General Autism Discussion

That really depends on how the actual flu is and how you think of "working while sick". If it's just some flu or fever, I could just tough it out in work (working as a webmaster helped). But if it is something like serious stomachache which I am prone to get once or twice a year, I will take two sick days instead of the regular one day to ensure that it will not become an annoyance during work. Nothing hurts like getting stomachache just a few minutes after the previous one ended.

There was a time that I rested for four days straight which ended up me vomiting whenever a droplet of oil ended up in my stomach. I consumed only non-fried instant noodles cooked with plain water with soy sauce as seasoning. That was a really bad experience.

Speaking of retail, it is pretty much a mental strain in the beginning where you have to learn how the workplace works, but once you get used to it, the field is rather easy. Still, communication skills is more important than in fields like, let's say, manufacturing so one might want to learn some basic communication skills beforehand. Same with any field which is service oriented.

Now that's really a good thing to do since that disease do spread when sick people work with food.

edited 16th Sep '14 6:33:06 AM by murazrai

I'm moving to Niagara next year. My parents are retiring to Niagara-on-the-Lake and I want to spend more time with them. It's not an escape thing, this has been in the books for a couple years now. Hell, it was their idea.

Yeah, the 24 hour flu is a really nasty stomach bug. I'm not working food service when I have that.

edited 16th Sep '14 6:16:13 AM by Zendervai

So a while ago I discovered a little thing called the Enneagram of Personality. I have a hunch that Autistics tend to fall under a few certain types, and I'd like to test it.

So if you don't mind, take one of these tests and reply back with the type.

And in case you're wondering, I'm a "Reformer" ("Type 1") with balanced "wing" types.

There are actually many costs related to presenteeism (aka coming into work when you're unwell or too injured for the job), you know. From spreading what you have to those less able to fight it off (be they customers or colleagues) or decimating the workforce with all the lost hours and increased inefficiency levels when it is something highly infectious to most.

Because, like it or not, people drop the ball when they're ill even with the "minor" things. Enough dropped balls lead to problems down the line. Depending on the job, these can prove disastrous for both client/ customer and workplace.

Also, denialism is not a good mind-frame to cultivate: if somebody fights through illness to come to work and tough it out, they're more likely to try downplaying everything for every illness. Even the serious ones where they write off the early symptoms and battle them the wrong way. Frankly, there's a hidden longer-term cost to business there, too.

I could go on.

(As somebody with an impaired immune system, I'm not overly happy when a salesperson sells me a virus along with the product. The worst case scenario could actually be my death. From something they'd be able to shake off.)

edited 21st Sep '14 8:26:27 PM by Euodiachloris

I'm a type five six wing variant (scientifically inclined Investigator), though I could have guessed that myself. Im a little skeptical about this site though. There's an 'Energy Healing' section ...

About that personality thing: it's a crock. Sorry: take it from somebody who has studied various personality profiling methods.

It's as flawed as the Myers-Briggs. (Also, please note the number of opportunities sites dealing with it give you to hand them money: always a hint.)

edited 21st Sep '14 8:29:21 PM by Euodiachloris

I understand you points here, but due to the vast differences of work culture, let's just say that in my workplace it is possible to render the entire company shut down if everyone subscribes to such mentality. Also, I and most of my colleagues know when to rest and will ask for sick leaves if it is severe enough for a visit to a clinic.

Based on my very own experience, it is bad to tough out small illness, but once that is overcame I would not get sick for a longer time than if I had regular medications.

Speaking of the test, mine is type 5 balanced.

edited 22nd Sep '14 6:51:54 AM by murazrai

How ''Parenthood'' Broke Down the Autism Awareness Barrier

Granted, not everyone watches the show, but I think with characters like Max Braverman and Sonya Cross being shown on NBC and Fox respectively, it's helping. And as I mentioned before, the two characters are so different that it's important to show that one size does not fit all.

One thing I find interesting is that the gender makes no difference. Max's behaviors and personality could just as easily come from a girl as a boy, and Sonya's behaviors and personality could just as easily come from a man as a woman. Which is not to say there are no gender differences in the autism spectrum; for one, the large majority of popular books about being on the spectrum were written by women, despite them being outnumbered by men 4-to-1 (if that figure is true). But I see age rather than gender playing a bigger role here in the characters' behavior.

Anyway, the actor, Max Burkholder, who portrays Max Braverman, made it his mission to research Aspergers as soon as he got the role at age 11. He came to understand it so well that he would sometimes argue with scriptwriters who asked Max to do things that someone with Aspergers would be unlikely to do in real life, like look someone directly in the eye during an emotional moment.

Like I said, the actor knows his stuff. Just plain awesome.

I am seeing more and more articles like this one: Treatment Gaps Limit Independence for People with Autism

This is why high-functioning autism/Aspergers is often called an "invisible disability". The people who have it come across as smart and "normal" enough that they're expected to function, and as such, when the subtle differences arise, they're often chalked up to the person just being a "weirdo" or "creep". She talks of job-training and life skills, and I agree that those are vital. But it needs to work both ways, as organizations like Specialisterne are trying to do: get employers to understand autism and realize that people with autism can make good employees.

I for one am not happy with my job. It pays shit and I want out. I discovered that Specialisterne apparently covers my area, and I plan to see if they can help me get a higher paying job that's more suited to my interests/abilities. My bosses and coworkers know I'm autistic (which has likely kept me from getting in trouble a couple times), but if they didn't know, I might not still have this job and therefore wouldn't have seen my pay double over the time I'm here ("double", as in increase from shit to crap). Any new job I go to would have to be understanding, because I simply cannot fake normalcy 100% 24/7. I am hoping this organization could help.

