sacredmeow Less autistic masking during lock down. Which less depressing crying for the world is a problem double empathy I heared it called on aspergers growth channel. Ability to sense negative emotions with channels NT don't have.
I actually got laid off due to coronavirus and am so much happier not working-no small talk, no demanding projects/workload, no interactions with rude/annoying customers or coworkers. It’s been wonderful! However, I feel bad that I’m finding joy during a time when so many people are suffering 😕I’m dreading getting a new job once this all ends.
You don’t have to feel bad. There are always people in the world who are suffering and if you let that invalidate your joy, you are going to spend a lot of your life unhappy. It also means you can hopefully be a beacon of positivity to people you talk to- be it family, friends etc.
It's been a tough one for me, I quit my job partly due to how they handled coronavirus and I've also been happier being at home, however needing a job for money to pay bills is the worst feeling, knowing I am going to have an incredibly tough time fighting my way into a job I KNOW I'll hate and won't last long in, just to get any money at all since I'm not eligible for any kind of government assistance :(
I felt just like you when I got laid off due to covid. Literally best months of my life. I was dreading getting a new job. Now I have one. I miss not working :) Hope you're doing ok
Great clarification on the "I'm so passionate about this subject" versus "I actually want to do this as a job!' I can relate. Fascinated by psychology and reading about it but got quickly overloaded when attempting to work at a mental health agency.
Yeah I have also done this - too many times 😂 loved Clubbercise so trained to be an instructor but it was so difficult remembering everything and giving instructions ahead of the move! I gave up after teaching about 4 classes 🙈
I worked in IT retail almost 7 years, I quit one year ago and I still have panic attacs when I think about it. Human interactions were killing me. With customers, because according to them - and my boss - I wasn't nice, I didn't joke and smile. With colleagues, because I couldn't handle all these gossips and games people played with each other. At the end I couldn't talk with people without overthinking everything I said or I was about to say. I quit and get a less paid job where I could just sit alone for hours and do my work. Now I only have to handle my family comments how boring and not good enough my job is because "you're too smart, you could do better".
@@personneici2595 I guess that people think that saying "you could do better" is supportive because they're telling you that you are better than you think. But for me it doesn't work that way. It makes me feel bad about myself, makes me think I'm lazy, I don't make effort to achieve more. ASD self-diagnosis changed the way I think about myself but it's still difficult to put aside years of self-destructive and self-deprecating thoughts.
Same here, I tend to be bullied and taken advantage of by other coworkers, recently my whole team turned on me, they made fun of how talked, dress, walked, I was even called into the office because they were complaining I didn't talk to them, not sure why people can be so mean to people like me, I need a job , I have bills just like they do and I don't deserve to be treated this way, it's wrong, I was having anxiety attacks everyday dealing with this, but in my mind I felt I couldn't quit this job because, I'm black, woman and older so the job market is extra and sometimes triple hard on people like me, I was turned down several times when the recruiter found out I was black, despite having 18 years of experience in my profession. But believe this God will step in and he did big time.
I loved the part about unwritten rules in recruiting/hiring. I once almost didn't get a job at a place I stayed 10 years because during interview lunch, I made the mistake of saying "I hate salad" -- which is TRUE -- but was interpreted as "having feelings that are too strong, and not appreciating the efforts of our cafeteria workers". They laughed about it years later, but it still chills me.
Why aren't people screened for autism if they're having difficulty getting/keeping a job? Autistic people can be a real asset to a business, their special skills can be on another level. I manage to mask to some extent, but occasionally the usual stressors become to much and the mask slips a bit. I was required to provide customer service in a previous job. I had to try harder because it wasn't natural for me. The feedback I got was mostly good, dealing with lots of people invariably means someone will not like you. I didn't cope well with that, didn't know how to respond, and basically just froze, which was then interpreted as further incompetence. I learnt some tricks, such as using the customers name a lot, which makes them feel more important. And, some people are crazy, it's no use getting upset, and remaining calm when they're not just shows who is the better person.
pw510577w That's all me to. But the customers don't know I had to task a communication exam (to use a metaphor) to talk to customers in the charity shop.
That's what happens to me. It's like a locking mechanism that kicks in. It's been made to happen to me so much through life that I find I'm much more prone to snapping or just leaving the situation abruptly.
Open plan offices are a nightmare! My gran worked as a switchboard operator long, long ago. I still remember her refusing to own a telephone and hating to talk on the telephone, also hating television. She always said how traumatic that job was for her. Thinking of her and other things, there's no doubt she was on the spectrum.
Open plan office made me have a lot of anxiety...and constant taquicardia. I refused to get back to the office after covid. Im working from home but had a big flare up of auto immune disease so now im on sick leave. I cry just imagining i need to get back to work because even the virtual meetings stress me out. I have much better days when im just doing emails and other work tasks.
The longest I've ever been in a job is 18 months. I always end with major low self esteem and burnout... I'm a stay at home mum to my three kids now and I'm always exhausted (and overstimulated!) but so much happier! Xxx
I interview well. My father was autistic but skilled at interacting briefly and so I watched him. One of the things that people who hire are often looking for is whether you can establish rapport because they see it as a measure of getting on with others. I always look about the office to see what personal items are there. If it's there, it has meaning to the other person and most people like to talk about themselves. Calling attention to it (being honest--"That's unique," "Oh how interesting....") gives them a chance to talk about themselves (an interest, their child who gave them something) and you get time to calm down while they're talking. It breaks the ice. Also, if after the interview, if I know I wouldn't want the job, I send a letter thanking them and letting them know I'm not interested. Of course, I always sent a note one way or the other and then would follow up on the phone. Always ask when they will be making a decision.
I never admitted growing up that I was bullied. I would just say, "They're assholes!" and I got in a lot of fights. But after feeling like I've been a target no matter where I went to school and nearly every job, I have finally said, "Ok, I am the common denominator. I think I'm the problem." It has been so enlightening to discover FINALLY there is an explanation to it all ! ! ! I'm not necessarily "the problem," but I understand now why people get upset with me and also a better way to deal with things. And it also helps at least that adults are generally easier to handle than a class full of outspoken and sometimes downright aggressive children. But yes, bullying still continues in the workplace, and there's definitely just as much of a need for support for adults with autism as children, since there is more at stake- your livelihood or being able to support your family !
I was let go/fired from over 30+ jobs prior to diagnosis at 31, when I was lucky enough to find a job that heavily accommodated me. I stayed entry-level for 7 years there before being laid off (it was a newspaper, no big surprise there) before the company closed. I was able to find a similar situation where I was very heavily accommodated (taken to and from work, allowed to stim and have sensory items, all customer facing work was slowly taken away, etc.) and though I liked that job well enough I still struggled and was expoited there (no raises, no reviews, being laid off to teach someone else a lesson and brought back a month later at $2.50 less an hour) but it was my only job option. They eventually phased me out and laid me off in 2016 and I was approved for SSDI in January of this year. (I moved and my situation became impossible to manage any type of work.) It's a relief with mixed feelings. I had to fight so hard to prove how "broken" I was in order to get ...rewarded/supported? I'm so torn about how to feel, but it is what it is.
I really feel for you. There is something degrading about having to prove your level of brokenness. I don't know how to explain that but this is something ASD people are told for medical situations as well. I realize it's because the medical community is still learning about autism . I'm glad you are getting assistance though. I hope you are able to follow some of your interests and passions.
Valora Bock try being so exploited that you are expected to work for very little or nothing in conditions where your not accommodated. I was expected to volunteer for over 25 years. The longest I was employed full time was 18 months. I have never had a career. I wanted to be an actress for over 35 years I’m now 39 I was diagnosed at 23.
My goodness I'm so happy to hear about your story I'm currently 25 and have never been formally diagnosed with autism but have struggled my whole life with the symptoms and signs of it. I'm currently finding it hellish to find any job and most jobs I get I can't do very well due to the high social aspect of them. It sounds just as hellish to try and fight for ssdi too though. I have family that is supporting me currently but am worried about what will happen when that ends.
I found out a few days ago that I'm Asperger's after talking with my GP. I'm 30 in a few weeks and feeling really excited about things again. The penny has dropped and as painful as looking back at difficult situations and experiences I am so grateful to have access to your life changing channel. Thank you soooo much !
I also speak about my autism in the interview for the exact same reason you mentioned. I think it's a great way to get it out of the way and to filter companies you don't want to work in.
Only watching this now, but when you, Sam, talked about your last job in an office, it brought tears to my eyes. My employment ended in 2012 too, and being employed was really the worst time of my life. The exhaustion would never go away. Even after a holiday, just one day at the job would get me straight into burnout again. To that time I thought I was the only person on the planet being that "low functioning". Non of my friends or family got it. I'm so glad that I've found out about the autistic community now, where all of this is normal and many others can relate.
This lengthy chat about being autistic in the workplace is SO VALIDATING AND EDUCATIONAL. I’m actually going to share the link for this to my boss, who knows I am autistic (F, 29). I found it exceptionally helpful to listen to Naomi talk about her experiences in teaching workplaces, as well as what it’s personally like working as a neurodivergent person. Thank you! I’m going to watch over this again - but I’m also not even halfway through watching! Hah
Thank you for this! Self diagnosed, but I think perhaps my work/education history fits well. I've been accepted to 3 master's degree programs, 2 too expensive, nearly finished one in Special Education due to being good at one-on-one, then dropped out when I got to managing a classroom of 30 kids. After various office jobs and period of unemployment, before Google existed, I trained in transcription at a hospital thinking I'd do it a year. 25 years later, I'm transcribing alone at a keyboard, last 15 years from home freelancing while parenting. Intensive listening for verbatim transcripts turns my hyperacute hearing into a living. But I transcribe for media now, and can often become overwhelmed from listening to human voice and emotional stories all day. Before I self diagnosed, I made the observation I had the perfect job for someone on spectrum. Sad thing about freelancing is I've had to work 60 hrs/wk, no vacations for years, no health insurance, no path to diagnosis. During pandemic, losing half my workflow, I'm taking advantage of financial aid for online courses, to start learning coding/programming, something that may allow me to earn more than minimum wage, but over 50, it's hard to imagine convincing an employer to take a chance. I'm trying to start my own neurodiverse online discussion group, because I feel so alone with it. In my experience, isolation feels the only alternative to cope well, but that seems sad.
After college I worked at a call center doing tech support. My family was surprised because I've always been afraid of answering the phone. I loved the tech aspect though, so I did find a lot of reason to not be on phones as much, but it was unavoidable and eventually I burned out. It was before I suspected I was autistic, so I didn't understand why I was struggling so much. I started the job excited and bubbly and ended just a shell of myself. Thankfully after hopping around a bit I've found my way to working as a web developer with a small company. I've talked about some mental health issues with my boss, but not autism yet, and he's always been understanding and given me time off when I needed it. The environment is quiet, and I feel pretty lucky. There are still days I feel like I just can't do it, I can't work a typical job and fit in and manage my emotions, and go through the motions. Since covid working from home has been a huge blessing, and I feel this less. It's been interesting navigating working, eventually I just want to work for myself, but still on that journey 😉
This video was so helpful and validating,for someone who is undiagnosed; I can relate to this a lot. 1. The loosing the train of thought (lol) 2. Having a hard time on the phone 3. In my workplace we have an open office and I get distracted a lot and it is very much sensory overload 4. I am taking some days off since I currently feel burned out Sam, can you make a video of being in a relationship and having autism? Please
All of these points plus consistently bewildering interview feedback! I'm very lucky my fiancée and I found each other. Even so, our relationship has presented its fair share of challenges and I'd love to hear about other people's experiences.
@@thegalacticjelly2648 Before you get married and live together 24/7, do make sure your fiancee is fully aware of what ASD is. For neurotypical people, life with an aspie can be unbearable. I've been married for 15 years and a bit, of which I was unaware that I'm an aspie for more than 15 years. Life's been really tough on both of us with clinical depressions, suicide attempts, etc. I don't want to scare you, but knowing what you're dealing with will make it much easier on the both of you and give your marriage a much higher chance of survival.
One of the worst times at work was the after work socialising. You're already knackered from working all day, then you have to try and be normal in a social setting. The end of year barbeque, and the team building drinks night weren't good. I tended to just stay quiet and not draw attention to myself, but people seemed to sense I was a bit off and avoided me. I was not confident enough to initiate conversations and network. Nor do I enjoy drinking much. The best part of socialising/working for me is going home. Currently due to the zombie apocalype I am working from home, which is good and bad. It was a sudden change, but with the right equipment i.e. a decent desk/chair/PC it's not too bad. My next home will have a dedicated room for working remotely, rather than the current bits and pieces I use now.
Very enlightening. I've never secured a job I really wanted, only ones I didn't. I could never tell myself I wasn't bothered though, as hard as I tried and went to pieces every time.
I am a welder/Fabricator and thankfully my company allows me to use headphones which i fined very helpful. I am much more productive when i am using them and focusing on what i am doing and what i am listening to tham rather than everything els going on around me.
