Asperger's at Work Workshop

WHAT IS ASPERGER'S SYNDROME

Social difficulties are frequently experienced by persons with Asperger’s (also called Autism Spectrum Disorder, High Functioning Autism). Underlying these social difficulties are variety of behaviours. These can be present to a very mild degree or very prominent and can include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Presence of "special interests" which can be intense and preoccupying, and separate the person from others who do not share that interest.
• Difficulty discerning what is going on in the mind of someone else especially their thoughts, feelings, and intentions e.g. saying things without thinking about impact on listener, e.g. missing when listener is getting bored.
• Deficits in social interest e.g. above average need for being alone
• Difficulty with reciprocity in conversations e. g. difficulty in turn taking, e.g. difficulty making small talk e.g. turning topic of conversation back to their special interest
• Sometimes, subtle peculiarities in manner of speaking, pedantic style of speaking

PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP

The general goal of the workshop will be to help individuals improve their workplace experience. To this end, the workshop will include the following:

• Introduction to Asperger's Syndrome
• Actual workplace difficulties faced by the participants
• Brief review of characteristic Asperger’s behaviours with focus on Asperger’s as a behaviour as opposed to a clinical diagnosis.
• Discussion and practical illustrations of how the following areas can be improved:
  • Introduction to Asperger's
  • Social skills (reciprocity)
  • Special interests
  • How to make "chit chat"
  • How to manage sensorimotor sensitivities
  • Language
  • Forming alliances and/or finding a buddy
  • Special workplaces e.g. corporate world