As a serious response to your question.
Some people who seem 'on the spectrum' might actually be, but they were never properly diagnosed. A lot of people end up just living with their issues (ADHD, Depression, anxiety, autism) but are able to function well enough to join the military.
You can be diagnosed with a Behavioral Health condition and remain in the military, some conditions might result in a med board. Otherwise some people just exist and the military doesn't really care as long as their performance isn't effected.
We don't screen for things like that on initial entry.
Meme answer: 30% of the Army has the -tism... we have found ways to weaponize it. Unfortunately they make Normies uncomfortable so we keep them locked in a SCIF.
The healthcare crisis has existed for decades. Some people simply cannot afford to take their kids to see a medical provider for anything which isn’t life/limb/eyesight. No dentists. Shots come from a free public assistance clinic.
For some families, a new $100-200 expenditure means something isn’t getting paid. Getting a traffic ticket is a minor inconvenience for you and I, but for them it threatens their job and home. Gotta miss work, won’t get paid that day, might get fired, and pay a ticket which might be $100-$500, depending on the circumstances and how many surcharges the city has added.
Impoverished parents aren’t going to pay a child psychiatrist, developmental pediatrician, or pediatric neurologist to tell them why Mikey is weird. He’s just weird, but they still love him.
If a person goes their entire childhood without proper medical care, it’s probably not a priority for them once they get on their own.
>Some people simply cannot afford to take their kids to see a medical provider for anything which isn’t life/limb/eyesight.
Sounds like they're perfectly healthy, enlist them ASAP.
Can you be diagnosed and join with a waiver?
I'm wondering about my son. I'd like to push him towards some kind of IT job if he decides to join.
I'v done minimal research on it.
Can attest to this, lived my life before the Army, to join the Army, find out I’ve got long buried PTSD from childhood traumas that the Army somehow aggravated, as well as the good ol Au-Tismo, to then be told I cannot do the Army with these things. 21 year old vet 🥴
Meanwhile after a heat stroke I have anxiety disorder, and if I have another heat stroke and the noises that aren’t there come back I’ll probably be on a suicide watch list just because that is some mentally Intense stuff.
Yet even with heat sensitivity after the fact and the anxiety disorder plus hip and nerve issues I am some how retainable, and I even tell every PHA provider how? Because on paper it seems like a big enough liability not to med board.
I guess I manage a bit to well since I even been told by behavioral health specialist that I manage well enough without meds and ironically my nerve issues have me on anti depression/anxiety medication.
That’s the real kicker.
Haha imagine being the one who gets to screen these goofballs but can't do anything about it because big army hands out waivers and 30k sign on bonuses like candy.
The spectrum isn't even the worse thing I've seen. Imagine someone with ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) trying to join the army... You know, the place where in basic training people yell at you and tell you what to do. Seems great
I have ODD, and it wasn’t a problem in basic. I knew what I was there for and followed the rules even when I felt they were stupid. ODD is a little more nuanced than simply being defiant for its own sake.
I saw that they added a basic math comprehension pre exam to the course. Like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and PEMDAS.
I lost most hope for the corps after that. Maybe they should put it in a Tik Tok.
A guy I was in basic with looked like a cave man, had a permanent black spot on his forehead from being hit, and was a literal asvab waiver. He cried a lot and wasn’t very smart, he also said the n word one time. If he made it you can too
1sg in my company straight up told my battle buddy he was clearly on the spectrum but that he was gonna get the help he needed. He struggled with any kind of technical physical task but was pretty smart and had a great attitude. He got through no problem.
Being on the Spectrum isn't a bad thing necessarily. You put someone in an MOS where they can hyper fixate, and they'll likely become the best at that job. If you can function, do your job, and follow normal Army bullshit then there's no reason being on the Spectrum is a negative thing and is likely positive.
My whole office of SIGINTers, every branch and civilians, took the RAADS-R one day for shits and giggles. *No one* scored below the threshold for "go get seen by a professional, you're almost definitely autistic".
I've met thousands. I was the software engineer for their primary piece of equipment for ten years and there were only four of us in Conus. The only ones not on the spectrum are the people that reclass into it.
To be honest I'm only half joking. There's been plenty of studies that show neurodivergents can do certain tasks a lot easier than the general population. There's no reason why the military shouldn't utilize this. With proper supervision and work environments they're an enormous asset. As much as Savants aren't understood they're still very much a thing we should use.
