(a) Role play. Ask others to help you brainstorm a list of potential questions and concerns your prospective employer might discuss with you. Rehearse what you might say in a variety of situations.
(b) Non-verbal communication strategies. Make a list of the behaviors you should and should not do. Go over the list several times a day before the interview is to take place, until you are confident you will present your best behaviors. Potential items to include:
• use an appropriate greeting and goodbye
• use the appropriate vocal rhythms and pitch
• use good eye contact
• try to look calm and happy
• pay close attention to what is being said to you
• sit upright in your chair
• show enthusiasm
• wear clean, ironed and neatly matched clothing
• bathe, wash hair and brush your teeth
• avoid shifting your eyes and gaze around the room
• avoid making extraneous vocalizations
• avoid talking out of turn
• avoid using too many hand gestures
• avoid biting your nails, tapping your fingers or feet, etc.
• avoid laughing at the inappropriate time.
Many people with AS find they are the most successful in careers that do not require them to deal with many human emotions and strong social skill expectations. That being the case, the following careers come to mind.
• writer
• animal trainer
• engineer
• computer programmer
• horticulturist
• university instructor in the field you most enjoy
• research analyst
• artist or craftsman
• musician
• assembly line factory worker
• architect
• police or security officer
• fire safety officer
• scientist
• electronic, auto, television, etc. repair person
• carpenter
• librarian
• historian
• antique or special items collector and trader
• and anything else that captures your interest, builds on your strengths and affords you the kind of environment you need.
Making your job a success
Whether or not you decide to tell your employer and/or your fellow employees about your AS, you might ask if you can rely on any of the following services or accommodations which might help you to control the AS traits that could interfere with your job performance. And keep in mind it is important for the employer to realize you are not asking for special compensations that will release you from work responsibilities, but rather special concessions that will help you to do your absolute best work for the company.
(a) ear plugs or stereo headset
(b) sun glasses
(c) word processors
(d) calculators
(e) an office or work space in the most quiet place possible
(f) advanced knowledge of any changes in routine as soon as possible
(g) a mentor or co-worker you can train with or work along side of
(h) a flexible break schedule should you need to quickly find a quiet zone
(i) assistance in filling out your employment forms and contracts
(j) a regular parking space close to the building you will be working in
(k) the opportunity to request which people you work with on group assignments
(l) continued career and job skill training.
(a) Never assume your employer or co-worker should accept anything less than your best efforts. In other words, always do your best.
(b) Always let your employer know if you cannot make it to work or if you will be late or leave early. It is not fair simply to assume that co-workers will cover for you without your having made the effort to explain your absence.
(c) Never underestimate your own potential.
(d) Do everything you can to improve your skills or widen your knowledge.
(e) Try to be patient with people who seem to ignore your needs, they might simply need time to adjust to your differences or more education in order really to understand the AS world.
(f) Try very hard to find employment that holds your interest. If you do, you will be far more likely to control any of the AS behaviors that might otherwise make it difficult for you to do your job.
(g) Try not to quit a job without first giving at least two weeks notice. This implies you will be honest with yourself about how the job is going, so that you can judge whether or not you are beginning to feel overwhelmed, overloaded or too frustrated by the demands. The moment you feel any of these sensations, you need to talk to your employer or mentor and either find a way to deal with the situation or prepare to leave the job.
(h) Tell your employer and co-workers what you think they need to know about your AS, if you decide that this will help them to better accommodate you, understand you, and help you to find the kind of work you are best suited for.
(i) Let your employer and co-workers know you appreciate their friendships and their guidance by sending them a thank you note once or twice a year or by simply telling them how you feel about their association with you.
Appendix IV
Organizing Your Home Life
I like household routines as much as I like professional sumo wrestling — which is to say I do not like them in the least. I used to feel a tug of guilt when I allowed myself to admit I did not enjoy all that comes with caring for my family and home, but that was before I came to view homemaking as a quasi-academic major worthy of a stack of certifications and degrees. Those who tell you homemaking is easy or that it is enticing only to simpletons, are woefully misinformed. In my view, homemaking is a science that has to be studied, researched, analyzed, learned and memorized. Not because it requires a great deal of intellect, rather because it requires a well-organized and deliberately attentive mind. A mind that can shuffle, sort, file, retrieve, and re-route with only a moment’s notice.
I, like many of my AS friends, do not have a mind like that. My mind wanders about like a golden retriever let loose near several reed-lined ponds and an open field, knee high in native grass and wildlife. I never know quite what I am looking for, exactly what needs my attention first, precisely where I want to go, or how I want to approach that which lies before me. I marvel at those I know who are able to handle their home with any measure of efficiency or ease. To me, homemaking is an intricate blend of peculiar demands, random fundamentals, chaotic compromises and irksome annoyances; it is a skilled trade I have no plans of mastering. Still, it is something I try to train myself to do with at least a certain measure of proficiency and a degree of resignation that I would not have been able to offer just ten years ago. After much trial and error, here are the lessons I have managed to learn about homemaking with AS.
Color coding: A foolproof way of keeping everyone and most everything organized