I was fired recently for having too many days off in a job I was at for almost 3 years. The last 2 days I took were something I simply had to do for myself because I was having a shutdown, which is a term I have only just learnt about. I phoned my GP in those 2 days and was fortunate enough to speak to someone who understood, and have since been put on a waiting list for a diagnosis. The turning point for me came after looking into ASD after meeting my brother again after some years apart and finding out he had been diagnosed, then realising many of the traits sounded very much like someone else I knew. Before that job I worked in a call centre for 3 years, half part time, which was more manageable, then went full time there and it slowly ripped my guts out and it became more like a sentence I had to live out to survive (I didn't know why I found my environment challenging then, and others didn't know how the things they said or did affected me, but after over a decade of experiencing social anxiety, this was something I had to live through; there were so many times I wanted to walk out due to mistreatment but was constantly trying so hard to make myself fit in such an alien place because it was anxiety and I thought it needed to be conquered). I'm sure I will look back at this point in my life and see it as a turning point for a better understanding of myself. I just need some confidence replacing now, I have been treated badly in the workplace and I feel like telling anyone at an interview stage would be totally unfathomable at the moment. Perhaps I'll feel better about being fired when I'm diagnosed. But for now I'll have to get by knowing that I worked quickly & competently for a long time whilst dealing with sensory overload and emotional overload dealing with colleagues/people from other offices/the city/packed trains/delayed trains/cancelled trains/being stuck on trains/packed platforms, and my reactions to all these & just general life...thanks for your videos Sam, and others on the UA-cam community, they have helped tremendously👏
This has been such an informative and educational resource! Thank you for this interview and helping me to learn how to build a neurodiverse inclusive workplace for my new company!
I'm 43 and awaiting formal Dx, I've found that over the years indeed I've been able to talk my way into some fairly decent jobs with respected companies, obviously not knowing about ND issues, the most I've ever been able to hold down a job for is about two and a half years without dropping out somehow or being fired. I think the biggest issues I've faced have been attendance and punctuality, although I found working afternoon and evening shifts has helped me deal with it.
This is lovely, thank you to Naomi for the excellent input. It reminded me how I used to work in an email-based call centre. No phones at all, but we'd answer emails for some large companies. We had scripts but could also freestyle once we were confident, and I loved the job. I was quite successful at it, but there's no way I'd pick up a phone and speak to someone.
Sarah Hendricks’s work saved my life. Been bullied by adults and ignored by my peers my whole life. “Why are you dressed like that? Why are you hiding under the table? Why are you hanging out with my kids and not us? Wow! You’re so good with animals! Why can’t you keep a job? Why won’t you just obey the dress code? You’re so talented why can’t you succeed?” She said these are normal things were told as autistic non-binary or people born female. I’m still begging for a diagnosis but it costs 10 thousand dollars in Washington state because insurance companies don’t believe any adults need to be tested. I’m currently in a wheelchair because my chronic fatigue, pain, colitis, and bladder issues all brought on by my constant meltdowns leave me spent. I keep asking my doctors how they’re not asking questions. They just assume my abusers caused it. Thankfully I married a man with autism and he understands me. My family left me and his family thinks I’m lazy and he’s not autistic! He’s struggled to find a job that keeps him, and I no longer work. I have meltdowns and get fired.
I have had to quit my second job in 10 years due to what I now understand as autistic burnout. My manager was completely dismissive of my requests for help due to a lack of an official diagnosis, which I was in the process of getting. Our HR department had obviously been consulting an employment lawyer to protect themselves rather than trying to assist me too.
My manager knows i cant do the work of 3 people alone for the last 2 years and only got an extra person now that im on sick leave. Idk if they will try to kick me out of the company but i need to purse an ASD assessment no matter what. My psychologist validated my suspicions and referred me to a psychiatrist specialized in ASD.
I felt like I was the only one! And there are so many of you! I'm currently on EI, then going back to school. I'm not autistic, but I certainly don't feel normal either: high school curriculum was so easy for me that I barely studied and mostly spent my time trying to figure out how to fit in better. I did fine in university as well, studied engineering because I figured that would make me employable even without being able to fit in. I had a bright future! Then I tried to job hunt and all that was taken away from me and replaced with a depressive episode. Got a job, got let go without being told why. Got another one, same thing but only a few weeks in. Got another job and was miserably anxious but thought that's what I deserved/was desperate to salvage at least something of my life, create a life worth living. Currently on EI and going back to school, and I think I might have a bright future again! I think I need to meet some autistic people because I think you'd be great bosses.
Pretty sure I'm autistic, and I work in animal welfare. I studied psychology and sociology in college. I used to work in a grocery store in deli and bakery, and I honestly miss it. Customer service in any job is honestly the most difficult for me. Spaces where I can get away from customers and coworkers is ideal.
I lost a job once because I wasn't "perky enough" to be a coffee barista. She also said I would ask to many repeating questions. All the other jobs I have had that weren't art heavy, I have quit fast because I was having to much anxiety.
My favourite to work out for interviews is "what is team work" my answer was "working as a team". I had to google what to say. One of my answers to a question was "no" the interviewer just looked at me and said "just, "no"?" 😆
I've had my pre-assessment and they are not sure if I am autistic or not, but thought I would just give you my feedback anyway. Incessant talking, gossiping and moaning by my colleagues really annoys me, and that's even with half the workforce. I have noise cancelling headphones for meetings which is helpful when the gossiping becomes intense. People want to chat and I just want to work. Some of my colleagues are bossy which I take personally which results in me pushing myself really hard. I find the more domineering characters quite scary and debilitating. That's it for now 🙂
I'm looking for a diagnosis but not diagnosed yet. I start a job like it to start, get stressed and overwhelmed over little things, take things personally, I don't have a degree so all my jobs are with the public which I find incredibly draining and I have no take days off to recharge, I always end up going part time before quitting and starting the cycle again.
My current experience is a nightmare. I have always been different, but I previously got around this by associating with my kind of people, living in places which embrace diversity and working in jobs where I could be myself. I have been working for my current organisation for 2 years, I feel like an outsider and my boss is bullying me. She has told me that she can't communicate with me, that I don't give her eye contact, that I'm a perfectionist, that I am obsessed with details and that I am intense when I speak. All of this, plus family history, other distinctive traits/characteristics and my partner telling me that she has spent years trying to 'figure me out', has led to the suggestion that I am autistic. This recognition has come as a huge relief because up until now I just thought that I was broken. With NHS waiting lists being 2 years long, a desperate desire to be understood and for my boss to back off, I 'outed myself'. This has led to my boss officially questioning my suitability for my job (despite the fact that I am quite good at my job and there have been no issues concerning my performance), inviting me to find another position and worsening the bullying behaviour. I'm now in a terrible position as I have no diagnosis and therefore in the midst of an identity crisis, constantly analysing and questioning myself - if I am assessed as neurotypical then I am just a freak. Additionally, my productivity at work is declining. Conclusions about autism at work: 1) Women with autism have an exceptionally hard time because there is little/no appreciation that women are different generally, let alone there being consideration that some women are neurodiverse. If you are undiagnosed and do not have a clue that you are autistic, you can just come to the conclusion that you are broken and become extremely damaged. 2) As your 'flaws' are more pronounced because they differ from neurotypical issues, they may serve to cast a generally negative impression of you, resulting in people not wanting to understand your problems or praise your strengths. 3) Unkind neurotypical people may detect your differences and engage in bullying behaviour. Please excuse any grammar mistakes, I am typing on a phone. I just want to say that your videos are really helping me at the moment, thank you :)
Only once, I've ever gotten a job by giving an official job interview, to start with (but that was the one job I resigned from within a week). At the age of around 17, in school I did an internship at a local newspaper, and felt like an alien. My co-workers did stuff I couldn't understand. Why on earth would they be playing stupid team games during work-time? With that job I also had a hard time settling in and when I had settled in the internship was almost over. When I finished school (which was in the end of June 2012) I started working for an event agency and my boss told me, she wouldn't need me before August. So I took that literally and just went off making holidays for a month. She was furious. That was the first proper job I ever had, for longer than a month (in the end she was quite accomodating). My second job at a different company was simple. I worked as a stagehand, just carrying around heavy stuff and putting it where I was told to. The lights were too bright, though and also too many people. At the same company I also helped out with catering sometimes. Means, washing the dishes and sometimes taking home leftovers. That was nice, though I hate getting wet. Right now, I'm working for my mum. There's actually not much to do there. At some point I aspire getting a new job in the field I studied, but I'm too anxious as the job I'd aim for requires an "outgoing personality" and "team spirit" and a "hands on attitude" (which I do have, but not in the sense I'd be supposed to). The whole process of getting to a new job stresses me out. Starting with the cover letter. Why on earth should I write a whole litany on why I am the best for this job? Why can't I just write something like, "Hi, my name is XY and I'm good at XY, please give me that job"? I'm perhaps okay at writing but not at self-adulation. I feel extremely frustrated by all these standards. I'm from Austria, I think the standards are pretty much alike in the rest of the EU. I'm not yet officially diagnosed, by the way. If that's somewhat necessary for my answer. But I'm pretty positive on being on the spectrum (and female).
@@sophiearcher1501 Your post mirrors my experiences also. Your boss sounds like the typical NT female B****. This is like the adult version of "mean girls" who would corner us on the playground. I have learned that this type will do all they can to eventually throw us under the bus. They will try to go after performance rather than personality, so document your results w/other depts/clients weekly, and save this report. I recommend documenting/recording your own feedback sessions w/her and requesting another manager (who supports you) to step in (use verbiage like "so-and-so has good ideas also, I would feel more comfortable continuing our discussion including him/her"). Pls be looking for another job while you still have this one, or look internally for a transfer, hopefully you can work remote. Take care and know that you're not the only one :)
I'm a 38 y.o. undiagnosed female in the US. Ironically, my career is contract recruiting. I believe I fell into it bc of heavily masking, my parents tried to project people-oriented activities on me. I'm exhausted and have to do contracts bc of interpersonal failings and burnout/meltdown. I disclosed my meltdowns when I worked for Davita. HR raised my goals to an unattainable level and fired me. I've had some success by working in results-based industries (manufacturing, skilled trades), remote jobs only, clearly outlining my work/communication needs in the 2nd interview. I still have no idea how to navigate NT women (who work in HR, and are bitchy). My best boss was a NT male who used to place special needs professionals, so he naturally had the ability to communicate w me and help my weaknesses. In the US, I've found that our culture tends to error on the side of bullying and exclusion (just look at all the racism still in the news). Unless the co has a neurodiverse plan, stay away. Things that are red flags for us would be personality tests, unwilling to explain behavioral interview questions ("tell me about a time when.."), inflexibility on interview style, unwillingness to allow a day or two prep time before interviews, insistence on pep mtgs/co parties etc, all NT women. Now I also youtube the co's execs. If they are emphasizing charisma over results, I also run.
Hearing you described an accessible description of how to get to your interview literally made me cry!! Countless people have told me “it’s part of the interview process and I can’t ask for an accessible version” they say I have to find the place from the address so I get to the interview HIGHLY anxious. It feels as though they’re saying if I can’t find the place from just the address, I can’t do the job, this has never made sense to me! I feel more confident to ask for accessible instructions now.
I found this very meaningful too. I have also heard the "finding the location is part of the interview" line and it has caused me a lot of anxiety. I am a freelancer who goes to different sites for interviews and jobs and navigating new locations regularly is very stressful. Even for a person interviewing for a job that will be in one location, finding a new place can still be stressful. And in that situation finding a new place doesn't reflect what they would be doing at the job every day because they would have a routine of going to the same place.
@@alexba1ley it’s never made sense to me... most jobs, you go to the same place, day in, day out and do roughly the same thing every day! How does doing that relate to, finding a new place for the interview?!?!
i started working from home since the pandemic and ive never felt such relieved. im also autistic. it's too loud, ppl talk a lot, im in the middle of the office and i get very stressed and anxious so much. sadly they want us to come back in january and im having a panic attack. i dont wanna come back. even though ive made more overtime than ever from home i simply dont wanna go back to the office. i havent felt happy since my first year there. theyre not bad people but i feel like i cant cope with office enviorement anymore
@@ktpktpktpktp ohh!! I cant believe i wrote this . Well im working from home. they let me stay at home and ive gotten a promotion too n.n thanks you hehehe. Of course doesnt mean that sometimes i dont get stressed by some people....and rush projects are ufff but ive been rewarded and that is something that i have never had before in any job.
I work from home (and have since the start of the year as I applied for remote work - so pre-Covid). I love it. It can be difficult keeping to my own schedule but I feel so much more relaxed. I was so anxious in social environments and around lots of people. Feeling the need to mask every day and just being around others, etc. even though they were nice people, it was exhausting and made it hard to focus on the work. Working from home I focus WAY better.
I work as an administrative assistent, I am 55 years old and I had an autism diagnoses, but I am also very intelligent (at 4 years old the IQ was 140). I hope that I would advance in the job that I do. I went from interests in computers to management, organisation, office and project management. My goal is: being an executive secretary. I followed such a course with success (many people say, that is a tough course that requires high level of thinking, but I managed to do it). My boss thinks (or one of my previous bosses thought) I am slightly intellectually handicapped, but I don't believe that. He thinks that I should do simple tasks, no multiple tasks at the same time, or more than one task on my desk or office that has yet to be completed, giver very simple, detailed instructions and very low workload. I think that I can do multiple tasks, do multitasking (for example: copying or a small production line with several equipments that can do partial tasks), organise tasks that I must yet do (sorting them on deadline dates and time). I can be interrupted by colleagues. I think I am a very fast thinker and have a very good memory. Things in my office or on my computer screen can remind me to resume tasks that were interrupted before for whatever reason. My boss doesn't notice that I am capeble of things. Even if she looks at me, she can't know in any way, what I am thinking about how to do my work. But last week one of the higher bosses, HR management is thinking of arranging a job coach or a career guidance, and discuss my abilities and skills. I think I can ofter a lot to this or a different workplace, but I can't convince her. She thinks, autistics can't do things that I described above. Nor does she want to listen. She thinks she doesn't have to respect me, and can lie to me about my working attitude. I am fed up with her, so I want to leave sooner or later. Because I think I can be very successful because of what I described above!