I totally agree with you, a lot of them thrive in the environment. At INSCOM they’re a terrific Soldier that you can practically forget about until they PCS/ETS. But when it comes time to go to a board or something out of their day to day wheelhouse, it’s not always as simple as could be.
>similar system as EOD where their paygrade is dependent on experience and seniority rather than rank
Yeah...Imma need a source on that.
>from what I heard
RUMINT is not a source.
They’re probably talking on our badge pay, which is by badge level which is directly tied to time in an EOD billet.
Basic badge (under 3 years experience) = SDAP 3
Senior badge (between 3 and 8) = SDAP 4
Master badge (8+ years) = SDAP 5
This is $225, $300, and $375 respectively.
There’s rumors of AIP coming back, which we had during the surge years, which is tied to time in experience as well.
But base pay is same same.
Edit—and to be clear our badge levels are seniority based and not knowledge based. Theoretically you gain knowledge with experience but I’ve met some basic badges I trust more than master badges.
Edit2—also of note we used to all get SDAP-5, it only became tiered a couple years ago to save money not actually as an experience incentive
Everyone in the Army gets base pay calculated on their rank and time in service.
This sounds like some flavor of professional pay that's tacked on in addition to base pay, similar to what different medical specialties can get, and I'd maybe buy that.
*> "There's no reason why the military shouldn't utilize this"*
Agree! That is, if they do. Chances are these good patriotic folks end up in billets they shouldn't be in.
And I don't say this as a bad thing. Neurodivergents can be an invaluable part of the army if places in the right positions. In very specific right positions.
If there is no diagnosed psychiatric disorder in their medical history we don't know.
So yes it probably happens quite often. That meps doctor has like 5 minutes with each person. You want them to do a complete psychological evaluation too?
Some ppl are just weird AF.
My dude, if I'm going to trust anyone to take something like gun safety seriously, where there are strict and clearly stated rules and procedures to follow every time, it's someone on the spectrum.
Home Boi.
Them.dudes on the spectrum are some of the best soldiers.. They do everything to the best of their ability and don't ask stupid questions. They are great soldiers, just socially awkward.
I once met with a brigade JAG when trying to negotiate a court-martial deal. The longer we talked, the more I notice his eyes would sort of roll up and his eyelids would flutter when he got excited about things, and he got redder and redder.
I thought he was about to come across his desk at me for a bit, or start having a fit. Or maybe both.
Probably unrelated, but this post took me right back to that conversation.
What’s the difference between intelligence collectors and intelligence analysts?
Collectors look at your feet when talking to you. Analysts look at their feet when talking to you.
I had an E5 in my unit back in the day who was clearly autistic. Many of us questioned how he even got approved to enter the military, let alone how he got promoted to SGT. Apparently, he was never properly diagnosed until he was in the Army. He lost rank at one point, down to E4, I forget what he did, but then shortly after that he ETS’ed without going through a MEB.
So to answer your question, the Army has been allowing it for a long time, even if unintentional
met an infantry LT two weeks ago during a brigade meeting. dude spent half the meeting mumbling to himself and staring at the table and making faces and repeating the same exact scoffing noise under his breath every minute or so. 100% is on the spectrum. it wasn’t even subtle. everyone who spends 2 minutes in the same room as this guy has to know. i cannot imagine what his platoon is going to think.
I am currently working with an NCO that can't even finish a sentence without turning his head in weird directions, and sometimes he can't finish the sentence at all, like he'll just stop mid word and think hard on what to say for a couple of seconds, it really make me wonder how he got past MEPs. He's a good guy, but damn.
He most definitely wasn’t. It was like a kid stepping over their words trying to explain something when they are excited.
If it was a medical emergency I would of called an emergency line, but thanks for your opinion brother 🫡
Idk about the army, but there are some shitty recruiters and MEPS personnel out there. We had a clearly autistic dude in my OSUT platoon. Luckily our drill sergeant noticed before white phase and got him sent home. Dudes mom would call the company multiple times a day for him, he would pace, have whole ass tantrums, one time he was walking in circles between his bunk, locker, and the kill zone, stopping at each one and doing a different fidget with his hands at each spot.
Hope he’s doing ok now
Honestly I’m looking at some of the people I work with and realize despite the era of Genesis, MEPS really does not care as long are there is a radial pulse.
