View Full Version : Asperger's Intern
rosarugosa
1-17-13, 4:10pm
I wasn't sure where to start this thread; you could certain make a case for the Health Forum, but it's work-related for me, so here we are.
I am excited that I will soon have the opportunity to supervise a young adult with Asperger's as part of an internship pilot program at my workplace. One of the neat things about my job is that I've had the pleasure of supervising a steady stream of high school and college interns over the years. This is a new program for us. Our company is taking three interns as part of this pilot, and I will be supervising one of them! It will be pretty high-profile (our President has a child with Asperger's), but I think I am up for it. I also have a small team of incredibly nice employees, so I think we're as good a group as any to take this on. The idea is to help the intern gain work-related interpersonal skills and experiences, and I suspect we too will learn a lot from the experience.
I've read about Asperger's, but I have no direct personal experience. I'm wondering if any of you do, and if so, whether you have any words of wisdom to share?
I do! I am a den leader for a cub scout pack of boys who are ALL on the autism spectrum (my grandson being one of them). The old saw in these circles is, "If you've met a child with autism, you've met A child with autism." In other words, there are no two alike.
It would be hard to know how to prepare you except if you can, find out what things might cause him or her distress, and then try to circumvent or avoid those kinds of instances. He or she may not "get" a standard colloquialism, and might be a "black or white" type. But it's hard to say.
Will your new charge come with a shadow at first? Sometimes programs will have them accompany the new intern/employee for a while until they get their feet under them.
Tussiemussies
1-17-13, 5:09pm
Hi Rose, Suzanne doesn't post much but she is SO informed about Aspergers that I think she could help you a lot...
Kay.......is this a special troop, or did it just so happen they all had some form of autism??
I do! I am a den leader for a cub scout pack of boys who are ALL on the autism spectrum (my grandson being one of them). The old saw in these circles is, "If you've met a child with autism, you've met A child with autism." In other words, there are no two alike.
It would be hard to know how to prepare you except if you can, find out what things might cause him or her distress, and then try to circumvent or avoid those kinds of instances. He or she may not "get" a standard colloquialism, and might be a "black or white" type. But it's hard to say.
Will your new charge come with a shadow at first? Sometimes programs will have them accompany the new intern/employee for a while until they get their feet under them.
That is awesome - my adult son is on the lower functioning end of the spectrum, we appreciated to no end the opportunities he got from those working with the community. Definitely the spectrum is very wide, if the young adult is unable to communicate their situation themselves, it is helpful getting a low down from someone familiar with them, previous work programs or school or family.
rosarugosa
1-17-13, 7:16pm
There will be an onsite coach for us to reach out to when we have bumps on the road. My manager & I attended a training session with two women from the program, and tomorrow those women will be meeting with my employees (since the intern will be part of my team) as well as the other supervisors in my dept.
I'm already somewhat attuned to the colloquialism thing, since many of my HS students are ESL kids, some very recent immigrants. Sometimes I'll say something to one of them, and they will smile and nod. Then I'll catch myself, and ask "do you know what I meant by that?," and they will vigorously shake their heads "no," while still smiling. :)
I've often has asian HS students who were VERY smart, but struggled with the alphabet, and so simple filing was a challenge. I think this type of scenario could potentially transfer to this intern experience, because I understand that some of these potential interns are extremely intelligent, but lack insight to some basic "social intelligence" type stuff. Interestingly, the women from the program said that asian women often marry men with Asperger's!
I've been told that I am very clear and direct in my communications, and I do have almost infinite patience with someone who is trying his/her best.
(If any of you have read "Look Me in the Eye," you might be interested to know that John Elder Robison is very involved in this program).
fidgiegirl
1-17-13, 7:24pm
rosa, how awesome!
Of course what Kay said is true - there can no more be blanket statements for individuals on the spectrum than for any other characteristic. And what creaker said, too - if there are known strengths/challenges that your intern will have, might as well find out about some of them up front. Although in future jobs no one will likely be that accommodating!
I think one thing that is overlooked with all people, but can be especially effective with individuals on the spectrum, is that often less is more when it comes to talking, and that often social rules/etc. need to be explicitly pointed out - kindly, but frankly and honestly. Visuals are often helpful for a lot of people as well - photos for sequences, checklists of tasks (daily tasks, sequences), written schedules. These are all commonplace organizational tools in the work world - at least I use some of these kinds of tools for myself - and they can help lessen anxiety and promote independence for anyone.
