Indeed a known problem. What I don't hear anyone ever mention is how are these people affording to live. If 70% of people are unemployed, who is paying your rent and food? Genuinely asking because I'm super struggling but I simply cannot afford to quit.

I like (sarcasm) how us late diagnosed autistics all have such similar traumatic experiences growing up, and sometimes think about how different the diagnostic criteria for ASD would be if that trauma and the resulting behaviors weren't a factor

I quit my last job because it was a veterans vs newbies environment and HR was not willing to actually reprimand the veterans at all, even when they were obviously in the wrong. I reported someone for selling illegal copies of movies in the workplace and was told “don’t tell me about that, I can’t know that” instead of them actually talking to the coworker. And then when that same co worker said some horribly anti-Semitic things I was told “he doesn’t know any Jewish people, he didn’t mean it that way.” His exact words? “You don’t have all the money you owe me? What are you, a Jew?” But he “DiDn’T mEaN iT LiKe ThAt” and I was supposed to cut him some slack and forgive him for telling me to take a chill pill when I pointed out he was being racist to his face. I can’t stand hypocrisy and this was the same HR head that was holding all the anti racism meetings and telling us to be inclusive towards people who are different than us. The cognitive dissonance is real and this wasn’t even the only instance of it I ran into in an HR head. I hate that my spicy brain makes it so these hypocrisies stand out more. Everyone else was able to just ignore the badness. I was the only one going home every day exhausted from having to be civil to people who acted like *that.*

It makes me anxious, if I lose my job I'm homeless yeah? I can't get other places to hire me it sucks

It's painful, I gave my job my everything and was discriminated for my autism. I had my raise cut for reporting it and management harassed me. SSI are not going to help me they've harass me alot, trying to say I'm faking and owe them. Despite diagnose twice. I just want to work in a safe place. I can do the job but the bully is just so bad.

im not autistic but i have adhd + cptsd and this video was super refreshing. im unemployed and have trouble keeping jobs, usually because of my low energy from living with my abusers + symptoms. i also prefer to keep to myself at work and people dont like that. i dont get why i cant just go and perform the duties required to obtain capital. i felt infantalized by my coworkers/managers a lot. they even made jokes at my expense because i couldnt stand up for myself. it sucks to be spending so much energy managing my overstimulated trauma brain while its just a tuesday for others. i dont ever give a damn about the corporation im working for. corporate culture means nothing to me. im just trying to survive.

I just don’t know how to keep a job when I’m treated badly by managers for not acting the way they want me to but also being begged to stay because I do the job well. Managers who don’t like me at all still try to guilt me out of leaving

People who thinks you dont have autism are the same people who learn everything they know about autism from Rain Man or The Big Bang Theory.

Cameras?? They record interviews??

I have adhd and had my first taste of real bullying at work related to my adhd. It was only for 4 months but it was long enough to leave me traumatized. I started a new job that's more simplistic, and it's like night and day. I've never been good at any job, but I have my boss telling me I'm the best out of our group at certain tasks. They empathize with my mental health struggles and are always kind and encouraging. They actually thank me at the end of the day. I'm 34 and I've never in my life felt this good at a job. If those with sensory issues can deal with it, I'm telling you working in the (legal) marijuana industry is the best thing I've done for myself.

I'm autistic and currently unemployed. Here are some of my thoughts. For me, applying for jobs feels like a game where you lose if you make one wrong move. With the whole process of setting up a good resume, finding something that fits within your limitations, dealing with constant rejection, preparing for interviews, and the pressure of running out of money, I feel like I need to think 10 steps ahead and compromise my integrity for a job I'm not sure I even really want. Sometimes it feels like I'm being punished for having a little self-respect. This leads to burnout and wanting to give up before anything even happens. And if I do get a job, I feel like I need to stick with it no matter what because I don't want to go through that process again. This is what led me to stay at a dishwashing job long after it started taking a toll on my mental health. I also found it really helpful to get a hold of a social worker who can help you with the process. Unfortunately it is kind of a time consuming process if you don't act fast, but for a lot of neurodivergents it's absolutely crucial to get a good support network. Thankfully I have two sisters who have been incredibly helpful along the way.

