Business for Aspies

Describes expectations of employers, provides tips to help AS individuals succeed at work, and provides a positive tone in discussing strategies. Business-oriented concerns from pay raises and team meetings are also surveyed in a guide that is simply packed with nuggests of financial wisdom geared to Aspie employees. -- The Midwest Book Reivew A powerful pick for any Asperger adult who wants details on how to handle the working world - and for employers who hire them - makes this a dual recommendation for business and health collections alike. -- The Midwest Book Review Overall, I categorize business for Aspies as a good self-help business book. It is written by a businesswomen, not a psychologist, and it's plenty of hints and common sense to help aspies to succeed at work. Indeed, I think that many of the hint she ;proposes are also applicable in other real life situations. The structure of the book, based on 42 separate best practices, and the non-technical language used, makes Business for Aspies a very readable and practical book, that can be read from beginning to end or be used as a reference book for selected topics. -- iautism.info This book explains how those with Asperger's syndrome (AS) can get their talents recognised and become successful and indispensable employees. -- Human Givens Stanford is expert at finding solutions that only someone who has intimate experience with aspergers is likely to do. She offers straightforward but not obvious advice on how to organise one's physical environment for those with executive function problems... I love this book as it is clear, constructive and realistically positive. -- ASTeens One of the most brilliant suggestions she makes it that of "Quiet Posture" - meaning a body posture that doesn't indicate any emotion at all. This can neutralize any negative feeling in the workplace and greatly reduce the chances of that person being misunderstood for being angry or sad, when he is feeling just the opposite, but indicating otherwise. She also stresses the importance of keeping hand gestures calm and "small", to reduce social difficulties in the workplace. These are thing I never thought about and I felt as though my brain was getting larger as I read this... In addition, she suggests some neat cognitive strategies, such as using "brain space", to compartmentalize one's day and one's tasks... The Best Practices are numbered, making them available to the reader for easy reference, which makes this a reverence book, also... The survival strategies that she suggests, such as getting enough sleep, creating a nest, or cosy living or work space, and being aware of food sensitivities, such as allergies to gluten, are all common sense approaches that don't cost much, if anything and can be done at anytime, to make one's life better!... This is the best book on employment for people with AS or HFA that I have seen and it should be in every library! -- Newsletter of the Autism Society of Michigan In a positive and upbeat tone, she shows that with the right supports and strategies, it is possible to overcome the day-to-day challenges that trip up even the most savvy Aspie, including negotiating pay raises, employer/employee relationships, team meetings, career advancement, and choosing when to take vacation time. Drawing on her experience as CEO of a computer software company, she also suggests steps that employers and managers can take to improve the working environment for people with AS, and take advantage of their strengths to enable them to become outstanding employees. Business for Aspies will help people with AS take steps towards achieving happy, fulfilled and above all successful working lives. It will be of key interest to the employers, managers, partners, and families of people with AS. -- The International Centre for Autism Research and Education The accessibility of Business for Aspies is a testament to Sta

Ashley Stanford has worked as a technical writer for 16 years and is the CEO of a successful computer software company. She is the author of Asperger Syndrome and Long-Term Relationships, also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. She lives in Berkeley, California.

Preface. Introduction. 1. Baseline Starting Point for Building Your Career. Many Undiscovered Talents . Underestimating Aspies. Does Asperger Syndrome Limit You? The Flip Side of the Coin. 2. Executive Function. Organization Matters - Your Desk, Your Brain. When the Solution Is Avoiding the Problem. Now You See It; Now You Don't. Organization of Events. Organization of Tasks. Beyond Organization - Maslow's Pyramid for Aspies. 3. Social Interaction on the Job. Best Practice 1: Engaged and Safe. Best Practice 2: The Easier Friendship - Co-Workers. 4. Eye Contact and Reading Faces at Work. Best Practice 3: When Less Is More. Best Practice 4: Relaxing Your Eyes - Face Muting. Best Practice 5: Training Your Eyes - Mapping the Blank Face. Best Practice 6: The No Face-Time Flexibility Rule. Best Practice 7: Building Skills for Ultimate Flexibility - Removing the Pressure for In-Person Work. 5. Body Postures and Gestures on the Job. Best Practice 8: "Quiet" Posture. Best Practice 9: Mimic Other Successful Professionals. Best Practice 10: Professional Restrictions to the Rescue. 6. The People You Work With . Best Practice 11: The Back-Stabber, the Drama Queen, and the Glory Hog. Best Practice 12: Your Relationship with Your Boss. Best Practice 13: "Get a Life!" 7. Do I Enjoy My Job? Best Practice 14: Make Your Enjoyment Obvious. Best Practice 15: Test Check for Happiness on the Job. Best Practice 16: Avoiding the Biggest Pitfall - Abdicating Free Will. Best Practice 17: Career Trajectory. 8. Your Most Valuable Traits . Best Practice 18: Know Your Strengths. Best Practice 19: How You Help Your Team Focus. Best Practice 20: The One Who Retains His Job When the Rest Are Fired. Best Practice 21: Respecting Yourself . 9. Your Position in the Company - Building It and Keeping It. Best Practice 22: Behaving Like the Boss, i.e. Someone Well-Paid. Best Practice 23: Ask for Help - The 42 Best Practice Notebook. Best Practice 24: Brainspace. Best Practice 25: Securing Your Job and Scoring a Raise. Best Practice 26: Motivation Matters. Best Practice 27: The Halo Effect - Avoid It. 10. Issues of Flexibility and Routine. Best Practice 28: Stability . Best Practice 29: Loyalty. Best Practice 30: Trust. Best Practice 31: Keeping the Machine Running. 11Your Sensory System at Work. Best Practice 32: EveryBODY Needs Something Different. Best Practice 33: Building Support. Best Practice 34: Channeling Sensory Needs into Career Needs. 12. Unique Aspie Preoccupations on the Job. Best Practice 35: The Manager and the Builder. Best Practice 36: Neurotypical Meetings and Aspie Survival. Best Practice 37: Well-Rounded Is Not the Goal - Let Your Freak Flag Fly. 13. Who You Are at Work. Best Practice 38: The Thoughtful Pause, a Sign of Wisdom. Best Practice 39: Shift Expectations Internally and at Work . Best Practice 40: Creating a Trustworthy Persona at Work. Best Practice 41: When "Othering" Happens at Work. Best Practice 42: Asserting Your Opinion Confidently Without Being Labeled Narcissistic or Otherwise Unpleasant. 14. Safety, Survival, and Ultimate Success. The Safety Point. Survival Toolkit Top 10. Aspie Bill of Rights - General. Aspie Bill of Rights - Workplace. Summary. References. Further Reading. About the Author. Index