I work for a company that supports adults with developmental disabilities, and they have been SO FREAKISHLY UNSUPPORTIVE of me. Like. To the point where after I told the I was being diagnosed, two directors and my manager cornered me in a meeting about “all the things I was doing wrong”, and everything was directly tied to my ASD. And they took advantage of me SO MUCH, including leaving me to be the supervisor/lead staff without the title or pay, having me work 50-100+ hours a week for years on end, not actually supervising me whatsoever (for months at a time, I’ve had four managers over almost three years, but there were huge gap in between them, so I only had access to a manager for a total of ten months over that time, and I regularly bagged for support, even before going for my diagnosis). And I’m still here because I need the money and insurance because transferring jobs is one of the hardest transitions in the world for me, and so CANNOT go without a paycheck or insurance.
Hi Sam ! I'm 30, and I have my first job at goodwill! After three attemps and interviews, I'm working four hours a day four days a week! And I can stim because of the many people with disability don't judge me!
I’m waiting for a diagnosis. I’ve tried to hold it together my whole life but I got to a point I was really struggling, I opened up to a manger I thought would help, they’ve been so horrible. I feel I’m on the verge of loosing my job. Since I’m not covered by the equality act they basically don’t have to support me and the stress is literally pushing me over the edge ...
Jenne they’re being very sneaky. Everything I say that would help, they say can’t be done. Eg I’m being asked to move desk all the time, I’ve asked if this can be a bit more permanent, they’re just saying it’s an “ever changing environment”. They’re not saying “no”, that’s that’s what I mean by sneaky. I’m totally exhausted by it all. Occy health (my GP, everyone who knows the situation) recommended I work at home, my employers are saying this is not a reasonable adjustment...
I'm almost 38 and trying to help my son, and started researching autism, and have realized all these issues I dealt with all my life are almost exclusively found in autistic people.... he has almost every one I have, it's so nice that there is so much content on it now, I do not want to medicate him, we homeschool, for reasons of our Christian faith and because school is still the worst part of my life 20 years later, I was atheist until I was 21 when the meaning of reality became my hobby interest lol or obsession
Hey, i got baptized at 22 yo. Im 34 yo now. Psychology, history and religion are my special interests. I related a lot to your comment. Since a little kid i actually believed in the supernatural but i did not know how to go about it. Read about different religions and philosophies and christianity made sense to me. I didnt grab a Bible before all the other religious books because i heard a lot of "bad propaganda" about it. I suffered a lot in school too. Im glad you are making sure your child doesnt go through the same and homeschool. One of the things that hurt me the most about my ex fiancé is that he said "its good you didnt get pregnant, you cant even take care of yourself". I wouldve want to be a good mother and give my children all the love and care i didnt have. Now i realize its not because my parents are bad people (they arent). But my dad has dyslexia and ADHD and my mom has OCD and is likely autistic too.
I only worked out of the house a couple times since being married 20 years ago. Both times were failures. I was let go of the first job because I “didn’t fit well”, the second one was worse really because it was something that I liked, liked the people and they tried to help me make things work out, but my anxiety was so bad I was getting very suicidal and besides my arthritis caused issues there too. So I quit. I still want to do something and now that I’m pretty sure of the autism thing I might be ready to give it a go again. But probably from home. Just how to manage with the diverse interests I have to be able to keep going with it long enough to be successful and actually make money!
At work, I tended to do well with customers. I'm friendly and outgoing and don't generally have too much trouble getting along with people when it comes to casual conversation. And I inherited a twisted sense of humor from my neurotypical parents. My mother, especially. But dealing with supervisors was a nightmare. I couldn't even understand their instructions half of the time. They never say what they actually mean, and you need to play games trying to interpret the incomprehensible stream of gibberish that neuortypicals call communication. At my social security disability hearing, the judge listened to the testimony from me and my attorney. Then he listed the accommodations he felt I would realistically need on a job site. He asked the jobs expert if I could do a specific computer related job and gave the job classification number. The jobs expert said no. Then he asked if there were any other jobs I could do. The jobs expert said no. The judge had no further questions, and the hearing ended. We attorney took me and my older sister aside, and he asked me if I understood that we had just won the case. I said that I did. Needless to say, my attorney correctly assessed the situation, and I was put on disability shortly thereafter.
sam, thank you so much for this video and for putting yourself out of there for the purpose of making a difference in the world for the neurodiversity community! I have gained so much insight from your videos - especially from your colloborations such this one. but i do enjoy your other video formats just as much. some of us love the variety! ;) please go on - and prepare yourself mentally for success on social media. Watching elon musk’s dream come true yesterday as his falcon 9 successfully launched into space as the first commercial rocket ever made me think that it is so important that we know where our personal interests and passions lie. Trying to adjust as a neurodiverse person to a neurotypical world may take up so much of your energy that there is little energy left for you to explore yourself and find out what you are interested in and what you really enjoy - and thus you might never get to turn your interest into your strength/your talent/your career. I would be very interested in hearing you talk about what you, sam, enjoy and think is fun: your hobbies, interests, subjects etc. - present or past. What do you personally enjoy? What motivates you and gives you energy and pleasure? What make you feel great about yourself? What were the moments in your past that made you feel able and competent? Many thanks and all the best!
sneez n. cheekan You don't want Sam to turn into The Aspie World. Which is fine I know he get 124k subs. But Dan has a Facebook page, Tik Tok, Samdy tell in a above comment she want have ambition for her channel but she happy for all creators to work together with nerodiversity. Also Dan has his girlfriend help out with his kid. Samdy is full time mum to so not got the time be a social media addict.
The “how to ace an interview” UA-cam videos out there are scathing about taking notes in or using a pen and paper. I’d find it helpful but there’s no way I’d risk doing it. The chances of coming across an interviewer like you are incredibly slim!
I know this video is older, but if you are Autistic and in the USA If management or a company thinks you have checked out because maybe you are having a rough time in your life etc. They will Quiet Fire you and not give you a reason ether and just drop you. It's a way to get past Discrimination if you are Autistic or a person with other Disabilities etc. Ive had this happen to me many times and why I'm on disability SSDI and SSI in the USA.
Note that the various states and even localities may or may not have supports... often not and almost never for adults. The Americans for Disabilities Act might provide some help, but people are generally advised to not reveal until after being hired or getting the job offer. And it's likely many employers would require a diagnosis. So just talking to someone in the States will likely not be helpful unless they are an advocate on the national level. I have other health issues and have had workshop providers think that I ought to ask my doctor for proof. It's maddening. That said, because of those other health issues, I had to be accommodated in work (accommodations that were a bit of a hardship on employers), and I managed to find employers who would accommodate me throughout my work life and none of them asked me for an official diagnosis. So I imagine it's hit and miss.
I have a lot of great support in my retail job, however we work in an open office setting and if there is a lot going on, people's talking, tasks I have to do I almost have a meltdown. Also,with the covid-19 going on my routine has changed, my hours and we are remodeling the store and I am really stressed about it. If I am upset about something I get very quiet, I am not good at conflict resolution and being in this job as a 31 year old woman on the spectrum only recently diagnosed and its almost like I am now extra aware of how different I see the world. Everything finally makes sense after years of not knowing..i love my job so much, but I will be honest I am not sure how long I can keep doing it.
i know one that has autism, and i get a boost of energy when i make her feel better, and im humble too that. Why they would be disliked i can see, but the problems escelates too a increased anxiety and depression either way. So give space and give love
I always looked at peoples mouths when they were talking because I thought that is where you’re supposed to look…because that’s where the sound comes out 🤷🏻♀️ Once I heard that you’re supposed to look people in the eye and I did… and it didn’t bother me or make me uncomfortable…. But, I noticed that I had a difficult time understanding what people were saying… like I need to look at their mouth in order to understand and process what they were saying. And then when the pandemic hit and people were wearing masks I noticed if there was background noise or it was in a noisy room, I really had a difficult time processing what they were saying. I didn’t realize this is an example of auditory processing disorder! My Mom has the same issue!
I'm so sad that I've not known about your channel before now. I know I'm a bit late to these comments. I stipulated to my employer when I started work with my current employer that I will do whatever they need *except* work on the telephone. 18 months later, I was assigned to telephony. I could never have realised that my particular flavour of autism is a superpower in this work. I am thriving talking to the public, but I think it's due to the nature of their calls.
I'm 26, I was diagnosed at 23. I kinda flunked my GCSEs and I failed out of my A levels. I've had a cleaning job for 3 years and I've been completely unemployed for nearly 5 years now. I'm just now working on my Maths and English GCSEs. But I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm still largely directionless and thinking about my future is extremely depressing.
46:11 OH MY GOD I THOUGHT MY HEARING WAS BAD I NEVER KNEW ANYONE WHO STRUGGLED WITH THIS TOO 😖 My mother would only ever blame my earphones but it doesn’t explain why I struggle with hearing people in noisy areas (or even over the rain) 😭 It gets especially worse when I’m trying to listen to my other language (I’m far better in English than in my mother tongue), like audio can be really bad when watching the news and it gets so much worse when I can’t read their lips and then add on my TERRIBLE handle over the language (I’m barely conversational on it and reading usually involves picking up a dictionary to decode most of the words (or asking someone to explain slang or figures of speech - which I already struggle with in English, what more in a language like Filipino which is even more flowery and reliant on implications???) and true to figure out what they mean). End result is that I zone out really easily because I have no idea what they’re saying, even when I can hear them I can barely understand the words unless their annunciation is crystal clear, and then there’s the lag as I try to hold onto the meanings of the words that I’m trying to translate to English in real time and hopefully don’t forget it. It’s a struggle.
Individually you have to have some sense of what you can offer and work to figure out how to communicate that. Then build on the skills that you enjoy doing as you go along. An employer has to want you to accommodate you.
I also have to watch people's lips when they talk. I have trouble hearing--that is, understanding--otherwise and yet my hearing is "great." I also use subtitles whenever they're available.
Madison Heights With eye contact in the stream I do look in people eyes. I don't look around eyes or bridge of the nose. But if I was NT you don't think about eye contact they just do. So I was told I was Aspie years ago ny a psychologist, so I do have to think about eye contact. I know even men with out autism if they are talking to women they don't know. Their eye contact could be off because of social anxiety. So the connection with interview and dating is right. Mirroring and body language are important in interview. Just like on a date.
I'm doing good tho but I do miss my parents very much. They both passed away in the best way they passed away wile asleep peacefully. But I greatly miss them a lot. But I'm. Happy to watch you Sam you and me are so much a like when it comes to the autism ! I think I share a lot of your same autistic trates too. That's cool in away but I mean it in a good way. Any way. I love all your videos thanks Sam you help me cope with it more and to fully understand my autism to so much more. Thanks Sam you have been such a insperation to me. Your a awesome Sam !! You rock Sam I'm a huge fan of you thank you Sam !!
Has anyone had the unfortunate experience of being penalized at for "talking too much" either about a topic or inadvertently dominating a conversation when talking about yourself. Unless I need to, I don't tell people in advance that I use many more words per sentence than most people and I'll often say the same thing different ways multiple times in a row. I can read a room and am very sensitive to social cues, but over video it's harder, especially when some people have their cameras turned off. Also, I'm used to a professional office environment where people don't act as casually. Now that we're all video conferencing, ppl are much more casual so it can throw me off in terms of how much we talk and how much I can talk. I'd love to hear other people's experiences with this or similar things.
I hope you're right about the job market opening up for the work from home jobs. I've been expecting it since the shutdown. It would certainly solve most of my problems.
This was great! Learning so much about my self ,and that if I had known what I understand now , I may have gotten more jobs that I didn't really want but that I needed actually. I always do terrible at interviews, especially when I felt bombarded because of two or more people doing interviews and asking what I felt were complete Bullshit questions that had nothing to do with the job . example I tried to get a permanent job of school custodian at the school I was already doing that job as a substitute custodian and was recommended for that job by the person I would be replacing because she said I was the only one who was good at as she was (she was retiring from it and well respected) .Well they started asking me things like if you were at a party , would you be a wall flower or the wild life of the party ? What? LOL I told them I don't go to parties,which was true , I can't remember other questions from that but , I felt like I had been through a whirlwind and kind of dizzy when I left .
I was laid off at the end of May 2020 from an incredibly toxic company. I started therapy for PTSD -- I just couldn't understand why I couldn't let my 2-3 years working at that company go. I couldn't understand why I couldn't move on. It was then I was diagnosed with ASD. Then it made sense. This company isn't even equipped to deal with diversity among neurotypicals, let along someone with a disability. Rampant sexism, employee blaming, shouting, mismanagement, micromanagement, condescension, and gaslighting... on top of an almost-impossible schedule with demands for perfection and prioritizing deadlines... To them, I just "couldn't cut it" in the business. But I'm a damn good writer, I met all my deadlines. I was considered a "cancer" because the CPO is a sociopathic sexist piece of human garbage who didn't want any feminism in his product. I've had to come to terms with the fact that if that's the kind of man he is, then being a called a "cancer" to THAT is a good thing. I've realized that because of my autism I have rejection issues, and that's been my first real step toward progress and moving on from that company. I'm still on unemployment, and I can get low on myself still. I'm working on my own projects at home but probably won't see any money from them. And I'm not sure if any other company would really want me, considering I'm not great at verbally communicating clearly.
I'm undiagnosed with high functioning autism right now. Although I've been diagnosed by both a psychiatrist and psychologist who no longer diagnose adults. One thing I've always struggled with no matter what job I've had is a memory problem. I have to write certain things or even draw them to remember them. Right now I'm a janitor and a year ago the guy that trained me tried to do a good job with the training but he assumed I would just remember everything he told me without writing it down at all. Well what ever I wrote down I'm doing fine with but now certain things like the sizes of the trashes in the various bathrooms I have forgotten and the day janitor keeps criticizing me about it.