I see some parallels as you were talking about your college life. I also had trouble with college (it was small and private and EXPENSIVE) while living on my own. I somehow dormed on my own, but if I DID roomed with someone, I would have been in a WORSE situation... I had to leave that college. I was on academic probation, and I was so confused about what was happening around me half of the time...I finished my degree at a city college 2 years later as planned as I changed my major 2-3 times...And not even using my degree anymore. Yay... If you're wondering, I'm, AuDHD dxed in Jan. of this year. I felt like sharing in hopes you feel less alone. I would like to add that there's no shame in going to a community college to get your gen eds out of the way. You save SO MUCH money.

I bet her name is autumn 🥮🍁

I’ve been able to frame my difficulties with depression at my current place. Being able to work from home is better for my mental health, but bad for productivity.

I got fired from home depot for fidgeting with stuff and going non verbal when it got busy

High functioning Autistic people can work and hold jobs. I am High Functioning Autistic and have held my job in Areospace manufacturing for over 15 yrs. So saying Autistic ppl cannot work is a falsehood. It really depends on the person and their degree of impairment.

i lost my job at the end of march this year and i’m still unemployed, i finally got diagnosed just 3 weeks ago and i definitely feel more validated but it’s still like what do i do now i still need money 😫

Me 100%

We shouldn’t be talking about the NT structure, the economy of selling your labor is inherently ableist. On top of public schools not being a place for autistics, we shouldn’t be trying for employment as the goal. Selling our labor means don’t be overstimulated, don’t need help, don’t take days off, focus on what the boss tells you to focus on, play the social field, don’t say no, do say no but don’t say it that way; all of this doesn’t support the spectrum of autistics, nonetheless disabled people generally. This is because we must sell our time to survive. Not because we are afraid or unable, it’s because the current system doesn’t able us to work. Not everyone should work under this market system. If we want people to work we need to consider what makes work difficult as a systemic structure. If we had a work environment that prioritized all input, allowed more breaks, communal behaviors, provided meals, socio economic stake, merit based promoting , and deconstruction of hierarchy, to name a few are not possible under markets. This is why disabled people are disenfranchised from employment.

Figured out otherwise? So you were formally diagnosed? My diagnosis opened my eyes a lot too.

Not disabled enough to qualify for disability but disabled enough to where I can’t keep a job for more than 6 months. But also if I get on disability I’m basically signing a contract to promise to remain impoverished otherwise it gets taken away. I hate it here

I’ve been bullied out of the workplace, and had two small T traumas with 2 of my jobs because i was wrongfully terminated twice. i don’t know what to do anymore!!! the workplace is so toxic and hostile these days.

Girl! I just discovered your content, and I'm loving it, and I hope you make it big, because I'm sick of seeing Caucasian NDs. No offense to them, but I NEED different voices and perspectives. K ty <3 My magic number is 12 months and I'm out. I have quit rando, unpaid gigs earlier. In my very first (retail) paying job, I became a no-show after a month. I just wanted to cry every time I went in. A sad, pathetic "deer-in-highlights" time. Arghs. I also wish if someone could just "plop" me where I belong career-wise. I don't care to get rich (but a wage that makes sense ofc) nor fame. I want to be somewhere I'm needed/wanted that works in my performance and my weird brain...

Well this doesn't even apply to me since I can't even land interviews. They must just skip over my applications 😒 so yea unfortunately I had to get unto unsavory things to make money. Things that I'd rather not do but hey that's just the way the world works and how the cookie crumbles. My cookie literally crumbles under the weight of pressure from the pounding it gets in bed. 🫤 Disgusting, yes, I know. I hate it so much.

Back in middle school, we did mock job interviews, and I literally Failed because I couldn't make enough eye contact. Pretty sure I as the only kid that failed too, I felt so inadequate. And my uncle literally kept trying to get a job, and he's a hard working guy too, nobody would hire him. He is visibly nerodivergent and overweight, so I suspect that they were rejecting him because of that. It's the fact that he tried to pull himself up by his bootstraps and it didn’t even work. He had to be start his own business, then he started delivery for doordash, and he works very hard, he's dedicated to his work. Idk it just breaks my heart that he literally tried to pull up his bootstraps and that's not good enough, apparently.