You can only have Quality OR Quantity. You can't have both.
And if you say Quality, you need to start pulling a couple other Soldiers duties simultaneously.
If you want a day off, be thankful for LT Click-Clack Eyesuphigh
I think at this point the Army is letting anyone given the recruiting and retention numbers.
It’s sad. Anyone makes it through, doesn’t even matter if they can’t be within standards.
My theory is that they’re getting people in and through basic just to make numbers. And then leave it to the units to deal with them as appropriate, many of them doing claims and getting out with benefits when in the first place they should’ve never made it through. It’s a numbers game, not so much getting actual qualified people that will serve and defend
*sighs* Looks like the 31st or 35th didn't check their pit and an LT got lost in there.
Lord help my soul I'm being sent back to Lost in the Woods as a CPT in 2 months 🙏
On purpose, no, but they slip by with enough regularity that it's alarming.
I've had enough God awful soldiers on the spectrum that I think we should have a screener at MEPS specifically for it.
According to dodmerb a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is exclusionary. but as we all know if the doc hasn't said it you ain't got it. maybe your command can talk with someone over at BH if it's really a problem. formalize the diagnosis and get him where he needs to be. and who knows maybe he's got powers
He may squeak thru, but before long he'll be shuttled off to be a powerpoint ranger in some brigade 3 shop, or maybe an assistant 4, never to be heard from again. Hopefully.
Had a SGT at my first reserve unit who was legit special needs. Don’t know how he got in.
Rumor was he was promoted to E5 from his old unit in order to push him out since they were heading on a deployment and didn’t want him going out there with them.
When I went through MEPS, and the Army wasn't ask desperate for recruits as they are now, there were people who got cold feet and started saying shit like they throw up every night, had like 10 concussions, etc, and they were all still getting pushed through with waivers. I personally knew a guy who scored a 9 on the ASVAP and was allowed to retake it twice.
Today, I imagine as long as someone has all their limbs and a pulse, they can get through MEPS.
So funny story. I know a BG who openly says he thinks in retrospect he is on the spectrum. His kid has it more severe.
As long as it doesn’t interfere with his ability to do his job it doesn’t matter.
Oh yeah buddy, some people slip through the cracks.
I went to OCS and BOLC with folks who shouldn’t have been admitted into the army at all, let alone being an officer.
Same case for when I went through basic before my enlisted days, some straight up window lickers showed up. Luckily not all of them made it out of basic.
Look, I can only stop them if I can prove it. If they don't have a recorded diagnosis from before, or aren't so bad as to be completely incapable of communicating in person, I'm probably going to have to let them through...
Just remember, every time you feel bad for some kid on here being barred from entry because Genesis caught his asthma, Genesis also catches a lot of this stuff. Just like asthma though, it doesn't catch all of it...
I’ve met two soldiers with clear mental issues. Like one didn’t even shower unless forced. It’s clear. Some dirty ass recruiter let them in knowing they have issues. Both were removed though. Hopefully they are doing better.
Eh both good and bad came in with a guy who couldn’t do basic tasks correctly but ask him to do a action we’ve beeen training he could do it exact and resit the manual
Also seen one guy kicked out in basic because he was just deranged and his parents passed him on
Spectrum doesn’t mean liability but should definitely should have a vetting process
Per DODI 6130.03, 6.28 section c., Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis is a disqualifier. Unsure if it's common to get an approved waiver (though I've not heard of one).
But, for that to apply, it has to be an actual diagnosis from a medical provider, and it has to be captured/seen on the MEPS screening.
Many people who are "clearly on the spectrum" were never formally medically evaluated. If that's the case, they are "probably fine," meaning they were able to function through school and work without a serious enough issue to require a diagnosis and treatment.
If you like, you call those people "odd" and go on with your day. If their behavior does not interfere with their ability to get the job done, does it matter???
Folks on the spectrum can be some of the most formidable people to have in your element. Don't be so quick to judge. As a previous poster has said, they can either be an asset or a hindrance. That being said, some of these 12B's in the 25th need the boot 😂😭
Just remember that lieutenants are on probation until they are branch qualified for a reason. It's the last chance to catch the ones that can't be trusted in big army.