If you were diagnosed one time by a psychologist or psychiatrist with Aspergers of High Functioning Autism, you don't need another diagnosis, as it is a lifetime disorder. As a Psychologist in the United States, with a Ph. D. IN Clinical Psychology, I just wanted to let you know, that. Even if they no longer diagnoses adults, you can ask them for a summary note of your diagnostic assessment. I hope this helps you.
It's interesting, she says that a diagnosis is not important. A psychiatrist mentioned in his report that I showed signs of Asperger's, and my doctor excepted it as good enough proof. However, I am seeking a proper diagnosis. Also, I don't think that all aspies have the same type of attention to detail but only those that follow conventional systems such as engineering or science-related jobs, while I have developed my own techniques for home studying academic research. In the past, I also worked in a call centre and I hated the noise and people's attitudes, so I complained, like I usually end up doing in many areas of my life. So instead I was accused of making a lot of noise on the table. I do not remember doing that at all. It's like others are hallucinating. In my current job that I have just started, the HR lady is extremely supportive. She makes notes while we speak, and she has allowed me to come to her office anytime that I need to speak about anything, even psychology because she loves the subject too. I explained to her that my psychiatrist noted that I have autistic traits. I think I will now finally fit into a job after many years of struggles because I am speaking to my employer about my needs, and they are very supportive. My main aspie-related problems are sensory issues and social aspects. I have always had these issues since childhood.
i have not been able to find anything on the internet about autism in restaurant workers. youtube searches have led to videos about how difficult it is to take an autistic child to a restaurant. I feel as though back of house workers would have a higher percentage of autistic people because it doesn't require you to interact directly with the public. I'm frustrated to find no information about it. I'm an autistic line cook and I've had a hell of a time.
I am undiagnosed. I grew up in the US; although, I was born in England. I can't concentrate if I do jobs that require a lot of human interaction. Access to healthcare in this country is not easy to get; so, getting diagnosed is practically impossible unless you're earning a lot of money. Most of my jobs have been in rural areas. I've taken anything I could get that didn't deal with the public. The companies Naomi is describing don't exist in this country unless you live in a large, urban area. I am extremely hypersensitive. I can't even imagine visiting a city that large, let alone living in one. I think what you're both doing is wonderful. I wish I could find. a new career. I'm no longer physically capable of doing the physical work that I've done most of my life; and, I only have a two year degree in English to fall back on. The UA-cam videos help a lot, though. Thank you!
I know your comment is 2years old as of now...but wouldnt it be possible to move into the UK? I was there for a student exchange and wanted to stay or to go to Ireland...but i didnt land a job there.
oh wow, when you brought up call centres i just had to laugh. i joined a call centre and managed 2 years there (thanks to the fact i could help train people) before i ended up having such frequent overloads and i’d burnt out so badly i had to leave. my advice is basically trying to get off the phone haha, get into an admin role (or webchat like you said) but starting out on the phones can help you move into it. but yeah, looking for jobs that gel with sensory issues is almost just as hard as the job itself was.
This helped me a lot thank you I live in the US and can agree there is no real help from employers. Everyone is about paper work so yes no diagnosis no help or if there isn't a law or set of rule employers wont even research the topic and just assume you aren't fit for the job. I have worked several jobs and people wonder why I have has so many and so many technical skills/certifications. Then why I can't stay at a job longer than 3 or 5 years. It's very sadning and depressing know I have so much knowledge and so much work history but nothing to really show for it. This is why I miss germanyso much because we have help there.
I work as a kind of social worker in a institution for mentally disabled people, people on the spectrum etc. I've just been chosen to advance to a leader position, when finishing the education to do so. My boss is a high functioning on the spectrum, and he recognised some of the same traits in me. I'm a little worried about how the avancement is going to work in regards of constantly having to mask and beeing aware of every damn detail and the burn outs, that have got to follow!
I’m struggling because I have been misdiagnosed so many times... I think I may be on the spectrum but it’s hard here in Mexico since there still is a stigma around diagnosing autism in female adults... I honestly just think I need some way to explain myself to myself.
I was misdiagnosed with many things over 20 years. I was given all the meds. I struggled endlessly until ASD appeared on my radar in the last couple years. Learning about myself hasn't changed my challenges, but it has opened me up to self acceptance. It's a relief to not have to keep trying to figure out what's "wrong" with me. And I have gained confidence in my ability to stand up for myself and to speak up for what I need. I still can't find suitable work, and the world shutting down hasn't helped any. Oh well. 🙃 If I was in your vicinity, I'd ask if we could hang out. I don't know anybody where I am who I can relate to. I wish you well. 🙂
At age 65 now and just coming across these videos, I wondered before about having neurological problems instead of the behavioural and psychological causes of many problems encountered during my 40 year career. Now the stutters, twitches as a child and fidgeting stimming? things done with toes in loose shoes and pens writing and making little sketches makes more sense to me. Surplused from McDonald's and again twice from corporate level. 👀👀👀
Hi Samdy I got your live stream at 3pm UK time. You started at 2pm UK I will remember that. But I watch live from when you said about masking to not get bullied at school. So I was on the live stream. I was talking to Voldermort and potato in the chat. So I just watch back the first hour. I love everything you say and agree Noami to. I gave the stream a like. I copied a link and going to put in Indy Andy comment section. This is most personally live stream to my life and psychology. Well 2 things 1st relationships 2nd. Work. So those 2 stream most relatable to me. 👍🏻 thank you, you are legend.
Being an assistant manager at a 7-11 as an autistic person, I have to also give interviews. It is very difficult for me to give interviews. Having a guideline for asking questions helps, but I don’t write notes about the person, I do however keep certain notes in my head. The thing is I’m not really a good judge of character, though the people we hire would do better at their job if I was the only trainer, I’m unfortunately not the only trainer. I train thoroughly but others train with their shortcuts which makes the trainee forget what I have trained them. 7-11 is considered an essential service so no change in location or change in hours.
I can't work full time it just exhausted me too much. Now i only work 3 days and that is bad enough. Being at work makes me so anxious. I worry about saying the wrong thing, the bright lights and stuffy air con make me feel ill, and I come home so tired. But one has to earn money 🤪 I dont even know how i got the job because i'm so hopeless at interviews. Probably because i was over qualified!
I work in a job that is very unfitting for autistic people. A few years back I started developing and working on an exit strategy. Now, I am in a position to resign in 2 months. I will be taking a few months off before starting a job that is more agreeable with my condition.
Finding your videos very helpful. I had an interesting idea, I wonder if you’d be interested in? I’m being assessed on 2nd of November for ASD. I already have ADHD and recently figured out I must have ASD too. I’m 36 and recently went through my ADHD diagnoses, so I’m prepared emotionally for the impact of it. I was considering documenting the process so that others might benefit from sharing my experience however it turns out. Do you think it could be a good topic to capture the journey for a video?
This subject is just what I have been strucle more and more in last five years, when I lost my only full time job. I have totally experience over 20+ years from retail and customer service by temporary worker contracts. Now I waiting to get diagnose, I feel like i'm against brick wall what to do as already struggling unemployed person. I been try to google suitable jobs, but all I find in my country is to Autistic supported suitable jobs are either shelter job giving little pocket money doing arts-and-craft in centers or trending IT job. Neither is appealing to me. What can do person with long experience but it is not show in my salary if get employed by miracle, hate and not understand anything computer stuff, clueless with math/numbers, have scars from school world from younger years not to want update education anymore and dont want not stressing all above?
@@garyfrancis5015 Math in use I understand like how much to give exchange moneys but in school style math e.g. patters, making counting in paper or like how much is volume X, no I don't. Teachers always said I´m just are lazy and dumb, and everybody know these, why you are not. Computer I meant stuff like programming, encoding, connecting IT systems. I know internet use, using google but these are not computer skills as I been told.
Gary Francis Yes ,this is very "stereotypical" and particularly that the Criteria is still very male biased. I suggest you research Dyscalculia. Dys = Diffficulty. Calculia = To compute. Female Autistics are often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed because we can often "mimic, mask" extremely well but then we get Home and are exhausted. We still live in a rather male dominant society, even in our own Neurodiverse communities. During this live cast there were comments made about "everyone is different"
Does anyone have any recommendations for forums/discords/websites etc specifically /for/ autistic/ND people about work/applying to jobs/doing interviews etc. Most of the advice I've ever seen is meant for neurotypicals and I find it harder to understand and process, and I've always found it hard to even get started on applying for jobs most of the time, knowing that most of them are going to reject me/won't even reply
but what if you are at the point that you dont know who you are because you have masked for so long? I think i know what i would like to do, and who i am, but i am afraid to do things and invest my time in something that is pointless. i have this fear of time and it running out and me not using it effectively and not being where i am supposed to be in the eyes of society. i just dont know what i want to do or who i am
Natasha Lysette Masking to cure autism I did that but it's depressing and you loss your identity. I do a chart in my head. Natural me Masking me So you think of the natural things in your personalty and do that. Rather than masking making small talk, saying white less, socialising in groups, multi tasking. So you want to do the second one because it seen as "normal" not autistic/aspergers. So it is difficult process of unmasking. Samdy would agree. There is a unmasking video on the channel.
I work at university - academic career so far is rather "cool" because not many regular job interviews or regular office settings are necessarily needed. Academics can also be weird and a bit reclusive and are known to not be good at social things, so this is rather ok, until it comes to the point where one has to basically become a professor. What I wanted to say about the online teaching though - we have that here as well at the moment - I kind of like it as I can mnake a video for the students and dont have to give a lecture, but there are a lot of difficulties and its a lot of effort to actually make the online teaching truely a new format, rather than just making video recordings of the powerpoint slides. And it totally fails at tests and exams right now - there are no good online exam systems that are safe, secure, affordable and reasonable.
@@c-train3630 It wasn’t that I wasn’t getting a lunch. People often take lunches at different times. I just have that strong a reaction to using phones.
..there is very limited to no support in (USA) AR (depending on area) for Adult women with Autism.. it's very frustrating trying to find careers willing to make reasonable accommodations. I've been turned down for jobs I'm very qualified for. Being diagnosed at 42 makes it's very hard to find right support and any assistance! Help is desperately needed.. thanks.
I was diagnosed with Aspergers at 7 years old and in my adult work life, its been very tough to keep a job. I would love to find a web chat job, but I've not been lucky enough to find one. Does anyone know of any, within the UK or allows remote workers within the UK? Thanks in advance. Maybe Voldemort, could possibly have the answer?
Could be that Germany who is famous for engineers and thoroughness, is more likely to employ Autistics? Looks like we have a hard time getting work though, in general. It is hard to generalize since some of us have a more severe case than others.
German culture is, arguable, autistic. Everything is clearly stated and body language is not so important and everything is so rational. You can be very direct in your communication, for instance, and it's not considered, generally speaking as being rude. The term for that is Klartext.
Hey Sam, I did exactly the same thing with uni, chose law, did great but didn’t think about the realities of being a lawyer . I’d be interested in mentoring as part of a network though, I have a leadership position so might be of use to someone working their way up.
A visual guide like that would be amazing!! I stress find4inf new places when on a timeframe. I find Google Maps and Streetview is helpful. I can see what the street looks likes and what the building looks like. I used it for a work situation once and did so much better with my anxiety.
I've have kept my jobs for long spans of time. 14 years at one and 10 at the other..however I could never sustain leadership roles at either company. I became the jack for both companies..Jack of all trades because of my intense interest in learning every aspect of the job. Leadership roles were too daunting due to the need to read people which I lack. Also not understanding how to communicate with others in a tactful way.
Thanks everyone for getting this video up to 320 likes. Samdy dream is for future business to make Nero diversity in the work place. Where adaptation for work for autistic will not be a big deal. And it was happen naturally. Like with Microsoft hiring a team who are on the spectrum. That was shown on Chris Packham aspergers and me documentary. It is on you tube, if no one seen it.
I know this isn't on topic for this video, but I just found the channel. I'm curious about something, if oversensitivity includes being ticklish. I'm contemplating going for an evaluation because I think I may have some degree of ASD but I know being ticklish is also a symptom of schizophrenia. Does it also apply to autism?
I LOVE my office closing and working from home now! Much happier!!!
sacredmeow Less autistic masking during lock down.
Which less depressing crying for the world is a problem double empathy I heared it called on aspergers growth channel.
Ability to sense negative emotions with channels NT don't have.
Where do you work?? I wanna work from home!
@@studionightshade Same here!
I really hope the pandemic allows companies to restructure and allow working from home. Clearly it can be done.
I actually got laid off due to coronavirus and am so much happier not working-no small talk, no demanding projects/workload, no interactions with rude/annoying customers or coworkers. It’s been wonderful! However, I feel bad that I’m finding joy during a time when so many people are suffering 😕I’m dreading getting a new job once this all ends.
You don’t have to feel bad. There are always people in the world who are suffering and if you let that invalidate your joy, you are going to spend a lot of your life unhappy. It also means you can hopefully be a beacon of positivity to people you talk to- be it family, friends etc.
It's been a tough one for me, I quit my job partly due to how they handled coronavirus and I've also been happier being at home, however needing a job for money to pay bills is the worst feeling, knowing I am going to have an incredibly tough time fighting my way into a job I KNOW I'll hate and won't last long in, just to get any money at all since I'm not eligible for any kind of government assistance :(
Don't feel bad. I'm pleased that you're finding joy. We need to find you where we can.