I'm a lucky one, lucky and tired one. I had worked for 2 companies the past 12 years, 6 year on each. What I did was learn skills and behaviors that are specifically for corporate environment, this is something I decided many years ago: it is much easier to socialize in professional setup, so I gave up on friends for good, I don't have any, I'm married and my husband is all the social I need. But I know I'm the exception, wish I could give tips, but honestly I don't want anyone doing what I did just to survive, it's tiring and as I get older the feeling of "I can't do this much longer" get closer and closer.

I have social anxiety and clinical depression since I was a child . It is hard to find and keep a job.

I quit my job as a florist a few months ago. It was so very stressful and I also had decided to go back to collage and keep working. That was a mistake Pftt. That job had very kind and understanding people. I loved my coworkers, a lot of them are also ND. My manager has ADHD we really bonded over that. But unfortunately it was not the environment for me. There was never a day when we weren’t stressed. An every holiday everyone was expected to work long hours (10-12 hr shifts with only a 30 minute lunch break) to keep up with orders. I got extremely burnt out after my first Mother’s Day working there and had to be hospitalized. From then on I only worked part time but it was still too much. I’m still struggling to recover from the burn out, it feels like it will never go away. N it makes me wonder if I’ll ever be able to hold a job when I couldn’t even hold one that I really liked. Being a florist was so creatively rewarding and doing it with people I could joke around with during shifts was so fun.

That's why I'm so glad I found tge job I'm currently in. Night shifts on my own so it's quiet, and I got plenty of time to get my tasks done. I work 7 days and rest 7 days. Every other job I had made me miserable. This job gives me hope that I can survive and enjoy life. I struggled to see myself live past 40 before that, because I couldn't see life as worth it if I had to spend most of it doing a typical job

Don't tell them you have autism until AFTER you're hired! They can't fire you then, because that's just discrimination! They have no choice BUT to accommodate 😏

I felt college was easier than any other time of my life. I failed everything until I was able to write essays in college. Essays come easy to me. Testing not so much.

You are correct. This condition compounds the discrimination, disparate treatment and lack of empathy you’re experiencing as a designated “BW” in this racist, misogynoiristic society. 🤍

I can relate so much to what you're dealing with!! I seriously also think about me or other people passing away and that maybe I didnt try hard enough to connect with them and I regret stuff or they are dissapointed and sad even after my life.. :( as an older milennial (38) I used to be active on facebook but honestly I cant stand it anymore! I just compare and compare.. other people in my age have senior jobs and own houses! I just isolate myself out of shame that I cant get or keep a job.. :( I have autism, adhd but worst is my physical pain.. its lonely.. thank you for making me feel less alone struggling with life in my 30s!

That’s interesting what you brought up that having an insecure employment and low pay is worsening health! I wonder if it’s even helathier for me and other autistic & adhd people to be on disability benefits than having a job that would actually pay less and then apply for emergency money from my county just to pay bills for rent, food and utilities.. its also a big burden of shame to carry because unfortunately people in my country Sweden gets shamed a lot for having to apply for emergency money from the county. Having that security with disability income even though it’s low have been good for me. Unfortunately its only temporary and I dont know if working would even pay off in comparison.. I make about the same or a bit lower in a low wage job as disability benefits and I have to be on the brink of burnout constantly 😢 thank you for talking about this topic and sharing your story! I used to live in the US too but had to move back to my home country because of financial trouble.