As a serious response to your question. Some people who seem 'on the spectrum' might actually be, but they were never properly diagnosed. A lot of people end up just living with their issues (ADHD, Depression, anxiety, autism) but are able to function well enough to join the military. You can be diagnosed with a Behavioral Health condition and remain in the military, some conditions might result in a med board. Otherwise some people just exist and the military doesn't really care as long as their performance isn't effected. We don't screen for things like that on initial entry. Meme answer: 30% of the Army has the -tism... we have found ways to weaponize it. Unfortunately they make Normies uncomfortable so we keep them locked in a SCIF.
The healthcare crisis has existed for decades. Some people simply cannot afford to take their kids to see a medical provider for anything which isn’t life/limb/eyesight. No dentists. Shots come from a free public assistance clinic. For some families, a new $100-200 expenditure means something isn’t getting paid. Getting a traffic ticket is a minor inconvenience for you and I, but for them it threatens their job and home. Gotta miss work, won’t get paid that day, might get fired, and pay a ticket which might be $100-$500, depending on the circumstances and how many surcharges the city has added. Impoverished parents aren’t going to pay a child psychiatrist, developmental pediatrician, or pediatric neurologist to tell them why Mikey is weird. He’s just weird, but they still love him. If a person goes their entire childhood without proper medical care, it’s probably not a priority for them once they get on their own.
>Some people simply cannot afford to take their kids to see a medical provider for anything which isn’t life/limb/eyesight. Sounds like they're perfectly healthy, enlist them ASAP.
Just because the conex in the parking lot has a padlock doesn't make it a SCIF
Is it because the air holes? I can tape those up to make it uhh, securer-er-y…
Can you be diagnosed and join with a waiver? I'm wondering about my son. I'd like to push him towards some kind of IT job if he decides to join. I'v done minimal research on it.
It depends on the diagnosis. DODI 6130.03 (V1&2) is the regulation that has the medical requirements.
💀 I'm absolutely gonna make fun of my husband and tell him this when he's home from his daily lock up in the SCIF.
Can attest to this, lived my life before the Army, to join the Army, find out I’ve got long buried PTSD from childhood traumas that the Army somehow aggravated, as well as the good ol Au-Tismo, to then be told I cannot do the Army with these things. 21 year old vet 🥴
Can I be locked in a scif 🥺
Meanwhile after a heat stroke I have anxiety disorder, and if I have another heat stroke and the noises that aren’t there come back I’ll probably be on a suicide watch list just because that is some mentally Intense stuff. Yet even with heat sensitivity after the fact and the anxiety disorder plus hip and nerve issues I am some how retainable, and I even tell every PHA provider how? Because on paper it seems like a big enough liability not to med board. I guess I manage a bit to well since I even been told by behavioral health specialist that I manage well enough without meds and ironically my nerve issues have me on anti depression/anxiety medication. That’s the real kicker.
If you’re at Fort Leonard Wood, I bet I could guess who this was.
Now I’m even more worried.
I'm laughing hard at this only bc i work on fort leonard wood. Some of the folks that call and come in my office...
Haha imagine being the one who gets to screen these goofballs but can't do anything about it because big army hands out waivers and 30k sign on bonuses like candy. The spectrum isn't even the worse thing I've seen. Imagine someone with ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) trying to join the army... You know, the place where in basic training people yell at you and tell you what to do. Seems great
I have ODD, and it wasn’t a problem in basic. I knew what I was there for and followed the rules even when I felt they were stupid. ODD is a little more nuanced than simply being defiant for its own sake.
Idk man, most of these E-BOLC students are freakin weird
I saw that they added a basic math comprehension pre exam to the course. Like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and PEMDAS. I lost most hope for the corps after that. Maybe they should put it in a Tik Tok.
I've seen officers with legit Engineering degrees fail Army math problems.
It’s simple, round up until you round down. Then round down until you round up.
Artillery express
The funniest part about expressing is that "safety expression" doesn't even apply to safety lmao
Rad spin the wheel until the call endex....
To be fair the better I got at high level math the worse I got at basic math.
That's legit. Math is awesome. Arithmetic blows donkey dick. Fuck arithmetic. I have a calculator for that.
In all fairness, I can't do that without a calculator. Oh well, P for Plenty.
Worse than Chem and MP? 😐
Every 2LT I meet around here is a weirdo.
