How to Find Work That Works for People with Asperger Syndrome: The Ultimate Guide for Getting People With Asperger Syndrome into the Workplace (and Keeping Them There!) (Paperback)

by Gail Hawkins (Author)
Key Phrases: strategies for this challenge, common job market, silent anchor, Employment Toolbox, Big Picture Assessment, Four Pillar Teaching Technique (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
For those who want to help somebody with Asperger Syndrome find and keep a satisfying job, this book is a vital tool. Gail Hawkins guides readers through the entire process of gaining employment, from building a supportive team, identifying and addressing workplace challenges, to securing an appropriate post. Including practical tips on topics such as finding potential employers and creating a dazzling CV, as well as sensitive advice on assessing when somebody is ready for work, and how, when and where to disclose a disability to an employer, Hawkins' well-tested approach aims to provide all the information needed for a fast, realistic, and successful path to fulfilling employment.

About the Author
Gail Hawkins is an experienced vocational consultant based in Toronto. Formerly Director of the Kerry's Place Autism Services, in 1995 she founded Mission Possible, the first agency in North America to find avenues to employment specifically for people with Asperger Syndrome.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 1 edition (May 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843101513
• ISBN-13: 978-1843101512
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #166,362 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Does it work?, January 28, 2006

By	Suz "treadingwater" (Britain) - See all my reviews

The author of this book is a vocational consultant and the founder of an employment agency for people with Asperger syndrome, so it does contain lots of practical advice and useful information. It is intended, not for people on the spectrum themselves, but for those who are helping people on the spectrum to find work, such as other employment advisers, teachers, parents, friends etc. However, it does contain things which you still might find useful if trying to find work for yourself, even though you might find it just a little patronising. This book is not about finding a career, it is about simply getting a job. It's strategy for getting people with Asperger syndrome into work is helping them to be what employers want, and it explains what that is clearly and well.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful, but for a limited audience, November 6, 2006

By	Douglas Bass (St. Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is addressed to the person working on finding work for someone with Asperger's Syndrome (AS), assuming that is someone different than the person with AS (Aspie). Hawkins has a relatively modest definition for "work that works." She just means "a job that someone can get and keep," which would be a very nice thing indeed for a lot of Aspies. This book doesn't really address the subjects of work as mission and vocation, finding work where one's deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.

What's good about this book? It addresses some issues that might predicably arise within the family of the Aspie. It talks about how a "job coach" could be use to help an Aspie at a job. It gives some good nuts-and-bolts advice on how a consultant might assess an Aspie for jobs they could do successfully. It gives some tools to help an Aspie negotiate their predictable difficulties. It gives some tips on conducting an interview.

What's not so good about this book? It gives the impression that it would be a good book for the Aspie, as opposed to being addressed to the consultant. I propose the title should be something like "Putting People with Asperger's Syndrome to Work (And Keeping Them There)" An Aspie would look at the cover and wonder "Why are those two women holding that man down? And why doesn't the woman on the right have her shirt tucked in, if they go on and on about Aspies dressing like slobs?" The book could say more about leveraging the obsessive-compulsive aspect of AS in preparing for an interview, acquiring knowledge about the employer, etc.

There is a issue brewing as to whether AS should be considered a disability under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This book doesn't address that, but I'm not expecting it to. However, the next book on this subject should.

Knowledge of AS is growing significantly, so to call anything about AS "ultimate" isn't accurate. All the material in this book is valid, and the only reason I don't give it five stars have to do with the comments above.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Works For a/A Employees!, December 16, 2004

By	BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

For people on the Autism spectrum seeking employment, be sure to make this book your best friend. This much-needed work contains a myriad of practical suggestions and approaches in job-hunting, resume writing and interviews. It also encourages people with autism to recognize that part of themselves with pride and dignity.

I really like the way this author addresses the needs of adults on the spectrum. This book is one that many people can identify with and put to good use.