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Jobs for Aspies: Acting


People with Aspergers Syndrome often spend their whole lives trying to fit into society.  They copy mannerisms, accents, expressions and dialogue.  They also often enjoy making noises such hums, clicks, whirs and other sounds.  It's a stimming thing.

In short, people with Asperger's syndrome often spend their lives practising acting and they can become very good at it.

There are many people in Hollywood with Asperger's Syndrome or suspected Asperger's Syndrome. The lists includes; Daryl Hannah, Dan Aykroyd, Tim Burton, Woody Allen, Michael Palin, Alfred Hitchcock, Jim Henson and Michael Jackson. I doubt that we'll ever know the truth about these actors for sure but one thing is clear, children with Asperger's syndrome often make good actors and they can benefit significantly from acting classes;

There's a video on YouTube where a boy with Asperger's Syndrome; Zach Henry and his family discuss the impact that acting has had on his life.

It's well worth a watch.

Click here to watch the video


Other Posts in this Series
Jobs for Aspies - Project Management

Related Posts
How does Aspergers Affect Employment Prospects?
Improving Employment Prospects for Aspies - Part 1
Improving Employment Prospects for Aspies - Part 2 (What the Aspie can do)
Improving Employment Prospects for Aspies - Part 3 (What the Employer can do)
Aspergers Syndrome and Acting

Comments

SmiggzYh said…
Hey! Just wanted to drop by and say how awesome your blog is.

I've had very minor aspergers for as long as I can remember (longer than, probably) and it's a difficult condition to have, especially when it's weaker, because you get less help to cope with it, you have to do a lot of it yourself, and it's draining, which is why it's so great to have blogs like this one which provide help that's so useful.

My main comment is why I was brought to this: I'm an actor myself! I do improvised comedy mostly, but I do voices, and characters all the time. It's just such a shame that the job is hard to make money in, but it's such a fantastic opportunity to have. I can't count the amount of times I've been to an audition, or just hanging around a theatre and thought "He's one of us." It's fantastic!

Thanks again for your awesome blog! Take care!

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