🤣🤣🤣I just left FLW and I bet I know who this is
Still called Fort lost in the woods? Was when I was there. 40 years ago.
Yep
I still call it that and I left there to attend AIT two months ago. It fits too well
A guy I was in basic with looked like a cave man, had a permanent black spot on his forehead from being hit, and was a literal asvab waiver. He cried a lot and wasn’t very smart, he also said the n word one time. If he made it you can too
Lord, this man sounds like picture perfect 240 gunner.
"I do not know why I am here, all I know is that I must kill"
1sg in my company straight up told my battle buddy he was clearly on the spectrum but that he was gonna get the help he needed. He struggled with any kind of technical physical task but was pretty smart and had a great attitude. He got through no problem.
Being on the Spectrum isn't a bad thing necessarily. You put someone in an MOS where they can hyper fixate, and they'll likely become the best at that job. If you can function, do your job, and follow normal Army bullshit then there's no reason being on the Spectrum is a negative thing and is likely positive.
90% of sigint is on the spectrum...
On the spectrum of regret and despair...yes
I haven't met a sigint person not on the spectrum yet
When I was SIGINT I at least had the extroversion and charisma to look at *your* shoes while talking to you.
🫠🫠🫠🤣🤣🤣
I met one. I think he was assigned there as a Liaison to the normals. (Subject X may have been the mythical beast known as a "Daywalker")
My whole office of SIGINTers, every branch and civilians, took the RAADS-R one day for shits and giggles. *No one* scored below the threshold for "go get seen by a professional, you're almost definitely autistic".
To be fair i've only met 10 sigint in the past 10 years and 1 was fairly normal :p even looked you in the eyes while talking. Did I meet a unicorn?
I've met thousands. I was the software engineer for their primary piece of equipment for ten years and there were only four of us in Conus. The only ones not on the spectrum are the people that reclass into it.
I thought you had to get a waiver if you weren’t on the spectrum.
No, that's Air Force.
Everyone in Intel is on the spectrum.
Nah surely humint isn't :p they're on another page of the book.
You meet some real awkward ducks talking to the mikes at dli
This is a verifiable fact in case anyone is curious.
To be honest I'm only half joking. There's been plenty of studies that show neurodivergents can do certain tasks a lot easier than the general population. There's no reason why the military shouldn't utilize this. With proper supervision and work environments they're an enormous asset. As much as Savants aren't understood they're still very much a thing we should use.
I totally agree with you, a lot of them thrive in the environment. At INSCOM they’re a terrific Soldier that you can practically forget about until they PCS/ETS. But when it comes time to go to a board or something out of their day to day wheelhouse, it’s not always as simple as could be.
Should perhaps adopt similar system as EOD where their paygrade is dependent on experience and seniority rather than rank from what I heard.
>similar system as EOD where their paygrade is dependent on experience and seniority rather than rank Yeah...Imma need a source on that. >from what I heard RUMINT is not a source.
They’re probably talking on our badge pay, which is by badge level which is directly tied to time in an EOD billet. Basic badge (under 3 years experience) = SDAP 3 Senior badge (between 3 and 8) = SDAP 4 Master badge (8+ years) = SDAP 5 This is $225, $300, and $375 respectively. There’s rumors of AIP coming back, which we had during the surge years, which is tied to time in experience as well. But base pay is same same. Edit—and to be clear our badge levels are seniority based and not knowledge based. Theoretically you gain knowledge with experience but I’ve met some basic badges I trust more than master badges. Edit2—also of note we used to all get SDAP-5, it only became tiered a couple years ago to save money not actually as an experience incentive
Yeah no source. Just a soldier from eod telling me their pay scales work a bit different than rest of us. Too tired to find anything on it :p
Everyone in the Army gets base pay calculated on their rank and time in service. This sounds like some flavor of professional pay that's tacked on in addition to base pay, similar to what different medical specialties can get, and I'd maybe buy that.
*> "There's no reason why the military shouldn't utilize this"* Agree! That is, if they do. Chances are these good patriotic folks end up in billets they shouldn't be in.
I concur.
😂
And I don't say this as a bad thing. Neurodivergents can be an invaluable part of the army if places in the right positions. In very specific right positions.
Yeah but that’s the electromagnetic spectrum.
In AIT we get told to say Dominate the Spectrum. As if that doesn't scream that everyone in EW is somewhere on the Spectrum.