I felt just like you when I got laid off due to covid. Literally best months of my life. I was dreading getting a new job. Now I have one. I miss not working :) Hope you're doing ok
Oh my ... I thought I was the only one. Everyone has said something I've felt or has gone through regarding work/workplace.
Great clarification on the "I'm so passionate about this subject" versus "I actually want to do this as a job!' I can relate. Fascinated by psychology and reading about it but got quickly overloaded when attempting to work at a mental health agency.
Yeah I have also done this - too many times 😂 loved Clubbercise so trained to be an instructor but it was so difficult remembering everything and giving instructions ahead of the move! I gave up after teaching about 4 classes 🙈
I worked in IT retail almost 7 years, I quit one year ago and I still have panic attacs when I think about it. Human interactions were killing me. With customers, because according to them - and my boss - I wasn't nice, I didn't joke and smile. With colleagues, because I couldn't handle all these gossips and games people played with each other. At the end I couldn't talk with people without overthinking everything I said or I was about to say. I quit and get a less paid job where I could just sit alone for hours and do my work. Now I only have to handle my family comments how boring and not good enough my job is because "you're too smart, you could do better".
I feel your pain, I wish I could work alone all day.
@@personneici2595 I guess that people think that saying "you could do better" is supportive because they're telling you that you are better than you think. But for me it doesn't work that way. It makes me feel bad about myself, makes me think I'm lazy, I don't make effort to achieve more. ASD self-diagnosis changed the way I think about myself but it's still difficult to put aside years of self-destructive and self-deprecating thoughts.
@@floriaskite938 Maybe you can. Maybe you can even work from home. - Perhaps a special needs job scheme can help you.
Same here, I tend to be bullied and taken advantage of by other coworkers, recently my whole team turned on me, they made fun of how talked, dress, walked, I was even called into the office because they were complaining I didn't talk to them, not sure why people can be so mean to people like me, I need a job , I have bills just like they do and I don't deserve to be treated this way, it's wrong, I was having anxiety attacks everyday dealing with this, but in my mind I felt I couldn't quit this job because, I'm black, woman and older so the job market is extra and sometimes triple hard on people like me, I was turned down several times when the recruiter found out I was black, despite having 18 years of experience in my profession. But believe this God will step in and he did big time.
I loved the part about unwritten rules in recruiting/hiring. I once almost didn't get a job at a place I stayed 10 years because during interview lunch, I made the mistake of saying "I hate salad" -- which is TRUE -- but was interpreted as "having feelings that are too strong, and not appreciating the efforts of our cafeteria workers". They laughed about it years later, but it still chills me.
I didnt even think of this type of impact
Why aren't people screened for autism if they're having difficulty getting/keeping a job? Autistic people can be a real asset to a business, their special skills can be on another level. I manage to mask to some extent, but occasionally the usual stressors become to much and the mask slips a bit. I was required to provide customer service in a previous job. I had to try harder because it wasn't natural for me. The feedback I got was mostly good, dealing with lots of people invariably means someone will not like you. I didn't cope well with that, didn't know how to respond, and basically just froze, which was then interpreted as further incompetence. I learnt some tricks, such as using the customers name a lot, which makes them feel more important. And, some people are crazy, it's no use getting upset, and remaining calm when they're not just shows who is the better person.
pw510577w That's all me to.
But the customers don't know I had to task a communication exam (to use a metaphor) to talk to customers in the charity shop.
That's what happens to me. It's like a locking mechanism that kicks in. It's been made to happen to me so much through life that I find I'm much more prone to snapping or just leaving the situation abruptly.
Open plan offices are a nightmare! My gran worked as a switchboard operator long, long ago. I still remember her refusing to own a telephone and hating to talk on the telephone, also hating television. She always said how traumatic that job was for her. Thinking of her and other things, there's no doubt she was on the spectrum.
Open plan office made me have a lot of anxiety...and constant taquicardia. I refused to get back to the office after covid. Im working from home but had a big flare up of auto immune disease so now im on sick leave. I cry just imagining i need to get back to work because even the virtual meetings stress me out. I have much better days when im just doing emails and other work tasks.
The longest I've ever been in a job is 18 months. I always end with major low self esteem and burnout... I'm a stay at home mum to my three kids now and I'm always exhausted (and overstimulated!) but so much happier! Xxx
Brilliant 👍
The sound is EXTREMELY clear.
On your new Mic
I interview well. My father was autistic but skilled at interacting briefly and so I watched him. One of the things that people who hire are often looking for is whether you can establish rapport because they see it as a measure of getting on with others. I always look about the office to see what personal items are there. If it's there, it has meaning to the other person and most people like to talk about themselves. Calling attention to it (being honest--"That's unique," "Oh how interesting....") gives them a chance to talk about themselves (an interest, their child who gave them something) and you get time to calm down while they're talking. It breaks the ice. Also, if after the interview, if I know I wouldn't want the job, I send a letter thanking them and letting them know I'm not interested. Of course, I always sent a note one way or the other and then would follow up on the phone. Always ask when they will be making a decision.
I never admitted growing up that I was bullied. I would just say, "They're assholes!" and I got in a lot of fights. But after feeling like I've been a target no matter where I went to school and nearly every job, I have finally said, "Ok, I am the common denominator. I think I'm the problem." It has been so enlightening to discover FINALLY there is an explanation to it all ! ! ! I'm not necessarily "the problem," but I understand now why people get upset with me and also a better way to deal with things. And it also helps at least that adults are generally easier to handle than a class full of outspoken and sometimes downright aggressive children. But yes, bullying still continues in the workplace, and there's definitely just as much of a need for support for adults with autism as children, since there is more at stake- your livelihood or being able to support your family !
I was let go/fired from over 30+ jobs prior to diagnosis at 31, when I was lucky enough to find a job that heavily accommodated me. I stayed entry-level for 7 years there before being laid off (it was a newspaper, no big surprise there) before the company closed. I was able to find a similar situation where I was very heavily accommodated (taken to and from work, allowed to stim and have sensory items, all customer facing work was slowly taken away, etc.) and though I liked that job well enough I still struggled and was expoited there (no raises, no reviews, being laid off to teach someone else a lesson and brought back a month later at $2.50 less an hour) but it was my only job option. They eventually phased me out and laid me off in 2016 and I was approved for SSDI in January of this year. (I moved and my situation became impossible to manage any type of work.) It's a relief with mixed feelings. I had to fight so hard to prove how "broken" I was in order to get ...rewarded/supported? I'm so torn about how to feel, but it is what it is.
I really feel for you. There is something degrading about having to prove your level of brokenness. I don't know how to explain that but this is something ASD people are told for medical situations as well. I realize it's because the medical community is still learning about autism . I'm glad you are getting assistance though. I hope you are able to follow some of your interests and passions.
Valora Bock try being so exploited that you are expected to work for very little or nothing in conditions where your not accommodated. I was expected to volunteer for over 25 years. The longest I was employed full time was 18 months. I have never had a career. I wanted to be an actress for over 35 years I’m now 39 I was diagnosed at 23.
This breaks my heart. I hope things turn around for you.
My goodness I'm so happy to hear about your story I'm currently 25 and have never been formally diagnosed with autism but have struggled my whole life with the symptoms and signs of it. I'm currently finding it hellish to find any job and most jobs I get I can't do very well due to the high social aspect of them. It sounds just as hellish to try and fight for ssdi too though. I have family that is supporting me currently but am worried about what will happen when that ends.
I find it hard to pass interview
I found out a few days ago that I'm Asperger's after talking with my GP. I'm 30 in a few weeks and feeling really excited about things again. The penny has dropped and as painful as looking back at difficult situations and experiences I am so grateful to have access to your life changing channel. Thank you soooo much !
I also speak about my autism in the interview for the exact same reason you mentioned. I think it's a great way to get it out of the way and to filter companies you don't want to work in.
Only watching this now, but when you, Sam, talked about your last job in an office, it brought tears to my eyes. My employment ended in 2012 too, and being employed was really the worst time of my life. The exhaustion would never go away. Even after a holiday, just one day at the job would get me straight into burnout again. To that time I thought I was the only person on the planet being that "low functioning". Non of my friends or family got it. I'm so glad that I've found out about the autistic community now, where all of this is normal and many others can relate.
This lengthy chat about being autistic in the workplace is SO VALIDATING AND EDUCATIONAL. I’m actually going to share the link for this to my boss, who knows I am autistic (F, 29). I found it exceptionally helpful to listen to Naomi talk about her experiences in teaching workplaces, as well as what it’s personally like working as a neurodivergent person. Thank you! I’m going to watch over this again - but I’m also not even halfway through watching! Hah
So true yes I felt the same!
Thank you for this! Self diagnosed, but I think perhaps my work/education history fits well. I've been accepted to 3 master's degree programs, 2 too expensive, nearly finished one in Special Education due to being good at one-on-one, then dropped out when I got to managing a classroom of 30 kids. After various office jobs and period of unemployment, before Google existed, I trained in transcription at a hospital thinking I'd do it a year. 25 years later, I'm transcribing alone at a keyboard, last 15 years from home freelancing while parenting. Intensive listening for verbatim transcripts turns my hyperacute hearing into a living. But I transcribe for media now, and can often become overwhelmed from listening to human voice and emotional stories all day. Before I self diagnosed, I made the observation I had the perfect job for someone on spectrum. Sad thing about freelancing is I've had to work 60 hrs/wk, no vacations for years, no health insurance, no path to diagnosis. During pandemic, losing half my workflow, I'm taking advantage of financial aid for online courses, to start learning coding/programming, something that may allow me to earn more than minimum wage, but over 50, it's hard to imagine convincing an employer to take a chance. I'm trying to start my own neurodiverse online discussion group, because I feel so alone with it. In my experience, isolation feels the only alternative to cope well, but that seems sad.
Erin Waterman Would you ever want to seek a diagnoses in your life time?
After college I worked at a call center doing tech support. My family was surprised because I've always been afraid of answering the phone. I loved the tech aspect though, so I did find a lot of reason to not be on phones as much, but it was unavoidable and eventually I burned out. It was before I suspected I was autistic, so I didn't understand why I was struggling so much. I started the job excited and bubbly and ended just a shell of myself. Thankfully after hopping around a bit I've found my way to working as a web developer with a small company. I've talked about some mental health issues with my boss, but not autism yet, and he's always been understanding and given me time off when I needed it. The environment is quiet, and I feel pretty lucky. There are still days I feel like I just can't do it, I can't work a typical job and fit in and manage my emotions, and go through the motions. Since covid working from home has been a huge blessing, and I feel this less. It's been interesting navigating working, eventually I just want to work for myself, but still on that journey 😉
Carissa Wyles My advice never tell your boss you are autistic he just find a excuse to sack you.
Do everything possible to hide it.
This video was so helpful and validating,for someone who is undiagnosed; I can relate to this a lot.
1. The loosing the train of thought (lol)
2. Having a hard time on the phone
3. In my workplace we have an open office and I get distracted a lot and it is very much sensory overload
4. I am taking some days off since I currently feel burned out
Sam, can you make a video of being in a relationship and having autism? Please
All of these points plus consistently bewildering interview feedback!
I'm very lucky my fiancée and I found each other. Even so, our relationship has presented its fair share of challenges and I'd love to hear about other people's experiences.
@@thegalacticjelly2648 Before you get married and live together 24/7, do make sure your fiancee is fully aware of what ASD is. For neurotypical people, life with an aspie can be unbearable.
I've been married for 15 years and a bit, of which I was unaware that I'm an aspie for more than 15 years. Life's been really tough on both of us with clinical depressions, suicide attempts, etc. I don't want to scare you, but knowing what you're dealing with will make it much easier on the both of you and give your marriage a much higher chance of survival.
One of the worst times at work was the after work socialising. You're already knackered from working all day, then you have to try and be normal in a social setting. The end of year barbeque, and the team building drinks night weren't good. I tended to just stay quiet and not draw attention to myself, but people seemed to sense I was a bit off and avoided me. I was not confident enough to initiate conversations and network. Nor do I enjoy drinking much. The best part of socialising/working for me is going home. Currently due to the zombie apocalype I am working from home, which is good and bad. It was a sudden change, but with the right equipment i.e. a decent desk/chair/PC it's not too bad. My next home will have a dedicated room for working remotely, rather than the current bits and pieces I use now.
This so much.
Very enlightening. I've never secured a job I really wanted, only ones I didn't. I could never tell myself I wasn't bothered though, as hard as I tried and went to pieces every time.
I am a welder/Fabricator and thankfully my company allows me to use headphones which i fined very helpful. I am much more productive when i am using them and focusing on what i am doing and what i am listening to tham rather than everything els going on around me.
Hey, me too! Can’t imagine working without them.
Thank you SO much for this discussion. It's SO important for people to understand.
I was fired recently for having too many days off in a job I was at for almost 3 years. The last 2 days I took were something I simply had to do for myself because I was having a shutdown, which is a term I have only just learnt about. I phoned my GP in those 2 days and was fortunate enough to speak to someone who understood, and have since been put on a waiting list for a diagnosis. The turning point for me came after looking into ASD after meeting my brother again after some years apart and finding out he had been diagnosed, then realising many of the traits sounded very much like someone else I knew. Before that job I worked in a call centre for 3 years, half part time, which was more manageable, then went full time there and it slowly ripped my guts out and it became more like a sentence I had to live out to survive (I didn't know why I found my environment challenging then, and others didn't know how the things they said or did affected me, but after over a decade of experiencing social anxiety, this was something I had to live through; there were so many times I wanted to walk out due to mistreatment but was constantly trying so hard to make myself fit in such an alien place because it was anxiety and I thought it needed to be conquered). I'm sure I will look back at this point in my life and see it as a turning point for a better understanding of myself. I just need some confidence replacing now, I have been treated badly in the workplace and I feel like telling anyone at an interview stage would be totally unfathomable at the moment. Perhaps I'll feel better about being fired when I'm diagnosed. But for now I'll have to get by knowing that I worked quickly & competently for a long time whilst dealing with sensory overload and emotional overload dealing with colleagues/people from other offices/the city/packed trains/delayed trains/cancelled trains/being stuck on trains/packed platforms, and my reactions to all these & just general life...thanks for your videos Sam, and others on the UA-cam community, they have helped tremendously👏
This has been such an informative and educational resource! Thank you for this interview and helping me to learn how to build a neurodiverse inclusive workplace for my new company!
