Educational and Employment Experiences of Adults with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome

By SARAH BOSLAUGH

This paper is written from the experiences of some members of an Internet mailing list for university students/graduates with Asperger's Syndrome and autism (including the author). For the sake of convenience, I will refer to both diseases as "A/AS"; experiences of individuals with these diseases will be contrasted with that of the neurologically typical, or "NT's". Concerns discussed on the list frequently centre around education and employment, and a number of problems raised on the list have been represented rarely or not at all in other A/AS forums.

Experiences with formal education

By definition, all members of the mailing list are current or former university students, mainly in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Western Europe, who have autism or Asperger's Syndrome. Their presence in these universities prove they have succeeded in competitive educational systems; many report excellent grades and test results from grade school onwards. However, some also reported difficulties, particularly with non-academic aspects of school, (such as social isolation) and sensory/concentration difficulties (such as not being able to absorb material presented in lecture format) which impeded their progress at some point.

Many list members excelled in higher education; some have earned advanced degrees in several different subjects. There is no particular major which seems more popular among list members than any other: many found a home in technical subjects such as physics, mathematics and computer science, while others studied linguistics, languages, social sciences, and other subjects.

Transition to employment

Generally, it is assumed that successful students will also excel in their chosen careers. However, this transition cannot be taken for granted for those with A/AS: "overeducated and underemployed" unfortunately describes more than a few list members. Some list members mention feeling betrayed by an educational system which encouraged them to acquire degrees (and take out loans to pay for them) while offering no guidance to help them choose a field of study which would lead to employment after graduation.

Obviously, success at any job requires more than just academic preparation. Social skills are necessary both to succeed in the job interview, and to function successfully in most workplace settings. Since most guidance counselors and academic advisors are NT, they may not even consider that the high-achieving student who does so well in a formal, individualistic classroom setting may be unable to function as a member of a work team. They may also overlook the fact that in highly competitive fields, the ability to interview well is vital to gaining employment, and that A/AS students may be hindered in their careers because they do not interview well.

Employment

Some list members have found employment at professional jobs which allow them to use their education, and which they find personally satisfying. These persons are typically employed in technical fields such as computer science and physics. Many reasons have been given why technical/scientific fields are a good choice, including:

1) There is a great deal of demand for competent employees in these fields, so personal characteristics and interview skills are less important.

2) Expertise in these fields can be quantified, so that outstanding work is recognized as such, without regard for the personal characteristics of the worker.

3) Autistic/AS individuals often enjoy working on technical problems in isolation, so their usual patterns of behaviour are an advantage in these fields, and ...

4) Some members have reported that their usual mode of thought is more like a computer than like other human beings, a definite advantage when working out technical problems!

No one knows the extent of undiagnosed A/AS in different professions, but anecdotally some have said that it seems that in some technical fields most successful individuals seem to have A/AS! Choosing a field in which A/AS characteristics are tolerated, perhaps even lending an advantage to the individual, would seem to be an obvious strategy. However, guidance counselors are generally ill-prepared to advise students on such matters.

On the other hand, some list members have reported having a great deal of trouble with gaining and keeping employment, even at jobs far beneath their ability and education. Often their difficulties are on the most basic social level (like being thought unfriendly by co-workers for failing to "chat" or maintain eye contact according to NT norms), and attempts to educate co-workers about A/AS are not always effective. The norms being violated are sometimes so basic that the NT's have never had to think about them, and simply will not believe that what they perceive as snobbishness or lack of cooperation may simply be normal for the A/AS individual.

Some suggestions for students/parents/counsellors

Consider the social aspects of different types of work when considering careers. Brilliance in the classroom will not necessarily translate to success in the workplace for the A/AS individual, if they cannot also handle the social requirements of a job. Offer training in social skills to students who need it (and may be unaware of the need), and don't assume that someone who violates social norms (for instance, by avoiding eye contact) is necessarily being stubborn or difficult. If self-presentation and social skills are likely to be a problem, consider going into a field where there is a lot of demand for employees, rather than one in which there are many more applicants than jobs. Consider what occupations may be especially suited for A/AS individuals (for instance computer programming, engineering, physics) and encourage the student to explore these fields.

Suggestions for further research

What is the prevalence of A/AS in different professions? In which professions have A/AS individuals been most successful? Classification would have to include undiagnosed/informally diagnosed A/AS individuals through some screening process. What are the particular intellectual strengths of A/AS individuals? In what fields would they be most likely to excel?

Address:

Sarah Boslaugh, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry
Montefiore Medical Center
Bronx, NY
e-mail: sboslaugh@yahoo.com

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Sarah Boslaugh, Ph.D., holds a doctorate in Educational Psychology from the City University of New York and is employed as a Project Supervisor in the Dept. of Psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York. She is self-diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and is a contributor to the "University Students with Autism" (autuniv-l) mailing list.

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