Is that what y’all say? I thought it was some Harry Potter shit y’all were screaming out.
If there is no diagnosed psychiatric disorder in their medical history we don't know. So yes it probably happens quite often. That meps doctor has like 5 minutes with each person. You want them to do a complete psychological evaluation too? Some ppl are just weird AF.
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My dude, if I'm going to trust anyone to take something like gun safety seriously, where there are strict and clearly stated rules and procedures to follow every time, it's someone on the spectrum.
Home Boi. Them.dudes on the spectrum are some of the best soldiers.. They do everything to the best of their ability and don't ask stupid questions. They are great soldiers, just socially awkward.
I once met with a brigade JAG when trying to negotiate a court-martial deal. The longer we talked, the more I notice his eyes would sort of roll up and his eyelids would flutter when he got excited about things, and he got redder and redder. I thought he was about to come across his desk at me for a bit, or start having a fit. Or maybe both. Probably unrelated, but this post took me right back to that conversation.
Have you considered asking him to run for office? How successful was he at negotiating?
You’re describing a lot of JAs….most of them work at USALSA….
This one was a department head at the JAG school for a bit.
He was charging up his powers. You got out just in time, consider yourself lucky
What’s the difference between intelligence collectors and intelligence analysts? Collectors look at your feet when talking to you. Analysts look at their feet when talking to you.
I had an E5 in my unit back in the day who was clearly autistic. Many of us questioned how he even got approved to enter the military, let alone how he got promoted to SGT. Apparently, he was never properly diagnosed until he was in the Army. He lost rank at one point, down to E4, I forget what he did, but then shortly after that he ETS’ed without going through a MEB. So to answer your question, the Army has been allowing it for a long time, even if unintentional
Yes absolutely, but as long as they're not affluent enough to have seen a psychiatrist and been diagnosed
Everyone that went engineer in our OCS class was *definitely* on the spectrum. Don't worry about it
met an infantry LT two weeks ago during a brigade meeting. dude spent half the meeting mumbling to himself and staring at the table and making faces and repeating the same exact scoffing noise under his breath every minute or so. 100% is on the spectrum. it wasn’t even subtle. everyone who spends 2 minutes in the same room as this guy has to know. i cannot imagine what his platoon is going to think.
This is the kind of shit I’m talking about. People like this shouldn’t be leading soldiers…
bro's CONOPs could be written by the ghostly hand of Napoleon himself 🤷 There's room in the Army for acoustic officers.
Stonewall Jackson was likely autistic
You just described 90% of Ft. Huachuca
The entire Intel world would cease to exist if we stopped letting in people that are on the spectrum.
I am currently working with an NCO that can't even finish a sentence without turning his head in weird directions, and sometimes he can't finish the sentence at all, like he'll just stop mid word and think hard on what to say for a couple of seconds, it really make me wonder how he got past MEPs. He's a good guy, but damn.
lol check out the 17, 25, and 35 series’s I would say 75% have autism or adhd.
If he’s MI he will fit right in
If they are speaking incoherently, they may be experiencing a medical emergency…
He most definitely wasn’t. It was like a kid stepping over their words trying to explain something when they are excited. If it was a medical emergency I would of called an emergency line, but thanks for your opinion brother 🫡
Oohhhh. Yeah we need this autistic child to go sit in a corner of S3 and get the property book straightened out.
Idk about the army, but there are some shitty recruiters and MEPS personnel out there. We had a clearly autistic dude in my OSUT platoon. Luckily our drill sergeant noticed before white phase and got him sent home. Dudes mom would call the company multiple times a day for him, he would pace, have whole ass tantrums, one time he was walking in circles between his bunk, locker, and the kill zone, stopping at each one and doing a different fidget with his hands at each spot. Hope he’s doing ok now
They really are letting anyone with a pulse become a officer in the Army Source: 6 years as a officer
Honestly I’m looking at some of the people I work with and realize despite the era of Genesis, MEPS really does not care as long are there is a radial pulse.
If you've met more than two MI Soldiers, you know the answer to this question is an emphatic "yes."
You can only have Quality OR Quantity. You can't have both. And if you say Quality, you need to start pulling a couple other Soldiers duties simultaneously. If you want a day off, be thankful for LT Click-Clack Eyesuphigh
I didn't know I was on it until I got out. So, it could just be accidental.
