2:14pm July 11, 2013

➸ Autistic Drift: people with autism or aspergers cannot be expected to do the same work as neurotypicals

I don’t see why not. Autistic people may need some additional supports or accommodations to work in a certain environment or at a certain pace, but I think in terms of quality and type of work, autistic people can and do often work on a par with typical peers who have the same training and…

I think it really depends on the type of autism and the type of work.

I can’t work, and autism is a huge part of it.

I can’t do sustained intellectual work, my brain won’t stay in the right mode to understand and process ideas and respond to them.

I used to think I’d end up doing physical work. Like at age sixteen I was paid minimum wage to do ad-assorted jobs at a group home, from taking care of horses to painting fences and buildings.

But then as my autism-related movement disorder progressed, that became impossible too.

At this point physical work is totally out of the question because of not only autism, but neuromuscular problems that keep me in bed.

And I can do some intellectual stuff, like writing, but never in command, which ruins any possibility of getting paid.

Both the physical and mental parts of the work problems that come from autism, come from the same basic sources.

Whether the action in question involves physical movement, moving thoughts through my head, or anything else. I have trouble starting, continuing, combining, switching, or executing (in terms of speed, intensity, rhythm, timing, direction, or duration). That’s from a chart in a book on autism and movement. Those problems affect postures, actions, speech, thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and memories.

That’s the shortest answer for why I can’t do the same work an NT does. Or can’t do it the same way, in the same time, or for the same reasons.

It doesn’t just affect employment type work either. I can’t do household work and need assistance with pretty much everything in daily life. None if this is unusual for autistic people. Along with discrimination, it’s why our employment rate is so low.

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