Do you know if this is the intern's very first experience in a job? Or anything else about the person?
Let us know how it goes!!
rosarugosa
1-17-13, 8:05pm
Kelli: I don't know anything about my intern yet other than the obvious, and since day 1 is scheduled for 1/28, I hope that will change soon! There is supposed to be an interview first, but I believe this is more a matter of just giving the intern interviewing experience. Thanks for the suggestion about written schedules & tasks. I can draw up a few things without too much trouble.
AmeliaJane
1-17-13, 10:52pm
fidgiegirl's remark about organizational tools being useful to everyone struck a chord...
I recall when the Americans with Disabilities Act was new, a lot of people complained about the amount of money that was spent apparently to accommodate just a few people (relatively speaking). But then it became clear that these accommodations may be needed full-time by just a few, but at least occasionally by nearly everybody. For instance, when my dear friend was heavily pregnant with, and then mama to, twins, elevators, curb cuts for rolling double strollers, and large bathroom stalls were really helpful.
I was thinking the same about the kind of social accommodations that people on the autism spectrum would find useful, for instance clear explanation of workplace culture. I don't need them every day, but at any new job, I would have loved to have known some of the unspoken rules before I found out by breaking them...
I have heard, and it would be interesting to ask the autism specialists if this is true, that the portrayal of Max on the television show Parenthood is very well done. Teenage Max has Asperger's and over the course of the show he meets several other people on the autism spectrum. If the character is relatively accurate, it might be a way for some to learn more about Asperger's.
I have several friends whose children have Asperger's. I've known the children while they were in their teens, and others while in their 20s.
Some things their parents have told me: organization, structure and reliable routines are key to keeping them on an even keel. Less clutter in their area/workspace.
In some of the FlyLady writings/website (she is very big on daily/weekly to-do lists/routines, organization, and being clutter-free), people have written in to say that their children, some of whom are special needs (including autism/Asperger's), do much better when they had their own routines (in a plastic page protector that could be checked off with a dry erase marker), less distractions in the way of clutter, etc.
So, that might be something to think about, depending on where the intern's workspace will be. I do daily checklists myself, even at work, so perhaps that might be something easy you could do. If duties change for certain days of the week have a "Monday-Wednesday-Friday" list and another for "Tuesday-Thursday." Do it up on the computer in a Word doc, and have a copy to mark off each day. Extra things could be hand written on the list.
I don't know if this holds across the board with people on the autism spectrum, but I was told by the parents that lots of eye contact is good. I was also told that folks with Asperger's don't get non-verbal clues, such as body language, in addition to sarcasm, etc. They are often very literal, black and white people.
I think talking to the parents of your intern would be helpful, if that is possible.
I spend time on a regular basis with a boy with Asperger's, and my advice would be that if the intern likes to do something, he will really like it, so let him keep on doing it! My young friend can grab on to a task and really get into it, with a desire to keep doing it as part of his regular routine. For example, if your intern likes to file, then send him the filing.
As others have stated above, this is only one person I know, and I do not mean to imply my advice will apply broadly.
Best of luck. I really enjoy reading the enthusiasm in your voice about this program. (I would love it, too!)
I have a friend with a son who has Aspergers as does his father. His father is a highly qualified structural engineer with his own business. They share many traits.
They are both very literal. Their sense of humor can seem to be very juvenile but also sweet. Small puns and the crazy use of English cause much laughter.
The son has sensory issues over such things as taste and smells.
Their son kept failing in public schools so they placed him in a private school for Autism/Aspergers spectrum and he is excelling with As. He spends half his day on social skills and related activities. Smart kid and I find him very easy to be around. Immature for his age at least in our culture but a very caring kid and interested in many things.
Miss Cellane
1-18-13, 8:43am
So, that might be something to think about, depending on where the intern's workspace will be. I do daily checklists myself, even at work, so perhaps that might be something easy you could do. If duties change for certain days of the week have a "Monday-Wednesday-Friday" list and another for "Tuesday-Thursday." Do it up on the computer in a Word doc, and have a copy to mark off each day. Extra things could be hand written on the list.
I think this is an excellent idea--but I'd have the intern make the checklist. I'd think that one of the aspects of the internship would be teaching him skills to succeed in the workplace. Giving him a checklist is good, teaching him how to make his own checklist, no matter what the job, gives him a degree of independence.
fidgiegirl
1-18-13, 9:23am
The son has sensory issues over such things as taste and smells.
