I have been very fortunate; I came across a group that wanted to hire me specifically because of my Autism, as their program is about Autistic adults mentoring Autistic youth. I completely agree that much more needs to be done to help disabled people find meaningful employment.

Thank you. I've been mentoring since 2014, so in that time I have had a fair few students grow up and go on to succeed. One of my first pupils now runs her own personal training business as well as playing football at state level for instance, very proud of her.

Nice! That is an awesome and fulfilling job you have. I bet it is challenging at times, but very rewarding. I am honestly completely ignorant when it comes to the Autism spectrum. From my ignorant point of view, I see Autism as the ability to have deep focus on a very particular subject without being easily distracted from it. But I can be completely wrong. 

I'm not sure if you mind sharing a bit more about this subject here. I would love to learn more.

I am a firm believer that every human has the ability to positively impact other peoples lives. I'm not sure if you have noticed, by I really enjoy numbers and programming, so If there is any of your mentees that is interested in exploring the world of programming, I would be honored to volunteer and spend some time helping them explore this area.

It is both challenging and rewarding, yes. And yes, a deep and powerful focus on specific topics is a central component of autism, though there is more to than that, like sensory sensitivity, being either either extremely high or low in empathy, difficulty with socialising and eye contact, anxiety, being extremely proficient at a particular skill, etc.

That's very good of you to offer, it might be worth looking into whether there are any support programs in your area you could work/volunteer with.

OP is your Autism severe or moderate or is it just Asperger's?

In 2013, millions of people that have Asperger's overnight lost their identity when Asperger's was placed under the Autism Spectrum umbrella. Asperger's is regarded as a more mild form of Autism, where people can talk, have average or above average intelligence and have no intellectual difficulties. When most people think of Autism they picture the more severe kind where the person has intellectual disability, non-verbal and behavioural problems. Asperger's is a mild form of Autism but they have the social/communication skills deficit that is common with other people on the Autism Spectrum.

Prevention by not getting vaccines may help prevent children from getting Autism. It has been argued that vaccines may lead to Autism and not getting vaccines may help prevent Autism. Treatment for Autism involve learning social/communication skills, learning coping strategies and taking medications to reduce anxiety and behavioural problems. There is no cure for Autism, only expensive treatment plans involving psychologists, behavioural therapists, psychiatrists, etc. 

What vaccines do kids get at a young age that would cause that? Don't they get vaccinated after the brain is developed somewhat?

I was diagnosed as Asperger's when I was 19, in 2008. I do not consider myself to have "lost my identity" under the changes to the DSM; it didn't change who I am, just the diagnostic term for it.

And vaccines don't cause Autism, there has never been any concrete evidence to suggest they do. The man who proposed the link in the late 1990s, Andrew Wakefield, was found to have falsified his research and later studies showed no such connection.

I hate having to explain myself to people that I have Aspergers. Lacking social/communication skills makes life frustrating and difficult. I hope for a cure to Autism/Aspergers so that millions of us sufferers of Autism can one day live a normal life.

When you are giving a diagnosis of Autism the nightmare does not end, the nightmare continues. Only a cure for Autism can remove the social, communication and psychological issues that comes with Autism. Finding employment and fitting into social groups would be a lot easier if I was a normal person instead of suffering from Autism.

I'm sorry that you're having a hard time. 

Personally, I don't want to be cured of my Autism. It's an intrinsic part of what makes me who I am, and I've largely learned to manage its challenges and embraces its positives. Yes, there are struggles that come with it, but without it I wouldn't have my passionate focus on my special interests, or my ability to memorise huge amounts of information on said topics, or the perspective and lived experience that allows me to do my job well.

For me, the solution to many of the challenges I have had with it was to find an understanding and accepting support network, many of whom are the fellow Autistics I have met through work and support groups. 

A great deal much of the workplace runs on social cues. AS interferes mightily with the ability to read and act on social cues, and so working with other people can be awkward at best and at worst, can get you fired. Women with AS tend to be better at reading social rules in a given situation, but it takes time, and as they’re mostly mimicking, what we learn from one situation might be completely inappropriate in another. The learning curve can be costly.

AS, as it is a form of autism, embodies more than just “awkwardness”. Autism is oftentimes referred to as a spectrum. Traditionally, the spectrum was linear, with AS being on one end, and so-called “low-functioning” autism on the other. However, autism is really more of a color wheel. It has many symptoms and comorbid conditions, and where one person can have intact executive function, they may struggle with anxiety or incontinence.

A person with deficiencies in certain areas, such as speech, hygiene or incontinence will be labeled as lower-functioning, disregarding their strong points, whereas one with executive dysfunction, auditory processing problems, or mental health issues, might be given a “high-functioning” label. Asperger’s Syndrome as an official diagnosis was omitted from the DSM-V, simply referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder, but these functioning labels remain, putting a diverse group of people at a disadvantage, and a lot of them, myself included want to see them done away with altogether.

It is unfortunate that Autism is still so often simplified as "high" and "low" functioning, as the former tend to get their difficulties overlooked and the latter their strengths overlooked. I agree that they're generally unhelpful and we should stop using them.

One of the advantages of me working in my field is that I'm constantly surrounded not only by other Autistics, but by non-Autistics willing to listen and learn, and with so many parents of Autistic children now getting to hear from Autistic adults, I feel like things are slowly starting to get better, at least in my corner of the world.

I really feel like Autistic adults mentoring Autistic youth is the best way forward, passing on our experiences and what worked for us, and helping them avoid the pitfalls we suffered growing up. It would've made a huge difference for me when I was a teenager just to hear from someone who'd been through what I was experiencing. It took me many years to learn to feel okay about myself and to accept my Autism.