Podcast Episode 0060; Season 04, Episode 24; March 16, 2021 Productive. I want to be productive. More precisely, I want to know I am contributing to our family by producing work that earns an income. I’m one of the 85% of autistic adults with a college degree and no full-time employment. That’s our…
Category: Employment
Posts on the employment challenges faced by autistics.
Once again I’m preparing for a low-paying adjunct assignment, vowing this will be the last time I work so hard for so little money. My base salary is $1900 per class. I spend a lot of time on these classes, updating existing materials and preparing new. Regardless of the term…
Podcast Episode 0058; Season 4, Episode 22, March 2, 2021 Catherine (“Cat”) Guimard-Payen provides life coaching to autistic women, but that’s not why I asked her to join us on The Autistic Me Podcast. Catherine is also autistic and the parent of four Neurodiverse children, two with autism and two…
Podcast 0053; Season 04, Episode 17; January 26, 2021 Autism encompasses social and physical disabilities. Traits become disabilities when they limit “normal” daily routines and life activities. My sensory sensitivities exist whether or not I interact with other people. I’m not going to cope well with bright light (including sunlight) or…
My wife and I have two neurodiverse young daughters. The girls are in the first and third grades, ages at which doctors verify or revise diagnoses. As parents, we reference my experiences with the health and education systems to evaluate the services provided to the girls. Reading Rosie Weldon’s autobiography…
My personal traumas might seem minor, yet they are traumas that cause me a lot of misery. If I’ve had a bad experience somewhere, I relive it when I pass nearby. In Minneapolis, I struggled to walk or drive past some buildings on the university campuses. In Pittsburgh, I could…
Podcast 0052; Season 04, Episode 16; January 5, 2021 I’ve been reflecting a lot on friendships, the connections I don’t have. Many autistics I know are more social than I am, especially online. Not every autistic is an introvert, especially in virtual communities. My autistic traits and introversion lead to personal…
The future scares me. The Pessimistic Me dominates my internal deliberations when I try to prepare for the future. I’m an odd mix of pessimist and optimist, which isn’t easy to explain. A friend said that’s true of other creators and entrepreneurs. Yes, I gamble on the future, but I prepare…
What follows is the letter I wish I could send to prospective employers. Dear Employers: I want to work. I would be a dedicated, reliable employee. Give me an opportunity and I’ll prove my value. Previous cover letters focused on my academic and professional qualifications. However, during interviews it becomes…
Podcast Episode 0050; Season 04, Episode 14; December 15, 2020 Self-Care is Self-Preservation When does being autistic mean we’re disabled? Autism becomes a disability when we cannot perform routine daily functions, either for fun or work. Daniel Sansing and Ben Sorensen discuss the autistic need for self-care. Autistic masking and struggles to “fit” into groups leave…