I'm 43 and awaiting formal Dx, I've found that over the years indeed I've been able to talk my way into some fairly decent jobs with respected companies, obviously not knowing about ND issues, the most I've ever been able to hold down a job for is about two and a half years without dropping out somehow or being fired. I think the biggest issues I've faced have been attendance and punctuality, although I found working afternoon and evening shifts has helped me deal with it.
This is lovely, thank you to Naomi for the excellent input. It reminded me how I used to work in an email-based call centre. No phones at all, but we'd answer emails for some large companies. We had scripts but could also freestyle once we were confident, and I loved the job. I was quite successful at it, but there's no way I'd pick up a phone and speak to someone.
Sarah Hendricks’s work saved my life. Been bullied by adults and ignored by my peers my whole life. “Why are you dressed like that? Why are you hiding under the table? Why are you hanging out with my kids and not us? Wow! You’re so good with animals! Why can’t you keep a job? Why won’t you just obey the dress code? You’re so talented why can’t you succeed?” She said these are normal things were told as autistic non-binary or people born female. I’m still begging for a diagnosis but it costs 10 thousand dollars in Washington state because insurance companies don’t believe any adults need to be tested. I’m currently in a wheelchair because my chronic fatigue, pain, colitis, and bladder issues all brought on by my constant meltdowns leave me spent. I keep asking my doctors how they’re not asking questions. They just assume my abusers caused it. Thankfully I married a man with autism and he understands me. My family left me and his family thinks I’m lazy and he’s not autistic! He’s struggled to find a job that keeps him, and I no longer work. I have meltdowns and get fired.
I have had to quit my second job in 10 years due to what I now understand as autistic burnout. My manager was completely dismissive of my requests for help due to a lack of an official diagnosis, which I was in the process of getting. Our HR department had obviously been consulting an employment lawyer to protect themselves rather than trying to assist me too.
My manager knows i cant do the work of 3 people alone for the last 2 years and only got an extra person now that im on sick leave. Idk if they will try to kick me out of the company but i need to purse an ASD assessment no matter what. My psychologist validated my suspicions and referred me to a psychiatrist specialized in ASD.
I felt like I was the only one! And there are so many of you! I'm currently on EI, then going back to school. I'm not autistic, but I certainly don't feel normal either: high school curriculum was so easy for me that I barely studied and mostly spent my time trying to figure out how to fit in better. I did fine in university as well, studied engineering because I figured that would make me employable even without being able to fit in. I had a bright future! Then I tried to job hunt and all that was taken away from me and replaced with a depressive episode. Got a job, got let go without being told why. Got another one, same thing but only a few weeks in. Got another job and was miserably anxious but thought that's what I deserved/was desperate to salvage at least something of my life, create a life worth living.
Currently on EI and going back to school, and I think I might have a bright future again! I think I need to meet some autistic people because I think you'd be great bosses.
Pretty sure I'm autistic, and I work in animal welfare. I studied psychology and sociology in college. I used to work in a grocery store in deli and bakery, and I honestly miss it. Customer service in any job is honestly the most difficult for me. Spaces where I can get away from customers and coworkers is ideal.
I lost a job once because I wasn't "perky enough" to be a coffee barista. She also said I would ask to many repeating questions. All the other jobs I have had that weren't art heavy, I have quit fast because I was having to much anxiety.
I like to ask alot of questions too.
My favourite to work out for interviews is "what is team work" my answer was "working as a team". I had to google what to say. One of my answers to a question was "no" the interviewer just looked at me and said "just, "no"?" 😆
Let me know what your experiences are of being autistic in the workplace!
I've had my pre-assessment and they are not sure if I am autistic or not, but thought I would just give you my feedback anyway. Incessant talking, gossiping and moaning by my colleagues really annoys me, and that's even with half the workforce. I have noise cancelling headphones for meetings which is helpful when the gossiping becomes intense. People want to chat and I just want to work. Some of my colleagues are bossy which I take personally which results in me pushing myself really hard. I find the more domineering characters quite scary and debilitating. That's it for now 🙂
I'm looking for a diagnosis but not diagnosed yet. I start a job like it to start, get stressed and overwhelmed over little things, take things personally, I don't have a degree so all my jobs are with the public which I find incredibly draining and I have no take days off to recharge, I always end up going part time before quitting and starting the cycle again.
My current experience is a nightmare. I have always been different, but I previously got around this by associating with my kind of people, living in places which embrace diversity and working in jobs where I could be myself. I have been working for my current organisation for 2 years, I feel like an outsider and my boss is bullying me. She has told me that she can't communicate with me, that I don't give her eye contact, that I'm a perfectionist, that I am obsessed with details and that I am intense when I speak. All of this, plus family history, other distinctive traits/characteristics and my partner telling me that she has spent years trying to 'figure me out', has led to the suggestion that I am autistic. This recognition has come as a huge relief because up until now I just thought that I was broken.
With NHS waiting lists being 2 years long, a desperate desire to be understood and for my boss to back off, I 'outed myself'. This has led to my boss officially questioning my suitability for my job (despite the fact that I am quite good at my job and there have been no issues concerning my performance), inviting me to find another position and worsening the bullying behaviour. I'm now in a terrible position as I have no diagnosis and therefore in the midst of an identity crisis, constantly analysing and questioning myself - if I am assessed as neurotypical then I am just a freak. Additionally, my productivity at work is declining.
Conclusions about autism at work:
1) Women with autism have an exceptionally hard time because there is little/no appreciation that women are different generally, let alone there being consideration that some women are neurodiverse. If you are undiagnosed and do not have a clue that you are autistic, you can just come to the conclusion that you are broken and become extremely damaged.
2) As your 'flaws' are more pronounced because they differ from neurotypical issues, they may serve to cast a generally negative impression of you, resulting in people not wanting to understand your problems or praise your strengths.
3) Unkind neurotypical people may detect your differences and engage in bullying behaviour.
Please excuse any grammar mistakes, I am typing on a phone. I just want to say that your videos are really helping me at the moment, thank you :)
Only once, I've ever gotten a job by giving an official job interview, to start with (but that was the one job I resigned from within a week). At the age of around 17, in school I did an internship at a local newspaper, and felt like an alien. My co-workers did stuff I couldn't understand. Why on earth would they be playing stupid team games during work-time? With that job I also had a hard time settling in and when I had settled in the internship was almost over. When I finished school (which was in the end of June 2012) I started working for an event agency and my boss told me, she wouldn't need me before August. So I took that literally and just went off making holidays for a month. She was furious. That was the first proper job I ever had, for longer than a month (in the end she was quite accomodating). My second job at a different company was simple. I worked as a stagehand, just carrying around heavy stuff and putting it where I was told to. The lights were too bright, though and also too many people. At the same company I also helped out with catering sometimes. Means, washing the dishes and sometimes taking home leftovers. That was nice, though I hate getting wet. Right now, I'm working for my mum. There's actually not much to do there. At some point I aspire getting a new job in the field I studied, but I'm too anxious as the job I'd aim for requires an "outgoing personality" and "team spirit" and a "hands on attitude" (which I do have, but not in the sense I'd be supposed to). The whole process of getting to a new job stresses me out. Starting with the cover letter. Why on earth should I write a whole litany on why I am the best for this job? Why can't I just write something like, "Hi, my name is XY and I'm good at XY, please give me that job"? I'm perhaps okay at writing but not at self-adulation. I feel extremely frustrated by all these standards. I'm from Austria, I think the standards are pretty much alike in the rest of the EU.
I'm not yet officially diagnosed, by the way. If that's somewhat necessary for my answer. But I'm pretty positive on being on the spectrum (and female).
@@sophiearcher1501 Your post mirrors my experiences also. Your boss sounds like the typical NT female B****. This is like the adult version of "mean girls" who would corner us on the playground. I have learned that this type will do all they can to eventually throw us under the bus. They will try to go after performance rather than personality, so document your results w/other depts/clients weekly, and save this report. I recommend documenting/recording your own feedback sessions w/her and requesting another manager (who supports you) to step in (use verbiage like "so-and-so has good ideas also, I would feel more comfortable continuing our discussion including him/her"). Pls be looking for another job while you still have this one, or look internally for a transfer, hopefully you can work remote. Take care and know that you're not the only one :)
Always helpful ladies! I am a brain warrior ambassador! 🙏🙌👏
Doing what I can to get the word out
I'm a 38 y.o. undiagnosed female in the US. Ironically, my career is contract recruiting. I believe I fell into it bc of heavily masking, my parents tried to project people-oriented activities on me. I'm exhausted and have to do contracts bc of interpersonal failings and burnout/meltdown. I disclosed my meltdowns when I worked for Davita. HR raised my goals to an unattainable level and fired me. I've had some success by working in results-based industries (manufacturing, skilled trades), remote jobs only, clearly outlining my work/communication needs in the 2nd interview. I still have no idea how to navigate NT women (who work in HR, and are bitchy). My best boss was a NT male who used to place special needs professionals, so he naturally had the ability to communicate w me and help my weaknesses. In the US, I've found that our culture tends to error on the side of bullying and exclusion (just look at all the racism still in the news). Unless the co has a neurodiverse plan, stay away. Things that are red flags for us would be personality tests, unwilling to explain behavioral interview questions ("tell me about a time when.."), inflexibility on interview style, unwillingness to allow a day or two prep time before interviews, insistence on pep mtgs/co parties etc, all NT women. Now I also youtube the co's execs. If they are emphasizing charisma over results, I also run.
I learned a lot from this comment! thank you for sharing.
Hearing you described an accessible description of how to get to your interview literally made me cry!! Countless people have told me “it’s part of the interview process and I can’t ask for an accessible version” they say I have to find the place from the address so I get to the interview HIGHLY anxious. It feels as though they’re saying if I can’t find the place from just the address, I can’t do the job, this has never made sense to me! I feel more confident to ask for accessible instructions now.
I found this very meaningful too. I have also heard the "finding the location is part of the interview" line and it has caused me a lot of anxiety. I am a freelancer who goes to different sites for interviews and jobs and navigating new locations regularly is very stressful. Even for a person interviewing for a job that will be in one location, finding a new place can still be stressful. And in that situation finding a new place doesn't reflect what they would be doing at the job every day because they would have a routine of going to the same place.
@@alexba1ley it’s never made sense to me... most jobs, you go to the same place, day in, day out and do roughly the same thing every day! How does doing that relate to, finding a new place for the interview?!?!
i started working from home since the pandemic and ive never felt such relieved. im also autistic. it's too loud, ppl talk a lot, im in the middle of the office and i get very stressed and anxious so much. sadly they want us to come back in january and im having a panic attack. i dont wanna come back. even though ive made more overtime than ever from home i simply dont wanna go back to the office. i havent felt happy since my first year there. theyre not bad people but i feel like i cant cope with office enviorement anymore
What is happened since? (I found this video recently) thanks for your answer.
@@ktpktpktpktp ohh!! I cant believe i wrote this . Well im working from home. they let me stay at home and ive gotten a promotion too n.n thanks you hehehe. Of course doesnt mean that sometimes i dont get stressed by some people....and rush projects are ufff but ive been rewarded and that is something that i have never had before in any job.
Being overly friendly is part of my masking also.
oh god... "you can be so interested in a subject, but the job might not suit you" sums up my past several years
I work from home (and have since the start of the year as I applied for remote work - so pre-Covid). I love it. It can be difficult keeping to my own schedule but I feel so much more relaxed. I was so anxious in social environments and around lots of people. Feeling the need to mask every day and just being around others, etc. even though they were nice people, it was exhausting and made it hard to focus on the work. Working from home I focus WAY better.
I work as an administrative assistent, I am 55 years old and I had an autism diagnoses, but I am also very intelligent (at 4 years old the IQ was 140). I hope that I would advance in the job that I do. I went from interests in computers to management, organisation, office and project management. My goal is: being an executive secretary. I followed such a course with success (many people say, that is a tough course that requires high level of thinking, but I managed to do it).
My boss thinks (or one of my previous bosses thought) I am slightly intellectually handicapped, but I don't believe that. He thinks that I should do simple tasks, no multiple tasks at the same time, or more than one task on my desk or office that has yet to be completed, giver very simple, detailed instructions and very low workload.
I think that I can do multiple tasks, do multitasking (for example: copying or a small production line with several equipments that can do partial tasks), organise tasks that I must yet do (sorting them on deadline dates and time). I can be interrupted by colleagues. I think I am a very fast thinker and have a very good memory. Things in my office or on my computer screen can remind me to resume tasks that were interrupted before for whatever reason. My boss doesn't notice that I am capeble of things. Even if she looks at me, she can't know in any way, what I am thinking about how to do my work.
But last week one of the higher bosses, HR management is thinking of arranging a job coach or a career guidance, and discuss my abilities and skills. I think I can ofter a lot to this or a different workplace, but I can't convince her. She thinks, autistics can't do things that I described above. Nor does she want to listen. She thinks she doesn't have to respect me, and can lie to me about my working attitude. I am fed up with her, so I want to leave sooner or later. Because I think I can be very successful because of what I described above!
