What can I do if my son has autism spectrum disorder

[Kat-attack]

My son, Nathan started "flapping" his hands around 2-years old.  He started speech therapy at 4.  He was always very co-operative.  So when he was 4 he was put on a IEP.  He started kindergarden in Chicksands, a Air Force military base in England.  It was a the District of Georgia we were in.  Anyway, I had alot of support there with speech therapy, small muscle therapy and a program that was made for him to attend kindergarten all day.  He was not very co-ordinated.  They adminstered an IQ test and told me that he had a learning disability.  No name, but his non-verbal skills were so far ahead of his verbal skills, that he qualified for a disability.  Anyway, he in now 24, in elementary school, jr high, and high school we moved to Utah, which did not have as much support for the IEP.  He still needed speech and still runs his words together if he is excited.  He gets good grades - A.  and has one semeseter left in college.  He is an accounting major which really fits him because he can be anal about some things.  The problem is he is socially backward.  He still will flap and rub his hands together, especially if he is watching a sports game and it is exciting.  He works in fast food and is an excellant employee and now trains all the new people.  But he is having trouble getting a job dealing with accounting.  I  know he doesn't interview well.  Someone is going to need to mentor him.  He is very good visually.  But you have to be very specific with directions and he is very literal.  He quite going to speech around 12 years old because he said he was like everyone else.  And they wanted him off his IEP because they were basically not doing anything for him. I wanted them to work with him on his social skills, he invades people's personal space.  He can ba abrupt too.  I read that flapping hands was a sign of autism spectrum disorder.  I'm worried about him getting a job.  He is also on a scholarship in college.  thank you, Kathy

[Rachel Thompson, Ph.D., BCBA]

You are correct that repetitive behaviors (e.g, handflapping), delayed language, and social impairment are characteristic of autism. Of course, a qualified professional would need to conduct a thorough assessment to diagnosis any disorder. Given your concerns, it is great that you got some help in his younger years. I have no doubt that this contributed to his current academic success. It seems that your biggest current concern is interview skills. Perhaps there are some resources available at your son’s college that would help to prepare him for an interview in his chosen field. Often colleges and universities have a career center that provides these resources. In addition, it may be useful to contact the college office that oversees accommodations for individuals with disabilities, as they may have additional resources that may be helpful. Although a diagnosis can be helpful in obtaining services, often a diagnosis does not provide much information about how to address these deficits. Like many college students, I suspect that your son would benefit from (a) getting some help with building a resume, (b) learning about the format of most job interviews, (c) role playing interviews, (d) receiving constructive feedback on his interview skills, and (e) perhaps watching his role-played interview on video to assist in self-identifying desirable and undesirable interview behavior. Many college students gain entry into a company through internships. Often interns are screened less heavily, and internships allow the company to sample the interns’ skills. If you son’s difficulties are mostly with the first impression (the interview), an internship might provide a foot-in-the-door.

[Moms3boys]

Have you thought about trying to get him job interviews in industries that are already saturated with Aspies? Such as applying to tech companies to work in their internal accounting depts?

Industries that encourage such personality types will probably be more understanding.

You said your son was in college, is there a jobs councilor there who could recommend some kind of training for interview skills?

[Sally44]

I presume your son doesn't have a diagnosis at present?  Have you talked about it with him.  Would he like an evaluation and would he find it a positive experience to understand where some of his difficulties come from?  If he is on the spectrum that can sometimes be a bonus to getting a job.  I was on another website and a man with Aspergers (who had decided to 'come out' with his diagnosis), had just got a job specifically because of the positive characteristics of Aspergers.
But I agree that you/he may need some information/help on how he should approach interviews.  I think if your son gets a diagnosis it would help him to highlight his strengths in his C.V.