Up to 85% of the Asperger's population are without full-time employment, though many have above-average intelligence.
Rudy Simone, an adult with Asperger's Syndrome and an accomplished author, consultant, and musician, created this insightful resource to help employers, educators, and therapists accommodate this growing population, and to help people with Asperger’s find and keep gainful employment.
Rudy's candid advice is based on her personal experiences and the experiences of over 50 adults with Asperger's from all over the world, in addition to their employers and numerous experts in the field.
Detailed lists of "what the employee can do" and "to employers and advocates" provide balanced guidelines for success, while Rudy's "Interview Tips" and "Personal Job Map" tools will help Aspergians, young or old, find their employment niche.
There is more to a job than what the tasks are: from social blunders, to sensory issues, to bullying by coworkers, Simone presents solutions to difficult challenges. Readers will be enriched, enlightened, and ready to work—together!
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 156
Rudy Simone was born in upstate NY in 1964 but spent most of her life living in other places, including parts of Asia, Europe, and California. She was a singer-songwriter for many years, as well as a freelance journalist, until the publication of her first book 22 Things a Woman Must Know If She Loves a Man with Asperger's Syndrome. Rudy has had essays published in other books on autism and spirituality (Voices of Autism and 29 Gifts) and for a time was the head staff writer and managing editor of TAPS Paramagazine. In Spring 2010, she released two more popular titles on Asperger's, Aspergirls and Asperger's on the Job. As well as being a lecturer and researcher in the field of Asperger's Syndrome (particularly female AS, employment, relationships, and sensory issues), Rudy is also a novelist, screenwriter, and a "speakeasy jazz" singer.
"If I had read this book when I was in my twenties, I could have avoided many problems with coworkers. I truly believe that this book will help individuals on the autism spectrum get, and keep, the fulfilling jobs that they deserve."
Temple Grandin, Ph.D., world-famous autism expert and author of The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger's
"This is a most timely book! … This book is THE guide for how people on the spectrum can find jobs and succeed."
Craig Evans, founder of AutismHangout.com
"Asperger’s on the Job is a good book for potential employees to read, but it's essential for employers. A wonderful achievement."
Michael John Carley, Executive Director of GRASP
"It is a brilliant book. I like very much the practical approach to provide understanding and meet expectations from both sides---the employee and the employer. That's what it is all about."
Thorkil Sonne, Founder of Specialisterne and Specialist People Foundation
"I've found this book the best thing out there because it goes into the thinking process of the job seeker/employee, as well as confronts the stereotypes, prejudices, and mindsets of managers, vocational rehabilitation counselors and job coaches, and other career specialists. This is what sets it aside and gives it some legs."
Roger N. Meyer, author of The Asperger Syndrome Employment Workbook
"I bought your book for myself. Right away bought another one to share with my employers. I was happily surprised that they indeed read it and my work life has taken a change for the better. I find I'm getting more understanding and helpful communication since giving them the book. In my personal life it has helped as well. I find it to have so many good ideas for daily ease of life, due to so many situations 'in life' like being 'on the job.' I now tell people, when I wear my favorite 'Superman' shirt or baseball hat (which I do all the time) that they are my 'SuperASontheJob' clothing now. Your book has given me more 'super' strength than most others out there have. I have even put a mention of it on my personal website. I want everyone I know to read this book and intend on buying copies anytime I need a 'gift' to give to someone whom I just know it will help! Thank you for such a great new step forward in my life."
Ren Matney, from the
Asperger's on the Job Facebook page
Foreword by Temple Grandin
Introduction
Why Should You Employ Someone With AS? The Advantages of Asperger’s
Syndrome in the Workplace
The Importance of Belief
The Big Consequences of Small Talk
Bluntness, Perfectionism, and That Famous Asperger Arrogance
Blunders, Boundaries, and Emotional Detachment
Please Do NOT Fill in the Blank
Quiet Please
Visual Overstimulation and Other Sensory Issues
Trust Me, I Have Asperger’s
Polyester Prisons, Neck-Tie Nooses, and High-Heeled Hell
A Little R&R Goes a Long Way: Ritual and Routine
Don’t Tell Them Where You Heard This, But
The High Cost of Low Behavior
The Power of Praise
Working with Natural Strengths and Interests
Conformity, Psychometric Testing and the New Segregation
Asperger’s and Education: Star-crossed Lovers?
To Tell or Not to Tell, That Is the Question
“Bye Bye,” Said the Black Sheep: Avoiding the Aspergian Pre-emptive Strike
REACH to Succeed
Additional Tools
Finding the Perfect Job for YOU—The Personal Job Map
Interview Tips for Those with Asperger’s
Notes
References
Resources
