Friday, March 10, 2017

Book Review: Developing Talents

Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism by Temple Grandin and Kate Duffy.

I recently visited my parents' home, and they kindly provided me with a couple more books to review before I brave the library again.  This book, to my befuddlement, has an enormous signature across it and a dedication to myself and my mother.  I can't make out the signature in its entirity, but the first letter is definitely T, which suggests Dr. Grandin herself signed this copy at some point.  I have yet to meet the good doctor in person, so I'm slightly jealous. 

Anyway, this is effectively a guidebook for autistic job-seekers.  Common challenges in finding and keeping a job are discussed, from sensory processing issues to etiquette requirements.  There's the mandatory section on how to sell yourself, which is somewhat different for autistic people than for neurotypical people since people skills aren't our forte.  That's all pretty standard material for this type of book.

What was unusual was that there were specific jobs and job-types called out as good career paths for people on the spectrum, with stories of people that had chosen those paths, and how to get into the field, what things you should know, what skills and education you might need, etc.  And there aren't just a couple of these to give you an idea of how to do it, there are more than a dozen different professions with their own sections. 

There's also a section on figuring out what you'd like to do with your life.  This isn't to say "what career should I pursue," which I've heard plenty about already, but rather, "What kind of work environment would I thrive in?  What kind of work (routine, constantly changing, predictable or not) do I want to have?  What are my strengths?"  Once you have a general description of what type of work you're looking for, you can then take your interests and work out a way to put them together.

This updated and expanded edition also has a specific section for starting and managing your own business, which is a major subject for people on the spectrum.  It's probably just as well that I own this book, because I and several of my friends are likely to benefit from the advice therein...

As is fairly standard for books related to autism and jobs, the authors suggest taking your special interest and finding a way to make it marketable.  This can involve some associational stretching, since a person fixated on NASCAR probably won't become, say, a driver for NASCAR, but might have better luck becoming a car mechanic or an accountant for a track.

This "apply your special interest and go" approach is fantastic for a lot of people on the spectrum, but not all.  Most notably to me, well, me.  This doesn't render the rest of the book useless, and in truth, doesn't even render that entire section useless, since I still have interests.  I just lack the basic autistic ability to focus on a single subject for literal hours at a time, I guess.  Given all the emphasis on this facet of autism, I'm starting to feel like I'm defective or something. 

Speaking of being defective, Dr. Grandin is negative about exactly one interest: video games.  She has no use for them whatsoever, and makes this very clear in the book.  I am saddened by this, though I understand her reasoning.  Video game addiction, where people do nothing but play games for hours on end, is, like other addictions, unhelpful to having a productive, healthy life.  And people on the autism spectrum can be particularly difficult to shake off of that particular addiction, because of that intensive focus mentioned earlier.

The issue is, of course, that it's very easy to take a concern about addiction and transform it into "video games are all bad, nothing good comes out of them, and everyone should avoid them!" which is kind of the sense I'm getting from Dr. Grandin.  Like most extremist viewpoints, it's wrong.  Video games help develop hand-eye coordination, fine motor control, problem-solving skills, and even social skills when playing with others.  In some cases, an interest in video games can be turned to careers, such as graphic design, programming, or even various areas of art.

I will certainly not argue that video games should be one's only form of entertainment, and one's sole activity in life, but to my mind, in the end, they are simply another form of interest, and one that can be channeled into a career, the same as any other.  To their credit, the authors do mention that exact thing, so at least it's not an unending parade of negativity about video games.

Read This Book If:

You're on the spectrum or care for someone on the spectrum, and starting (or restarting) a job search.  You can start planning for stuff like this at a fairly young age, since interests develop as we grow, so if you're a parent with a relatively young kid, this is still a good read.  It's a pretty comprehensive guide on why, how, when, where, and what for finding and keeping a job.  I can't actually think of any way to improve it.  It's a relatively short read, at less than 200 pages, and if you added more sections for specific jobs, it would quickly become arduous to read, as well as needing to be updated every couple years.  Give it a read!

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