Ah yes, sensory issues. Many individuals on the spectrum have some sort or another of sensory issues. I am not sure I fully understand this area, but I know I have been surprised in the past by some ASD students' sensitivity to certain lighting (too bright, usually), the buzzing of the fluorescent lights that I can't even hear, smells, certain clothing on the skin being very irritating and can't even stand it, etc. So one thing that may come out is self-advocacy around sensory or other needs. As a young adult this person will need to know his/her sensitivities and be able to advocate for acceptable solutions in the workplace - solutions that meet the employer's needs (for example, employee who prefers sweatpants or yoga pants isn't going to fit in a Big Law firm, but might be fine in less formal workplaces as far as dress). Employee who has a hard time with fluorescent lighting might have a hard time in a cube land, but maybe there are ideas to work around it. Individuals and their allies sure can be creative!
I spend time on a regular basis with a boy with Asperger's, and my advice would be that if the intern likes to do something, he will really like it, so let him keep on doing it! My young friend can grab on to a task and really get into it, with a desire to keep doing it as part of his regular routine.
I had an Asperger's employee for several years. I'll call her Angie, though that is not her real name. This was my experience as well. Angie dove into the software program we were using and came up with ways to do all kinds of things we'd always talked about but never knew how to do. Of course, this enthusiasm sometimes was balanced by making the changes before they were announced or even tested much, but, well, guiding that enthusiasm is part of leading an Asperger's employee. We did have to create a review structure for Angie so she stayed on-task and within the scope of a project (it was too easy for her to make unnecessary "and we could do this, and we could do that" additions) and made sure that projects were tested and announced before the changes were made.
As with many/most Asperger's people I've encountered/read about/seen on TV, social nuance is overwhelming in even very small quantities. Angie loved to sit down (with the clients she liked [most of them]) and was good at discussing with them their business needs to be emulated by the software. Here she displayed a very good sense of people. On the other hand, Angie did not suffer fools gladly. I dealt with some of this by shielding her as much from them as I could (some of them were clueless) and by helping her focus on working with the software rather than with the individual. She still sometimes had to deal with them directly and if she crossed a line with them I told her so. I also took her aside on several occasions to tell her I was very happy with the way she had just handled a particular situation. But just as we don't shove our kids in front of clowns they find scary, I tried to help Angie be successful in doing her work and not lose it on the rocks of office politics or stifling process.
In our particular work, high structure was a challenge. Work spent on making these kinds of changes had to stop when a system problem was affecting users. I have to say Angie handled that well. Some of that was my prioritization within the group that it was a noble thing to keep the train running. I also encouraged efforts to fix things once and for all rather than just apply a bandage to that instance.
As others posted, some Asperger's people often encounter some form of sensory overload. For Angie it was smells. Sometimes even lunch (her own, bought at the cafeteria) would do it all of a sudden. Some remodeling in our office area sent her home several days, though, to her credit, she did come in to work most days first. Fortunately, we had a pretty liberal work-at-home policy with my manager and she was quite accessible, so that worked out okay. It was just never knowing what would tip the scales to overload. But there are people who suddenly suffer migraines at work, too, and we handle that as well.
I think the biggest challenge for me was guiding Angie into more-acceptable forms of business behavior. I have to say I treaded gently here. I'm a firm believer that you're better off building on the good points than you are trying to saw off the bad points, so I probably spent a lot of time on avoiding situations (with clients, with office paperwork trivia, etc.) that I knew would be a battle with Angie. But at the time Angie joined our group, she was pretty much marginalized in her career for being perceived as difficult to work with. She contributed for several more years in my group. I'm happy to say some others' attitudes about her changed. And I'm happy to say that she felt more fulfilled for making progress in her career.
Kay.......is this a special troop, or did it just so happen they all had some form of autism??
It is a sensory-friendly pack started by some moms with some scouting experience who all had boys on the spectrum. Very challenging, to say the least. We have tons of support from our District and a typical buddy troop of Boy Scouts (older boys).We piggy back along with them, for instance, on campouts, so the parents of our pack can
be attentive to their boys' needs while the Scouts will, say, build a campfire or something.
I think we're all "on the spectrum," personally. From solitary logical types to those happiest crawling all over other people like puppies in a pile. I hate bright lights and noise and used to disable the fluorescent lights over my cube or turn off half the lights when I worked alone. I can ace on-line Asperger's tests with one hand tied behind my back. I can also ace "emotional intelligence" tests and have about as much focus as a lawn sprinkler. Special snowflakes, all of us.
