Does anyone have an Adult child with an Asperger's diagnosis?

[cricket1178]

Recently it was brought to my attention that what we have been dealing with in my 20 year old son all these years may be Asperger Syndome. My question is does anyone have an adult child with this diagnosis that could share what careers they could go into or what types of jobs they are specifically suited for? I know this is a vague area, but we are beside ourselves on how to help our of normal intelligent son find a job he can do. He really struggles with the common sense aspect which is making it difficult to find something he is able to do. He is also having trouble excepting that he may have something that he is going to struggle with the rest of his life.

[Heather in Savannah]

Recently it was brought to my attention that what we have been dealing with in my 20 year old son all these years may be Asperger Syndome. My question is does anyone have an adult child with this diagnosis that could share what careers they could go into or what types of jobs they are specifically suited for? I know this is a vague area, but we are beside ourselves on how to help our of normal intelligent son find a job he can do. He really struggles with the common sense aspect which is making it difficult to find something he is able to do. He is also having trouble excepting that he may have something that he is going to struggle with the rest of his life.
My dh has never been diagnosed, but I suspect he is an Aspie. All, the classic signs are there. Dh is a Design Engineer who works on a computer all day long. He can hyper focus on this(cars are his over-riding passion, to the point where that is all he thinks about, talks about and dreams about) to his benefit. He he is an excellent designer, but in this role has very little interaction with people....none with clients. He is able to do his job and then pass the people portion off to his supervisor for him to present. He has never sought opportunity to "climb the corporate ladder", because he cannot multi-task, is too blunt with people to be a manager, and can't negotiate to save his life, so he could not survive dealing with clients. I think you will find most Aspie's are in the computer or engineering fields, where their technical fixations are an asset. If this area is of any interest to your son, I would highly encourage him to go the 4 yr engineering degree route, rather than an Associates at a Technical College.
I would also encourage your son to seek a formal diagnosis, because there may be allowances for him if he seeks further education or in the work place. It may also help him to understand why he does what he does, and why he reacts to people the way he does....this will be very helpful in the workplace....I sense from your posting that he may be open to this.
I feel for you at this juncture. Please feel free to pm me if you want further discussion.
Heather

[Mandamom]

a few Aspie adults and they are in the engineering and computer fields. Of course, that is their interest. I read an article about someone with Asperger who is an artist as that is his interest.

What interests does your son have? As with any person, that is usually the place to start in figuring out what direction to go.

[Stacy in NJ]

I don't know any adults with Aspergers, but here's a really interesting article written by Tim Page. He's the music critic for the Washington Post and was diagnosed with Aspergers as an adult. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/20/070820fa_fact_page

Here's an interview he did with NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12750745

HTH, Stacy

Adding: Perhaps it you have your ds read/listen to Page, he may provide some insight or inspiration?

[Janet in Toronto]

I have a friend and the light recently came on that she may be an aspie. I know that for women it can look somewhat different. We were math majors together at university, and she is an actuarial associate in a small consulting firm. She used to work for one of the major firms but was let go...my guess is that it might have been social/client skills. In her current position, she isn't required to do a lot of direct client interaction.

She is very detail oriented and so good at her job. Most of the rest of her life is spent watching television and doing some crafts. She is single, and lives with extended family.

[JFS in IL]

Something that does not require a lot of face to face dealing with other people.

[asta]

Aspergers as an adult. It's a bit different at 41, because I've had to create coping mechanisms (no services in the 70s). Most things aren't absolutes; they are just heavy preferences.

I do research. It doesn't matter the subject. I can become a subject matter expert (SME) on almost anything given a reasonable amount of time (by that, I mean that I can acquire enough information to intelligently brief researched information to "people in charge", answer questions, and not make my boss look like an idiot). The time period is directly proportional to the breadth of the subject you want me to know, but I acquire knowledge very quickly.

I can handle being around people for set amounts of time, on my own terms. eg: I know I am going to a meeting to discuss A, B, & C +/- some variance. If I show up and you want me to instead plan a surprise party for everyone in the room, I may or may not handle it well. It isn't about "not being a Team Player"; it is about having a certain skill set. My skill set doesn't include spur of the moment festivities; but it does include research, so I could help by researching locales for the party, determining who is the best caterer in town, etc.

Notice: I did not say I would be good at reserving the locale or contacting the caterer. I hate doing that. It is completely out of my comfort zone. I can find all of the stuff, but someone else needs to deal with the human aspect.

So, yes - it is necessary to find one's hyper-focus.


asta

[scrapxs4]

My husband and oldest daughter are both aspie as well as bipolar. They are on very small doses of meds which help control the cycles as well as anxiety. But I am talking super low doses. Meds are not for everyone I am aware. My husband is a Millwright which is kinda like a cross between and engineer and a mechanic. He needs the physical movement and stress the job requires he loves to really work as it helps him. He sees things in 3-d and blue prints etc come very easy to him. He has to deal with all kinds from very rich to labor workers. He is a union worker and the unions have an entry trianing program that trains and schools the members for free they work as they train. Getting paid and getting raises and health ins. So you might want to have him look into something like that. The unions tend to really act and think like a brotherhood and look after their own. Many are different I dare to say on the spectrum even if they have never heard of it. Millwrights tend to have more math skills required of them then say electric or carpentry. Hope it helps a little.
We have our rough times please don't get me wrong but for the most part we own our home, 10 acres, have 4 kids we home school, have 2 pigs, 4 cats, 6 dogs, go on day trips, live with in our means and enjoy what we have and try to live right. Sure we stumble and meds get checked but we love each other and we stick together and that is all that counts. Your son will make it everyone finds their way with support and time. Best of luck.