Opportunities need to be there. People on both sides need to do work to understand each other. Placing the burden entirely on one side would be unfair and/or impossible. Autistics need to learn social skills and what is expected of them on the job, while employers and coworkers need to understand autism and what the person can do (which is where their job should be tailored) and what they can't do and/or need help with. If the autistic is unable to 100% prevent themselves from stimming, or they walk funny or can't make totally normal eye contact (I notice that I'm either staring or looking away; I just can't look normal no matter how hard I try), then they need to realize there's nothing they can do about it and to just accept it since it will not change.

edited 25th Sep '14 12:56:11 PM by BonsaiForest

No thoughts on these?

I just think the modern interview system kind of sucks generally. It's fine if the job is very social, but for anything that is more regimented or whatever, it doesn't really indicate how well someone will do at the job.

On another note, my counselor suggested that I get tested for learning disabilities, since some of the things I mentioned to him aren't actually part of aspergers. Apparently I have dyscalcula and some signs of ADD as well as aspergers. I really wish my parents had considered having me tested before I graduated university. I keep getting told it's amazing that I made it through everything, including two years of the International Baccalaureate, but it's honestly kind of worrying that through that whole time, no one suggested that I might have some sort of learning disability. Granted, it turns out that my mom has dyscalcula too, so to her, me struggling with math was normal.

Also, I switched schools a lot and the IB seems to actively dislike working with special needs kids.

edited 29th Sep '14 3:30:48 PM by Zendervai

What about kids with physical disabilities?

I wear hearing aids and the school management grudgingly let me carry the batteries around for them because apparently you're not allowed to do that? That was just the one school though.

The issue the IB has with special needs is that everything is centralized and regimented. The exams are done at a specific time on a specific day, and if you miss it, for any reason, you need to wait six months or a year to redo them. You need a computer? Too bad, you could be cheating. You have dysgraphia and your writing is illegible? Too bad, you should know better. There are a million arcane rules for all the assignments that you aren't told about and if you are slightly wrong, you get a zero. It's stuff like that that makes me wonder how the IB is continually replacing the A-levels in the international school market.

edited 29th Sep '14 3:43:43 PM by Zendervai

I thought that was excellent information, Bonsai, thanks.

What kinds of 'arcane rules '?

For a big paper I took some photos of certain castles in Wales. I was accused of plagiarism because I didn't record the exact times and places (they wanted the time down to the minute and the place was supposed to be confirmed by an authority figure in the area the photo was taken. What was I supposed to do, get a policeman to sign something?) I took the photos. A rule that wasn't recorded anywhere in the school except in a footnote in a 20 year old book that no one had looked at in ages. I got a zero because of that.

I think a good way to describe the IB is that it's extremely bureaucratic and uninterested in individuals.

edited 29th Sep '14 4:07:42 PM by Zendervai

That sounds horrifying, but what is an "IB"?

The International Baccalaureate exams.

edited 29th Sep '14 9:28:30 PM by rmctagg09

Thanks

demarquis, what information was excellent?

edited 30th Sep '14 6:47:59 AM by BonsaiForest

I was referring to the second article you linked to, the one on the invisible disability. I dont watch Parenthood, so I cant comment on that one.

Look at the bottom of the article and see the irony.

I was reading this thread on a site called AspiesCentral. It's about being female and on the spectrum, and having problems with other females, which are often being abused, harassed, bullied, treated badly by others.

Quite a few female Aspies say that they believe the reason for their mistreatment is their lack of interest in gossip and other petty crap.

A guy chimed in and said that his problem is more that guys are mean to him, and he doesn't relate to guys.

I know I've said before that many Aspies prefer the (platonic) company of the opposite sex. However, I'd like to bring up something more. Masculinity and femininity. The two can express themselves in different ways, such as interests, personality traits, hobbies, speaking style, etc.

However, on the more extreme end, we have the "macho" "alpha" guys with their love of sports, disrespectful attitude, and more, for masculinity. And for femininity, on the extreme end, we have the gossipy hen attitudes, using people to get ahead, and not actually caring about others. And then there's small talk, which both sexes are big on, but women moreso than men.

Aspies are neither extreme. We're not macho, and we're not that type of feminine either. We're not totally gender neutral, as we tend to lean towards our sex "role", but we're closer to the center than the NTs, by far. Would you say that's true?

Just one example. Honestly, NT speak in general doesn't do it for me. I'm a straight guy and I noticed I tend to get along better with females and relate better to them. Also, none of the females I talk to are interested in stuff like what clothes people wear or if glasses suit them.

edited 30th Sep '14 11:07:50 AM by BonsaiForest

I wish I had found this thread earlier. So many conversations I wanted to be a part of. But then I haven't browsed OTC in a long time. Oh well, c'est la vie, etc, etc. I am surprised to find someone else familiar with the IB program.

But that's not what this about.

Uh, Hello, I'm Mousa the 14, and I have Aspergers syndrome but very high functioning, making my diagnosis later in my life than it should have been considering all the issues I had growing up. So uh, what's up? What's there to know or discuss right now?

What kind of benchmarks that you set in workplace? I was told by my elder sister who worked in the same office as mine that I was insulted when another coworker of mine scolded me quite loudly in front of cashier counters with some customers queuing over some mistakes that is admittedly my fault. But I don't see it as such because it was quite severe (forgot the details).

I use legality as a benchmark, which means I refuse to do anything illegal, yet a lot of people keen to use dignity as one, which I find pointless because all and all, we are just do our best to keep the company running well. If I refuse to cooperate with someone just because I hate that person/had some bad blood in the past/etc. I would just harm myself in the long run by dragging down the overall productivity of the company I'm working in.

edited 1st Oct '14 8:29:41 AM by murazrai