Asperger's On The Job

Recently, Miles — one of our Aspie Insiders — read a book that greatly changed his outlook when it came to jobs.  The book is called "Asperger's On The Job," and it stands as a guide for both employees with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) as well as employers who have workers with AS.  The author is Rudy Simone, someone who has AS as well, and she provides advice that Miles found enlightening and important.  Some of the greater points that Miles found as he read were the following:

• Simone explains that a majority of people with AS have a knack for appearing blunt, being a perfectionist, or simply showing arrogance.  The thing is, most of the time those people don't realize they are appearing that way.  For Miles, this was a turning point and he recognized that the author had a lot of valuable advice to offer.
• The author made the point that people with AS can find themselves in the center of gossip.  Sometimes this is a good thing, while at other times it's bad.  Fortunately, the book contains ways on how to positively and appropriately handle the situation if it ever comes up.
• The author also uses her own past experiences as someone with AS to demonstrate methods for handling a job.
• The book provides tips on how to handle a job interview and what to do while on the job.
• For employers, the book explains what it's like inside the mind of the person with AS; it also offers ways to help insure positive progress.

As mentioned above, a main point the book makes is that a majority of people with AS can often appear blunt or arrogant or come across as being a perfectionist while on the job.  At the same time, those individuals don't realize that they are appearing this way.  Not only does the author make this point, she also provides techniques for how to handle it.  These can be found below:

"Slow down your urge to inform unless you are being asked specifically for information or advice
- to get your point across, you don’t have to say it directly; being “gentle” or indirect helps in dealing with the uninformed customer
- bluntness and arrogance can sometimes be used to get rid of people that you don’t want to be around; resist the urge to resort to this, as it makes others feel unwanted and leads them to perceive you as rude, mean, etc.
- consider any advice that others give you in this area seriously."

This, to Miles, was the true value of the book.  It's ability to not only identify issues but offer must-have advice on many topics within the workplace was particularly helpful.

IF YOU HAVE ANY ON-THE-JOB EXPERIENCES THAT YOU THINK WOULD BE GOOD TO MENTION, ADD BELOW IN THE COMMENTS SECTION!