain employment.

Firstly I have major sensory hypersensitivity problems, especially towards noise, but also visual.

I also suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and am find conventional workplace a complete nightmare.
well at least in terms of the area that i live, as most the employment opportunities are in finance industry, or finance industry supporting industries, and hospitality.

These industries are either highly pressured (such as banking, programming) and boring, full of contentious, conceited, arrogant people who think their important because they have a badge.

The other industries are also highly pressurized and lowly paid, in the hospitality industry.
Which involves working with the general public. Who for someone with ASD may not always be great.
As members of the general public can be real holes and many of them generally are.

The island that i live in isn't so great for creative arts, and what creative arts there are are controlled by a group of individuals who are known to me as petty criminals. who often don't contribute to making any of the creative works, but instead take credit for all the works and take the money and opportunities if there are any to be had, even if those opportunities are rightfully yours, because you made them happen.

In my area, there is an employment agency that helps people with ASD get therapeutic work in their charity based employment environment. This employment consists of giving people with disabilities menial jobs so that they feel like normal people. The do things like cleaning up old furniture, chopping bits of wood into smaller bits of wood, and some get to do basic painting or gardening. I believe some also work in a shop that sells jumble type of items.

All for min wage, while the organizers get paid good wages, as they need to employ specialist community workers to look after them. Its yet another charity and for sure, i believe it makes a fair amount of people happy.

I do not however think it is a good way to employ people who have high IQ's, as getting brain boxes who have anxiety and sensory impairment to do menial jobs, is enough to make some people top themselves./

I believe it is regarded as underemployment, in such cases, and if done to too many people, perhaps even exploitation.

The problem however with people who are high functioning, is that although they are bright and good nature'ed enough to do the work in finance and hospitality, if they have sensory and stress problems, they would not survive, especially in the island that i live, as bullying in the work place is rife and there is little protection for victims of bullying in the work place. They have like a skeleton human rights law drafted, but it is hardly ever used as in order for it to be used, you need to fulfill very specific grounds, which include being employed for 2/3rds of a year.

This is rare for people with ASD, as due to legal restrictions imposed on the government with regards to people working in the island, the trend went from people working in full time long term jobs to people being employed on short term roll over weekly contracts, who get paid less than the normal going rate and who do not get the extra benefits that usually come with the long term positions.

As mentioned before, one of the other negative aspects of being employed on short contracts, which are shorter than a year, is that the employer does not need a reason to sack someone. They can simply tell them to go at the end of the week without reason. Which they often do, due to bigotry, bullying in the work place etc.

all sorts of reason, non of them being just or legitimate but no laws to protect those who are forced into such contracts.

What is also the present trend in this island is Zero Rate Contracts, which is a contract with an employer where no hours are promised and no pay is given in order to retain the workers.

The employer holds all the cards basically.

In many ways, the corona virus may be gods revenge to such holes. And cant say I would blame him if he did.
It is scandalous. but that is our great modern society that has been allowed to happen.

i would beg to differ about top dogs not having any time, it is the people who work for the top dog who have little free time, the top dog himself is, if busy at all, busy playing golf. just look at trumpy.

Trump is one to absolve himself of responsibility—but most “top dogs” are on call 24/7, and bear lots of responsibility.