I work for a company that supports adults with developmental disabilities, and they have been SO FREAKISHLY UNSUPPORTIVE of me. Like. To the point where after I told the I was being diagnosed, two directors and my manager cornered me in a meeting about “all the things I was doing wrong”, and everything was directly tied to my ASD. And they took advantage of me SO MUCH, including leaving me to be the supervisor/lead staff without the title or pay, having me work 50-100+ hours a week for years on end, not actually supervising me whatsoever (for months at a time, I’ve had four managers over almost three years, but there were huge gap in between them, so I only had access to a manager for a total of ten months over that time, and I regularly bagged for support, even before going for my diagnosis). And I’m still here because I need the money and insurance because transferring jobs is one of the hardest transitions in the world for me, and so CANNOT go without a paycheck or insurance.
Hi Sam ! I'm 30, and I have my first job at goodwill! After three attemps and interviews, I'm working four hours a day four days a week! And I can stim because of the many people with disability don't judge me!
I’m waiting for a diagnosis. I’ve tried to hold it together my whole life but I got to a point I was really struggling, I opened up to a manger I thought would help, they’ve been so horrible. I feel I’m on the verge of loosing my job. Since I’m not covered by the equality act they basically don’t have to support me and the stress is literally pushing me over the edge ...
Jenne they’re being very sneaky. Everything I say that would help, they say can’t be done. Eg I’m being asked to move desk all the time, I’ve asked if this can be a bit more permanent, they’re just saying it’s an “ever changing environment”. They’re not saying “no”, that’s that’s what I mean by sneaky. I’m totally exhausted by it all. Occy health (my GP, everyone who knows the situation) recommended I work at home, my employers are saying this is not a reasonable adjustment...
I'm almost 38 and trying to help my son, and started researching autism, and have realized all these issues I dealt with all my life are almost exclusively found in autistic people.... he has almost every one I have, it's so nice that there is so much content on it now, I do not want to medicate him, we homeschool, for reasons of our Christian faith and because school is still the worst part of my life 20 years later, I was atheist until I was 21 when the meaning of reality became my hobby interest lol or obsession
Hey, i got baptized at 22 yo. Im 34 yo now. Psychology, history and religion are my special interests. I related a lot to your comment. Since a little kid i actually believed in the supernatural but i did not know how to go about it. Read about different religions and philosophies and christianity made sense to me. I didnt grab a Bible before all the other religious books because i heard a lot of "bad propaganda" about it. I suffered a lot in school too. Im glad you are making sure your child doesnt go through the same and homeschool. One of the things that hurt me the most about my ex fiancé is that he said "its good you didnt get pregnant, you cant even take care of yourself". I wouldve want to be a good mother and give my children all the love and care i didnt have. Now i realize its not because my parents are bad people (they arent). But my dad has dyslexia and ADHD and my mom has OCD and is likely autistic too.
I only worked out of the house a couple times since being married 20 years ago. Both times were failures. I was let go of the first job because I “didn’t fit well”, the second one was worse really because it was something that I liked, liked the people and they tried to help me make things work out, but my anxiety was so bad I was getting very suicidal and besides my arthritis caused issues there too. So I quit. I still want to do something and now that I’m pretty sure of the autism thing I might be ready to give it a go again. But probably from home. Just how to manage with the diverse interests I have to be able to keep going with it long enough to be successful and actually make money!
At work, I tended to do well with customers. I'm friendly and outgoing and don't generally have too much trouble getting along with people when it comes to casual conversation. And I inherited a twisted sense of humor from my neurotypical parents. My mother, especially. But dealing with supervisors was a nightmare. I couldn't even understand their instructions half of the time. They never say what they actually mean, and you need to play games trying to interpret the incomprehensible stream of gibberish that neuortypicals call communication. At my social security disability hearing, the judge listened to the testimony from me and my attorney. Then he listed the accommodations he felt I would realistically need on a job site. He asked the jobs expert if I could do a specific computer related job and gave the job classification number. The jobs expert said no. Then he asked if there were any other jobs I could do. The jobs expert said no. The judge had no further questions, and the hearing ended. We attorney took me and my older sister aside, and he asked me if I understood that we had just won the case. I said that I did. Needless to say, my attorney correctly assessed the situation, and I was put on disability shortly thereafter.
sam, thank you so much for this video and for putting yourself out of there for the purpose of making a difference in the world for the neurodiversity community! I have gained so much insight from your videos - especially from your colloborations such this one. but i do enjoy your other video formats just as
much. some of us love the variety! ;) please go on - and prepare yourself mentally for success on social media.
Watching elon musk’s dream come true yesterday as his falcon 9 successfully launched into space as the first commercial rocket ever made me think that it is so important that we know where our personal interests and passions lie. Trying to adjust as a neurodiverse person to a neurotypical world may take up so much of your energy that there is little energy left for you to explore yourself and find out what you are interested in and what you really enjoy - and thus you might never get to turn your interest into your strength/your talent/your career.
I would be very interested in hearing you talk about what you, sam, enjoy and think is fun: your hobbies, interests, subjects etc. - present or past. What do you personally enjoy? What motivates you and gives you energy and pleasure? What make you feel great about yourself? What were the moments in your past that made you feel able and competent? Many thanks and all the best!
sneez n. cheekan You don't want Sam to turn into The Aspie World.
Which is fine I know he get 124k subs.
But Dan has a Facebook page, Tik Tok,
Samdy tell in a above comment she want have ambition for her channel but she happy for all creators to work together with nerodiversity.
Also Dan has his girlfriend help out with his kid.
Samdy is full time mum to so not got the time be a social media addict.
The “how to ace an interview” UA-cam videos out there are scathing about taking notes in or using a pen and paper. I’d find it helpful but there’s no way I’d risk doing it. The chances of coming across an interviewer like you are incredibly slim!
I know this video is older, but if you are Autistic and in the USA If management or a company thinks you have checked out because maybe you are having a rough time in your life etc. They will Quiet Fire you and not give you a reason ether and just drop you. It's a way to get past Discrimination if you are Autistic or a person with other Disabilities etc. Ive had this happen to me many times and why I'm on disability SSDI and SSI in the USA.
Note that the various states and even localities may or may not have supports... often not and almost never for adults. The Americans for Disabilities Act might provide some help, but people are generally advised to not reveal until after being hired or getting the job offer. And it's likely many employers would require a diagnosis. So just talking to someone in the States will likely not be helpful unless they are an advocate on the national level. I have other health issues and have had workshop providers think that I ought to ask my doctor for proof. It's maddening. That said, because of those other health issues, I had to be accommodated in work (accommodations that were a bit of a hardship on employers), and I managed to find employers who would accommodate me throughout my work life and none of them asked me for an official diagnosis. So I imagine it's hit and miss.
I have a lot of great support in my retail job, however we work in an open office setting and if there is a lot going on, people's talking, tasks I have to do I almost have a meltdown. Also,with the covid-19 going on my routine has changed, my hours and we are remodeling the store and I am really stressed about it. If I am upset about something I get very quiet, I am not good at conflict resolution and being in this job as a 31 year old woman on the spectrum only recently diagnosed and its almost like I am now extra aware of how different I see the world. Everything finally makes sense after years of not knowing..i love my job so much, but I will be honest I am not sure how long I can keep doing it.
We hate open offices
i know one that has autism, and i get a boost of energy when i make her feel better, and im humble too that. Why they would be disliked i can see, but the problems escelates too a increased anxiety and depression either way. So give space and give love
I always looked at peoples mouths when they were talking because I thought that is where you’re supposed to look…because that’s where the sound comes out 🤷🏻♀️
Once I heard that you’re supposed to look people in the eye and I did… and it didn’t bother me or make me uncomfortable…. But, I noticed that I had a difficult time understanding what people were saying… like I need to look at their mouth in order to understand and process what they were saying. And then when the pandemic hit and people were wearing masks I noticed if there was background noise or it was in a noisy room, I really had a difficult time processing what they were saying. I didn’t realize this is an example of auditory processing disorder! My Mom has the same issue!
I'm so sad that I've not known about your channel before now. I know I'm a bit late to these comments. I stipulated to my employer when I started work with my current employer that I will do whatever they need *except* work on the telephone. 18 months later, I was assigned to telephony. I could never have realised that my particular flavour of autism is a superpower in this work. I am thriving talking to the public, but I think it's due to the nature of their calls.
I'm 26, I was diagnosed at 23. I kinda flunked my GCSEs and I failed out of my A levels. I've had a cleaning job for 3 years and I've been completely unemployed for nearly 5 years now. I'm just now working on my Maths and English GCSEs. But I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm still largely directionless and thinking about my future is extremely depressing.
46:11 OH MY GOD I THOUGHT MY HEARING WAS BAD I NEVER KNEW ANYONE WHO STRUGGLED WITH THIS TOO 😖
My mother would only ever blame my earphones but it doesn’t explain why I struggle with hearing people in noisy areas (or even over the rain) 😭
It gets especially worse when I’m trying to listen to my other language (I’m far better in English than in my mother tongue), like audio can be really bad when watching the news and it gets so much worse when I can’t read their lips and then add on my TERRIBLE handle over the language (I’m barely conversational on it and reading usually involves picking up a dictionary to decode most of the words (or asking someone to explain slang or figures of speech - which I already struggle with in English, what more in a language like Filipino which is even more flowery and reliant on implications???) and true to figure out what they mean). End result is that I zone out really easily because I have no idea what they’re saying, even when I can hear them I can barely understand the words unless their annunciation is crystal clear, and then there’s the lag as I try to hold onto the meanings of the words that I’m trying to translate to English in real time and hopefully don’t forget it. It’s a struggle.
Individually you have to have some sense of what you can offer and work to figure out how to communicate that. Then build on the skills that you enjoy doing as you go along. An employer has to want you to accommodate you.
I also have to watch people's lips when they talk. I have trouble hearing--that is, understanding--otherwise and yet my hearing is "great." I also use subtitles whenever they're available.
Madison Heights With eye contact in the stream I do look in people eyes.
I don't look around eyes or bridge of the nose.
But if I was NT you don't think about eye contact they just do.
So I was told I was Aspie years ago ny a psychologist, so I do have to think about eye contact.
I know even men with out autism if they are talking to women they don't know. Their eye contact could be off because of social anxiety.
So the connection with interview and dating is right.
Mirroring and body language are important in interview.
Just like on a date.
Wow. Same.
I'm doing good tho but I do miss my parents very much. They both passed away in the best way they passed away wile asleep peacefully. But I greatly miss them a lot. But I'm. Happy to watch you Sam you and me are so much a like when it comes to the autism ! I think I share a lot of your same autistic trates too. That's cool in away but I mean it in a good way. Any way. I love all your videos thanks Sam you help me cope with it more and to fully understand my autism to so much more. Thanks Sam you have been such a insperation to me. Your a awesome Sam !! You rock Sam I'm a huge fan of you thank you Sam !!
Has anyone had the unfortunate experience of being penalized at for "talking too much" either about a topic or inadvertently dominating a conversation when talking about yourself. Unless I need to, I don't tell people in advance that I use many more words per sentence than most people and I'll often say the same thing different ways multiple times in a row. I can read a room and am very sensitive to social cues, but over video it's harder, especially when some people have their cameras turned off. Also, I'm used to a professional office environment where people don't act as casually. Now that we're all video conferencing, ppl are much more casual so it can throw me off in terms of how much we talk and how much I can talk. I'd love to hear other people's experiences with this or similar things.
I hope you're right about the job market opening up for the work from home jobs. I've been expecting it since the shutdown. It would certainly solve most of my problems.
Very good video and very important.
To put it in a nutshell, coworkers have convinced theirselves that the flubadubs done by those with Aspergers are done on purpose for attention.
This was great! Learning so much about my self ,and that if I had known what I understand now , I may have gotten more jobs that I didn't really want but that I needed actually. I always do terrible at interviews, especially when I felt bombarded because of two or more people doing interviews and asking what I felt were complete Bullshit questions that had nothing to do with the job . example I tried to get a permanent job of school custodian at the school I was already doing that job as a substitute custodian and was recommended for that job by the person I would be replacing because she said I was the only one who was good at as she was (she was retiring from it and well respected) .Well they started asking me things like if you were at a party , would you be a wall flower or the wild life of the party ? What? LOL I told them I don't go to parties,which was true , I can't remember other questions from that but , I felt like I had been through a whirlwind and kind of dizzy when I left .
I was laid off at the end of May 2020 from an incredibly toxic company. I started therapy for PTSD -- I just couldn't understand why I couldn't let my 2-3 years working at that company go. I couldn't understand why I couldn't move on. It was then I was diagnosed with ASD.
Then it made sense. This company isn't even equipped to deal with diversity among neurotypicals, let along someone with a disability. Rampant sexism, employee blaming, shouting, mismanagement, micromanagement, condescension, and gaslighting... on top of an almost-impossible schedule with demands for perfection and prioritizing deadlines...
To them, I just "couldn't cut it" in the business. But I'm a damn good writer, I met all my deadlines. I was considered a "cancer" because the CPO is a sociopathic sexist piece of human garbage who didn't want any feminism in his product.
I've had to come to terms with the fact that if that's the kind of man he is, then being a called a "cancer" to THAT is a good thing. I've realized that because of my autism I have rejection issues, and that's been my first real step toward progress and moving on from that company.
I'm still on unemployment, and I can get low on myself still. I'm working on my own projects at home but probably won't see any money from them. And I'm not sure if any other company would really want me, considering I'm not great at verbally communicating clearly.
