There is a lot of concern in this forum about what to do after the new DSM is put into effect and many members of this forum are officialy dropped from the Spectrum; or, children of members are never considered qualified for any assistance or special attention. I would like to try to provide some ideas for alternative courses of action to help anyone in need to get through life.
First, I am almost certainly among the oldest members of the forum. Then: I am self-diagnosed from the online tests that I took. For most of my life there was no such thing as Asperger's Syndrome, even Autism only meant the extreme cases. Recently discovering that AS existed and exploring it some has answered many of the questions I always had about myself.
I did manage to get a college degree. It was tough. That degree opened some doors. I have always liked to say that college warps the mind. It does, but in specific ways that help guide thinking processes in specific ways. That can be good. Not to throw rocks, not at all(!!!!!), without some shaping and sometimes just shining some light in specific ways, our thinking is too unique to fit the needs of the workplace. A college degree is a 'Credential.' There are other 'Credentials' that are equally useful. Specific courses of training or schooling are needed to obtain them. Consider trying to find specific kinds of employment that may have a niche that you, as an Aspie or otherwise member of the Spectrum, can fit into and do perhaps better than an NT. Then try to obtain credentials, other training, experience to qualify you or the subject person for that or those jobs. All of this must be positive as seen by a potential employer. What you might consider 'good' is irrelevant. What matters is how your background looks to that hiring agent and then how well you perform will be the important thing.
What kind of jobs? Some of that depends on you. How well do you deal with bright light? With being in the dark? With noise or with silence? Can you handle interminable detail well? Think in terms of employment that will fit you. I handle noise and being alone well. I do well with machinery and am compulsive about following rules and technical guidelines. I did well for a couple of decades as a driver of 18-wheelers because I did not get lonely out there on the highway, did exactly what I was supposed to do to operate the truck safely and not do it harm (it is easily possible to destroy one of those big trucks before even getting the wheels turning if the controls are not operated properly). Because I am an Aspie, do not communicate well with people, I operated a company truck. I did not have to play the social and communication games that Normals play and that I cannot cope with. Note that I did this in a specific time frame in history. Things change and it is not now possible to duplicate what I did. Also, noise inside those trucks is extreme. Most of my driving was at night. Most people cannot deal with being awake all night and sleeping in the daytime. I became a very real "Night Person." I am retired and after several career-length jobs that were all at night, I still find it much more comfortable to be awake all night and sleep all day. I detest bright sunlight and glare. (Dealing with a daytime world now with minimal committments, I sleep a few hours and go and do and then sleep a few hours and surf the Web, and sleep a few hours and . . .).
The point I am trying to make is that sometimes if you can fit into jobs or job niches that the NT's do not do well with, you might find an edge. Perhaps watching a computer or video screen all night where you do not feel alone or mind the low light. The primary thing about being a night worker and sleeping in the day is getting the daytime people to leave you alone while you sleep. And do sleep; don't go and do just because you can and it is daylight in the world. If you really want, in any major city, there is much that runs 24-7-365 but the daytimers don't go play all night! NT's seldom do well at night because many of the jobs demand they be wide awake and they never train/discipline themselves to sleep in the day or really try to reverse the natural tendency to be awake in bright sunlight.
Many of us on the spectrum are compulsive about repetitive actions. Perhaps that could be an edge where NT's get bored to the point where they do not do the job or quit, but you find no problem in doing it forever. . . and making money to finance your life.
I think I have talked too much. I will stop. My bottom line is: Try to think outside the box. Consider trying to find a way to run your life that capitalizes on your strengths and by-passes your problems.