ToomuchStuff
1-18-13, 12:47pm
I think we're all "on the spectrum," personally.
LOL, I would have to agree. Between myself and relatives who have issues with certain noises, songs etc., lack of social "graces" (what is part experience, what part environment, AKA first lesson you teach a kid, shouldn't be you can't trust others, with addendum's), then watching a show that interviewed people like John Elder Roberts, (functioned for years before a diagnosis) I've wondered what the tests were.
My son has Aspergers, he's only 6 and we only found out a couple of months ago. I don't have anything more to add than what the others already told you. I have to say that when we were at a group meeting for children with autism I had the best time of my life. This group of children was so open and honest that I laughed all the time during the meeting because of their honesty and their questions and stories. I hope you will have a wonderful time and enjoy it very much!
Also, one day I was explaining my nine year old daughter how the forex market works and he was watching in the back ground. We were on a demo account of my broker that showed the candle stick movements of the market and asked her: what is the market going to do based on what you see? Is it going up or down? And she didn't know for sure, but my son stepped up, scrolled back a few weeks and pointed out to his older sister she had to sell. Which was correct. Seeing him do this and realizing that he completely got the concept was so hilarious and unexpected that he totally made my day by doing that. Needless to say that I am very very proud of him.
BarbieGirl
1-18-13, 9:18pm
I have two boys with Asperger's syndrome. A soon to be 20 year old and a 15 year old. I think it's great that people are giving people on the spectrum a chance at finding meaningful skills in real life situations.
As others in this thread have said, the spectrum is different for each person. My youngest son doesn't perceive situations properly. He can become upset easily when things don't go exactly as he perceives them. And that is most of the time.
Even when you explain the situation and it's reality, he often chooses to believe his perception, rather than what is actually going on. That being said, he tends to get along MUCH better with adults and younger children than his own peer group. He's a hard working young man and would thrive on just such a situation the OP described.
My eldest will remain at his HS until next year when he will graduate at 21. He is VERY egocentric and stubborn and will only do what is comfortable for himself, the heck with how anyone else feels. He isn't very empathetic and will outright reject anything he doesn't want to do, even if it's required on the job. He, unlike my youngest doesn't seem to have problems understanding inferred information. He has had success working at an animal shelter, which is the first thing other then computers that he has EVER been interested in.
Both have Asperger's and both are as different as can be. They get on each other's nerves and have no tolerance for each other's special needs, which is often funnily ironic and very frustrating.
OP...best wishes on your new endeavor helping these young people. It's a worthy cause and your efforts may just help this young person in ways that you never imagined!
Barb
...
My eldest will remain at his HS until next year when he will graduate at 21. He is VERY egocentric and stubborn and will only do what is comfortable for himself, the heck with how anyone else feels. He isn't very empathetic and will outright reject anything he doesn't want to do, even if it's required on the job. He, unlike my youngest doesn't seem to have problems understanding inferred information. He has had success working at an animal shelter, which is the first thing other then computers that he has EVER been interested in.
...
Barb
(Well-known person with AS) Temple Grandin explains that she thinks in pictures--as she believes animals do--which makes it easy for her to understand and communicate with them--and to design low-stress containment for cattle.
Both have Asperger's and both are as different as can be. They get on each other's nerves and have no tolerance for each other's special needs, which is often funnily ironic and very frustrating.
Barb
No kidding---sometimes at our scout meetings it's really hard not to bust up laughing at the interactions. Last summer at camp, I walked into a conversation between my grandson and another scout at the campfire. The group was going to sing a song about zombies, but my grandson didn't want to sing it and was insisting, "There's no such thing as zombies! They're just pretend!"
The other boy deadpanned, "Hunter, quit being so we-a-wistic." It was priceless. Maybe you had to be there.
What you say is so true...they are not very tolerant of each others' idiosyncrasies.
There's conjecture that some of the greatest minds of all time (Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Nikola Tesla) would be classified as having AS today. If it is a disability, it's one closely associated with genius.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_figures_sometimes_considered_autistic
Last summer at camp, I walked into a conversation between my grandson and another scout at the campfire. The group was going to sing a song about zombies, but my grandson didn't want to sing it and was insisting, "There's no such thing as zombies! They're just pretend!"