I'm undiagnosed with high functioning autism right now. Although I've been diagnosed by both a psychiatrist and psychologist who no longer diagnose adults. One thing I've always struggled with no matter what job I've had is a memory problem. I have to write certain things or even draw them to remember them. Right now I'm a janitor and a year ago the guy that trained me tried to do a good job with the training but he assumed I would just remember everything he told me without writing it down at all. Well what ever I wrote down I'm doing fine with but now certain things like the sizes of the trashes in the various bathrooms I have forgotten and the day janitor keeps criticizing me about it.
If you were diagnosed one time by a psychologist or psychiatrist with Aspergers of High Functioning Autism, you don't need another diagnosis, as it is a lifetime disorder. As a Psychologist in the United States, with a Ph. D. IN Clinical Psychology, I just wanted to let you know, that. Even if they no longer diagnoses adults, you can ask them for a summary note of your diagnostic assessment. I hope this helps you.
It's interesting, she says that a diagnosis is not important. A psychiatrist mentioned in his report that I showed signs of Asperger's, and my doctor excepted it as good enough proof. However, I am seeking a proper diagnosis. Also, I don't think that all aspies have the same type of attention to detail but only those that follow conventional systems such as engineering or science-related jobs, while I have developed my own techniques for home studying academic research. In the past, I also worked in a call centre and I hated the noise and people's attitudes, so I complained, like I usually end up doing in many areas of my life. So instead I was accused of making a lot of noise on the table. I do not remember doing that at all. It's like others are hallucinating. In my current job that I have just started, the HR lady is extremely supportive. She makes notes while we speak, and she has allowed me to come to her office anytime that I need to speak about anything, even psychology because she loves the subject too. I explained to her that my psychiatrist noted that I have autistic traits. I think I will now finally fit into a job after many years of struggles because I am speaking to my employer about my needs, and they are very supportive. My main aspie-related problems are sensory issues and social aspects. I have always had these issues since childhood.
i have not been able to find anything on the internet about autism in restaurant workers. youtube searches have led to videos about how difficult it is to take an autistic child to a restaurant. I feel as though back of house workers would have a higher percentage of autistic people because it doesn't require you to interact directly with the public. I'm frustrated to find no information about it. I'm an autistic line cook and I've had a hell of a time.
Statistics are mostly constructed with the desired answer first. Then spear the questions to fit
I am undiagnosed. I grew up in the US; although, I was born in England. I can't concentrate if I do jobs that require a lot of human interaction. Access to healthcare in this country is not easy to get; so, getting diagnosed is practically impossible unless you're earning a lot of money. Most of my jobs have been in rural areas. I've taken anything I could get that didn't deal with the public. The companies Naomi is describing don't exist in this country unless you live in a large, urban area. I am extremely hypersensitive. I can't even imagine visiting a city that large, let alone living in one. I think what you're both doing is wonderful. I wish I could find. a new career. I'm no longer physically capable of doing the physical work that I've done most of my life; and, I only have a two year degree in English to fall back on. The UA-cam videos help a lot, though. Thank you!
I know your comment is 2years old as of now...but wouldnt it be possible to move into the UK? I was there for a student exchange and wanted to stay or to go to Ireland...but i didnt land a job there.
@@etcwhateverI personally can't afford to move back to the uk. I can't speak for anyone else.❤
oh wow, when you brought up call centres i just had to laugh. i joined a call centre and managed 2 years there (thanks to the fact i could help train people) before i ended up having such frequent overloads and i’d burnt out so badly i had to leave. my advice is basically trying to get off the phone haha, get into an admin role (or webchat like you said) but starting out on the phones can help you move into it. but yeah, looking for jobs that gel with sensory issues is almost just as hard as the job itself was.
This helped me a lot thank you I live in the US and can agree there is no real help from employers. Everyone is about paper work so yes no diagnosis no help or if there isn't a law or set of rule employers wont even research the topic and just assume you aren't fit for the job. I have worked several jobs and people wonder why I have has so many and so many technical skills/certifications. Then why I can't stay at a job longer than 3 or 5 years. It's very sadning and depressing know I have so much knowledge and so much work history but nothing to really show for it. This is why I miss germanyso much because we have help there.
I work as a kind of social worker in a institution for mentally disabled people, people on the spectrum etc. I've just been chosen to advance to a leader position, when finishing the education to do so. My boss is a high functioning on the spectrum, and he recognised some of the same traits in me. I'm a little worried about how the avancement is going to work in regards of constantly having to mask and beeing aware of every damn detail and the burn outs, that have got to follow!
I’m struggling because I have been misdiagnosed so many times... I think I may be on the spectrum but it’s hard here in Mexico since there still is a stigma around diagnosing autism in female adults... I honestly just think I need some way to explain myself to myself.
I was misdiagnosed with many things over 20 years. I was given all the meds. I struggled endlessly until ASD appeared on my radar in the last couple years. Learning about myself hasn't changed my challenges, but it has opened me up to self acceptance. It's a relief to not have to keep trying to figure out what's "wrong" with me. And I have gained confidence in my ability to stand up for myself and to speak up for what I need. I still can't find suitable work, and the world shutting down hasn't helped any. Oh well. 🙃 If I was in your vicinity, I'd ask if we could hang out. I don't know anybody where I am who I can relate to. I wish you well. 🙂
At age 65 now and just coming across these videos, I wondered before about having neurological problems instead of the behavioural and psychological causes of many problems encountered during my 40 year career. Now the stutters, twitches as a child and fidgeting stimming? things done with toes in loose shoes and pens writing and making little sketches makes more sense to me. Surplused from McDonald's and again twice from corporate level. 👀👀👀
Hi Samdy
I got your live stream at 3pm UK time.
You started at 2pm UK I will remember that.
But I watch live from when you said about masking to not get bullied at school.
So I was on the live stream.
I was talking to Voldermort and potato in the chat.
So I just watch back the first hour.
I love everything you say and agree Noami to.
I gave the stream a like.
I copied a link and going to put in Indy Andy comment section.
This is most personally live stream to my life and psychology.
Well 2 things 1st relationships 2nd. Work.
So those 2 stream most relatable to me.
👍🏻 thank you, you are legend.
Being an assistant manager at a 7-11 as an autistic person, I have to also give interviews. It is very difficult for me to give interviews. Having a guideline for asking questions helps, but I don’t write notes about the person, I do however keep certain notes in my head. The thing is I’m not really a good judge of character, though the people we hire would do better at their job if I was the only trainer, I’m unfortunately not the only trainer. I train thoroughly but others train with their shortcuts which makes the trainee forget what I have trained them. 7-11 is considered an essential service so no change in location or change in hours.
I can't work full time it just exhausted me too much. Now i only work 3 days and that is bad enough. Being at work makes me so anxious. I worry about saying the wrong thing, the bright lights and stuffy air con make me feel ill, and I come home so tired. But one has to earn money 🤪 I dont even know how i got the job because i'm so hopeless at interviews. Probably because i was over qualified!
Thank you the sound is great.
I burned out a year ago - breaking back in will be difficult
I work in a job that is very unfitting for autistic people. A few years back I started developing and working on an exit strategy. Now, I am in a position to resign in 2 months.
I will be taking a few months off before starting a job that is more agreeable with my condition.
Finding your videos very helpful. I had an interesting idea, I wonder if you’d be interested in? I’m being assessed on 2nd of November for ASD. I already have ADHD and recently figured out I must have ASD too. I’m 36 and recently went through my ADHD diagnoses, so I’m prepared emotionally for the impact of it. I was considering documenting the process so that others might benefit from sharing my experience however it turns out. Do you think it could be a good topic to capture the journey for a video?
This subject is just what I have been strucle more and more in last five years, when I lost my only full time job. I have totally experience over 20+ years from retail and customer service by temporary worker contracts. Now I waiting to get diagnose, I feel like i'm against brick wall what to do as already struggling unemployed person. I been try to google suitable jobs, but all I find in my country is to Autistic supported suitable jobs are either shelter job giving little pocket money doing arts-and-craft in centers or trending IT job. Neither is appealing to me. What can do person with long experience but it is not show in my salary if get employed by miracle, hate and not understand anything computer stuff, clueless with math/numbers, have scars from school world from younger years not to want update education anymore and dont want not stressing all above?
Maaret k No good on computer or maths.
That doesn't sound cognitive abilities of autism at all.
I know being good at maths is stereotype.
But I suggested Samdy should do a video on autism and maths.
Like the hyperlexia but with numbers.
@@garyfrancis5015 Math in use I understand like how much to give exchange moneys but in school style math e.g. patters, making counting in paper or like how much is volume X, no I don't. Teachers always said I´m just are lazy and dumb, and everybody know these, why you are not. Computer I meant stuff like programming, encoding, connecting IT systems. I know internet use, using google but these are not computer skills as I been told.
Gary Francis Yes ,this is very "stereotypical" and particularly that the Criteria is still very male biased. I suggest you research Dyscalculia. Dys = Diffficulty. Calculia = To compute. Female Autistics are often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed because we can often "mimic, mask" extremely well but then we get Home and are exhausted. We still live in a rather male dominant society, even in our own Neurodiverse communities. During this live cast there were comments made about "everyone is different"
Does anyone have any recommendations for forums/discords/websites etc specifically /for/ autistic/ND people about work/applying to jobs/doing interviews etc. Most of the advice I've ever seen is meant for neurotypicals and I find it harder to understand and process, and I've always found it hard to even get started on applying for jobs most of the time, knowing that most of them are going to reject me/won't even reply
I love you two ... this is so valuable!!
but what if you are at the point that you dont know who you are because you have masked for so long? I think i know what i would like to do, and who i am, but i am afraid to do things and invest my time in something that is pointless. i have this fear of time and it running out and me not using it effectively and not being where i am supposed to be in the eyes of society. i just dont know what i want to do or who i am
Natasha Lysette Masking to cure autism I did that but it's depressing and you loss your identity.
I do a chart in my head.
Natural me
Masking me
So you think of the natural things in your personalty and do that.
Rather than masking making small talk, saying white less, socialising in groups, multi tasking.
So you want to do the second one because it seen as "normal" not autistic/aspergers.
So it is difficult process of unmasking.
Samdy would agree. There is a unmasking video on the channel.
I work at university - academic career so far is rather "cool" because not many regular job interviews or regular office settings are necessarily needed. Academics can also be weird and a bit reclusive and are known to not be good at social things, so this is rather ok, until it comes to the point where one has to basically become a professor.
What I wanted to say about the online teaching though - we have that here as well at the moment - I kind of like it as I can mnake a video for the students and dont have to give a lecture, but there are a lot of difficulties and its a lot of effort to actually make the online teaching truely a new format, rather than just making video recordings of the powerpoint slides. And it totally fails at tests and exams right now - there are no good online exam systems that are safe, secure, affordable and reasonable.
I literally had a meltdown because someone wanted me to cover the phones (switchboard) over lunch for the receptionist.
You cant work work effectively without having a good lunch.
Thats Unacceptable
@@c-train3630 It wasn’t that I wasn’t getting a lunch. People often take lunches at different times. I just have that strong a reaction to using phones.
..there is very limited to no support in (USA) AR (depending on area) for Adult women with Autism.. it's very frustrating trying to find careers willing to make reasonable accommodations. I've been turned down for jobs I'm very qualified for. Being diagnosed at 42 makes it's very hard to find right support and any assistance! Help is desperately needed.. thanks.
I was diagnosed with Aspergers at 7 years old and in my adult work life, its been very tough to keep a job. I would love to find a web chat job, but I've not been lucky enough to find one. Does anyone know of any, within the UK or allows remote workers within the UK? Thanks in advance. Maybe Voldemort, could possibly have the answer?
Could be that Germany who is famous for engineers and thoroughness, is more likely to employ Autistics? Looks like we have a hard time getting work though, in general. It is hard to generalize since some of us have a more severe case than others.
German culture is, arguable, autistic. Everything is clearly stated and body language is not so important and everything is so rational. You can be very direct in your communication, for instance, and it's not considered, generally speaking as being rude. The term for that is Klartext.
Hey Sam, I did exactly the same thing with uni, chose law, did great but didn’t think about the realities of being a lawyer . I’d be interested in mentoring as part of a network though, I have a leadership position so might be of use to someone working their way up.
You sound like you could really help some law student/s with their degrees.
A visual guide like that would be amazing!! I stress find4inf new places when on a timeframe. I find Google Maps and Streetview is helpful. I can see what the street looks likes and what the building looks like. I used it for a work situation once and did so much better with my anxiety.
I've have kept my jobs for long spans of time. 14 years at one and 10 at the other..however I could never sustain leadership roles at either company. I became the jack for both companies..Jack of all trades because of my intense interest in learning every aspect of the job. Leadership roles were too daunting due to the need to read people which I lack. Also not understanding how to communicate with others in a tactful way.
Thanks everyone for getting this video up to 320 likes.
Samdy dream is for future business to make Nero diversity in the work place.
Where adaptation for work for autistic will not be a big deal.
And it was happen naturally.
Like with Microsoft hiring a team who are on the spectrum.
That was shown on Chris Packham aspergers and me documentary.
It is on you tube, if no one seen it.
I know this isn't on topic for this video, but I just found the channel. I'm curious about something, if oversensitivity includes being ticklish. I'm contemplating going for an evaluation because I think I may have some degree of ASD but I know being ticklish is also a symptom of schizophrenia. Does it also apply to autism?
Xmx2772 Yes, sensory sensitivity and autism.
Does Naomi know anyone in Canada by any chance to find out stuff like this too?
Please do a video about dealing with HR thankyou
The online groups you mention, do you have links? I would like to join if possible.