Hi, 16 year old undiagnosed autistic “girl” here! :D (I’m non-binary but I’m perceived as a girl in society) When I figured out I was autistic (at around 14 years old, almost 15) and the more I learned about autism and how it affected me, I told my mom about it and at first we were working on getting me assessed for a diagnosis. At first I wanted one because I wanted people to take my autism seriously and not call me a “faker” since a lot people these days think that people are just self diagnosing themselves as autistic for attention and because it’s “trendy” (which I disagree with). As I started to learn more about the process that goes it getting a diagnosis I learned that getting one it’s really expensive, it can affect my chances of immigrating to certain countries (I’m looking at u Canada and New Zealand🤨), etc. etc. I stopped trying to get one. Hearing your advice on how to navigate college made me realize that if I have a diagnosis, I have a higher chance in getting accommodations than without one. I don’t do traditional school anymore and I now do virtual schooling under a homeschool program because the school system in my area isn’t the best and it’s just better this way since I’m an easy target for bullying (since I’m ya know, autistic plus I can’t mask as well as others lol). I love the events and challenges they set up but I really struggle with doing my schoolwork not because it’s hard to understand but bc it sucks so much energy out of me and I get frustrated doing my assignments. I do better when my mom watches me but that’s inconvenient for her since she’s a busy women and I hate people being in personal space. I tell myself that hopefully I’ll do better in college since I get to choose classes that suit my interest and maybe I can get my professors to let me use special headphones to concentrate in class. I’ve tried making schedules and to help me but I can only follow them for a short period of time before I collapse. But anyways, great video and I’m glad u survived college!🥲 edit: sorry this is long, I had a lot to say at 1:58 am. :’)

The issues you described are challenging for anyone, not just for autistic people (I have non autistic friends dealing with this and some unemployed due to it). Many people face similar stress and feel taken advantage of at work, regardless of whether they’re autistic or not. If you worked long enough in a job and talked to the people around you, you would know. I try to be social. It sounds like you might be blaming yourself too much. Sometimes, sticking with a job despite difficulties can help. Maybe not one you have to drive hours away for. That sucks for EVERYONE.'

I have an invisible illness, i wfh 2x, and office 3x When i asked for flexibility, HR was like "how would others feel if you just came 2x into the office?" Idk isnt that your job to figure out?

It’s so funny because for me, I no longer get nervous for interviews. No anxiety, nothing. But the reason is because I have had over 80 jobs at this point, and over 100 interviews. This is what keeps me employed because my interview skills are phenomenal after doing the same thing over 100 times. Lol

Maybe they should stop saying they have a mental disorder and just apply

This video is a sign 😂

been having a very hard time in the work field, i keep getting fired, everything keeps overstimulating me, it feels impossible, i see why our suicide rates are higher i’ll never be able to afford the accommodations and help i need

“I just want to do it the right way and it takes me a little more time.” You think this would be a simple thing to understand and respect but nope. I’ve repeatedly been put down and pushed aside for this very thing.

i'm a black girl in the uk, i'm 21F autistic and have only worked in retail jobs like supermarket, clothes stores etc. i can only cope with working part time as full time is too much for me. its really difficult as i have jumped from job to job, with lots of gaps in my CV/Resume due to being unemployed. i have unsupportive family who think i need to work part time. i dont drive and so my mum has to always drop me off and pick me up because my job is not a walkable distance. theres a lot of pressure for me to start driving because of this, but even that is really difficult. i would go home crying because of never being able to make friends, and always being pulled to the side by the management to have a chat about why my work is basically not good enough.

Then there’s the guilt of having to quit a job because of the burnout, environment, the coworkers.

I hate that it comes down to an interview bc I know I’ll do the job better than most but I’m not gonna do well in an interview… unless the other person is neurodivergent.

the "we're a diverse workplace" statement is a cruel joke. most companies have no idea AND no interest in being inclusive even to the detriment of company 'productivity ' 🤢- if the most amount of supports were made widely available there would be a better chance at truly healthy and thriving work spaces- including remote work --- i hope your next endeavour for work is filled with care + all the support you need💚💫

I read a book at a friend's birthday dinner once because of nerves, I was trying to look normal. Anyway that friend never spoke to me ever again 😅

in one week, I would be completing 1 year at my current job. And I've been dealing with Burn out the whole of 2024 😆. the job is overall simple and fairly chill, BUT, when client emotions are high, up goes my stress and anxiety too. LOL. And that's most days. it can be very rewarding but the constant up and down emotions? uhg...had to start antidepressants for the first time in my life and it's been helpful at least for the most part. i learned that i dont want to work with people if at all possible. so now debating on what to do

Unemployed autistic person for the last year. That being said i have been earning money freelancing and sustaining myself enough to keep going.

Tbh I became loud and crass to combat this. I become quiet later 😇