The other boy deadpanned, "Hunter, quit being so we-a-wistic." It was priceless. Maybe you had to be there.
What you say is so true...they are not very tolerant of each others' idiosyncrasies.
Change the ages of the participants and some of the activities in which they're engaging, and you pretty much have the plot of a typical episode of the TV sitcom "Big Bang Theory". :D DW finds the show funny because of the somewhat-cartoonish behavior. I find it funny because I know people like that and -- secretly -- because I display some of those tendencies myself sometimes.
This is my make me feel happy thread!
To all here, helping with this/dealing with this, thank you!
P.S. BarbieGirl. Your soon to be 20 year old, is right behind my soon to be 21 year old! :)
BarbieGirl
1-19-13, 9:15pm
I think we're all "on the spectrum," personally. From solitary logical types to those happiest crawling all over other people like puppies in a pile. I hate bright lights and noise and used to disable the fluorescent lights over my cube or turn off half the lights when I worked alone. I can ace on-line Asperger's tests with one hand tied behind my back. I can also ace "emotional intelligence" tests and have about as much focus as a lawn sprinkler. Special snowflakes, all of us.
Love this! We are all Special Snowflakes! I agree with you, Jane! I often flounder dealing with my two young men with Aspergers, as well as my 'neuro-typical' youngest son. But I wouldn't trade any of them. They are truly unique. Even as I worry about their futures, I look forward to seeing how they handle their challenges as they age. I knw there will be many surprises in store.
BarbieGirl
1-19-13, 9:21pm
Kay,
LOL! One thing about all Asperger kids...they are characters! I've learned so much from all of my boys!
BarbieGirl
1-19-13, 9:27pm
This is my make me feel happy thread!
To all here, helping with this/dealing with this, thank you!
P.S. BarbieGirl. Your soon to be 20 year old, is right behind my soon to be 21 year old! :)
Wow! Mrs. M....so glad OP started this thread. Sometime I feel as if I'm the only one out there with these challenges as a mom. It's comforting to know there are others out the going through this too. Sometimes the Asperger forums I've been on argue and fuss over things that to me make no sense. We're all in it together!
Barb
rosarugosa
1-19-13, 9:47pm
Thanks everyone, for sharing all your thoughts and experiences. You are an amazing group and I never fail to be enriched by the generosity of your input!
Kay, I cannot even begin to imagine what fun your troop must be! (although I would probably need a good stiff drink)
Steve: The woman from the program said that Sheldon from Big Bang is Aspergian. I don't watch TV, so I was telling my team, "you know that show, Big Boom?" met with blank looks.
Jane: The woman said they don't like too much sensory input at once, want to finish one thing before beginning another, like clear and unambiguous communications, and I'm thinking, "and there's supposed to be something abnormal about that?"
There was a training session for my team yesterday, and I wasn't there because I was scheduled for a vacation day. I learned from one of my employees that the facilitator relayed an anecdote about counseling a student who began masturbating while she was talking with him. She explained about peripheral vision and how even though they were looking at each other's faces, she was seeing things that he probably did not intend for her to see. Apparently some of my folks were somewhat taken aback at this -my team is mostly female. I do gather that this is not one of the most likely scenarios, it was probably just one of her more colorful anecdotes. So anyway, for reasons sound or otherwise, I am confident that this is going to be a good time for all involved, and that my team will rise to the challenge, because they are an incredibly kind and compassionate group! I'll keep you posted.
BarbieGirl. It is special going it with others! Just realized the misleading manner in which my entry came across, as my daughter is not AS, but that doesn't go to say that I don't appreciate this thread in a big way!
rosarugosa
2-2-13, 10:37pm
An update: We interviewed two young men this week. There were 3 managers and two candidates. I am disappointed because I will not be working with either of them. One has a degree in accounting and is hoping to be a CPA, and the other has a degree in Political Sciences/History. They were both neat guys and I would have enjoyed having either of them on my team, but the work I have to offer in terms of hard skills is far beneath their abilities, and the other two managers could offer assignments that were a better match to their interests and skill sets. Apparently the program is looking for a third intern for me, but they haven't found a good candidate yet. I can offer a solid internship experience for someone who is pursuing an HR career, but HR is not the field of choice for most Aspergians. I think I can deliver some good experiences in terms of working with a team of nice supportive people, etc., but I think it's a better situation for someone more entry-level. I'll keep you posted.
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