Jobs for People with Autism – Different Options & Possibilities
Autism is fairly prevalent in our society, with the CDC stating that approximately 1 in 54 children have been recognized as having some degree of autism spectrum disorder. Despite being more common in males than females, it still occurs across all genders, races, and groups of people. With so many children being born on the autism spectrum, in a few years, those children will be looking for jobs, and a means to support themselves once they can. While in their younger years, transitional services and continuing healthcare can make a large difference in an autistic person\’s successful move into the workforce, there are still several job opportunities available for people with autism in today’s workforce.
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Autism Jobs and Specific Skills
Several symptoms are associated with autism that may make holding some types of jobs more difficult than others. However, if the type of job sought is tailored to someone with autism\’s specific needs, they can be perfectly sufficient and even thrive in their job — just like anyone else. There are even jobs available for them, which will help them grow and strengthen the skills that people with autism tend to have above others.
People with autism tend to have a high technical aptitude. This means that learning things associated with machines, programs, and systems may come particularly easy for them. They are also good with facts and tend to approach everything logically, keeping emotion out of the equation. This helps with keeping objective opinions in workplace situations. Also, people on the autism spectrum may have a certain topic they seem to know everything about. They also tend to be extremely visually oriented, giving them an acute eye for detail and differences in intricacies.
Autism and Animals
People with autism often feel very drawn and connected to animals, so working with animals may be perfect for an autistic person. Reactions in animals can be similar to the reactions that autistic people experience at certain stimuli, giving people with autism a particular empathy for what animals experience. Aversion to eye contact, overstimulation, and loud noises can all signal danger and discomfort to animals. The same can be said for many people on the autism spectrum. Due to all these similarities, animal-related careers may be particularly for people with autism. These could include grooming or training animals or even being a veterinary assistant.
Autism and Technology
Due to their high ability with technical skills, technology careers may also be a perfect job for autism. Some computer programmers and software engineers in the world who are highly recognized as excelling at their jobs fall on the autism spectrum. The lack of social interaction coupled with the black and white logical thinking of mathematics and programming fits extremely well with the environment and capabilities that people with autism are usually best suited for.
Autism and Manufacturing
Some people with autism find comfort in repetitive movements and orderly environments where they can be given a single task or set of tasks without much variation and be left on their own to accomplish that task. In this case, a career in a manufacturing position may be the perfect fit as a job for an autistic person. Manufacturing can require technical knowledge and provides the black and white objective and factual thinking that helps keep people with autism within their comfort zone.
Autism and Research
When someone on the autism spectrum takes an interest in a particular subject, they may research and teach themselves about that subject to the extent that many people would not go to, learning everything there is to know or everything available to know about something they are interested in. People with autism also find it very easy to detach themselves from the emotional side of things, only looking at facts and figures, giving themselves the ability to remain completely objective about a subject. Therefore, a good set of jobs for people with autism may include research or even journalism. The autistic’s great attention to detail can also be helpful in these types of careers.
If you or someone you know falls on the autism spectrum and is looking for a great career, many resources and job opportunities are available that will fit their needs and traits while also keeping a comfortable, safe environment for them to work in.