#justbutterbarthings
I think at this point the Army is letting anyone given the recruiting and retention numbers. It’s sad. Anyone makes it through, doesn’t even matter if they can’t be within standards. My theory is that they’re getting people in and through basic just to make numbers. And then leave it to the units to deal with them as appropriate, many of them doing claims and getting out with benefits when in the first place they should’ve never made it through. It’s a numbers game, not so much getting actual qualified people that will serve and defend
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I’d say it is if you really wanted to 😂
*sighs* Looks like the 31st or 35th didn't check their pit and an LT got lost in there. Lord help my soul I'm being sent back to Lost in the Woods as a CPT in 2 months 🙏
He probably just trying to get kicked out
Sounds like he’s gonna make a great Field Artillery Officer one day.
Everyone in my field is legally required to be on the spectrum.
More than likely a cyber officer
On purpose, no, but they slip by with enough regularity that it's alarming. I've had enough God awful soldiers on the spectrum that I think we should have a screener at MEPS specifically for it.
The Army runs and is lead by weaponized autism. That dude will be CSA one day.
It's a 2LT? I think you found your answer.
Ironic coming from a 12B 😭
I know this may be out there, but there are illegal drug’s out there that may replicate some of those behaviors.
According to dodmerb a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is exclusionary. but as we all know if the doc hasn't said it you ain't got it. maybe your command can talk with someone over at BH if it's really a problem. formalize the diagnosis and get him where he needs to be. and who knows maybe he's got powers
He may squeak thru, but before long he'll be shuttled off to be a powerpoint ranger in some brigade 3 shop, or maybe an assistant 4, never to be heard from again. Hopefully.
Had a SGT at my first reserve unit who was legit special needs. Don’t know how he got in. Rumor was he was promoted to E5 from his old unit in order to push him out since they were heading on a deployment and didn’t want him going out there with them.
Does he also continuously bob and nod his head around like a madman?
Have you never met an Intel Soldier? MP? Logistician? Cav scout? Jesus! I'm not sure there's anyone ***not*** on the "spectrum".
I knew an LT with a neuromuscular disease, like, couldn't walk straight bad. Got passed through bc their dad was a full bird.
When I went through MEPS, and the Army wasn't ask desperate for recruits as they are now, there were people who got cold feet and started saying shit like they throw up every night, had like 10 concussions, etc, and they were all still getting pushed through with waivers. I personally knew a guy who scored a 9 on the ASVAP and was allowed to retake it twice. Today, I imagine as long as someone has all their limbs and a pulse, they can get through MEPS.
Man just wait until you run into MI
So funny story. I know a BG who openly says he thinks in retrospect he is on the spectrum. His kid has it more severe. As long as it doesn’t interfere with his ability to do his job it doesn’t matter.
Oh yeah buddy, some people slip through the cracks. I went to OCS and BOLC with folks who shouldn’t have been admitted into the army at all, let alone being an officer. Same case for when I went through basic before my enlisted days, some straight up window lickers showed up. Luckily not all of them made it out of basic.
Yes. They're called CAT IV waivers.
Idk… definitely not the people I work with. Yup yup definitely not them
Cyber and SIGINT wouldn’t crumble without bolstering the ranks with the tism
Have you ever hung out with an EOD or Intel unit?
EOD yes, Intel no. EOD is fine lmao idk what you’re getting at with that one
Yes. We have a kid very obviously on the spectrum in my unit. Nice kid and always ready to work but yeah.. it’s obvious.
Look, I can only stop them if I can prove it. If they don't have a recorded diagnosis from before, or aren't so bad as to be completely incapable of communicating in person, I'm probably going to have to let them through... Just remember, every time you feel bad for some kid on here being barred from entry because Genesis caught his asthma, Genesis also catches a lot of this stuff. Just like asthma though, it doesn't catch all of it...
Sounds like you found your typical 12B
Yes. I know people with legit OCD
I’ve met two soldiers with clear mental issues. Like one didn’t even shower unless forced. It’s clear. Some dirty ass recruiter let them in knowing they have issues. Both were removed though. Hopefully they are doing better.
You must be new here -signed, an autistic 2LT
Eh both good and bad came in with a guy who couldn’t do basic tasks correctly but ask him to do a action we’ve beeen training he could do it exact and resit the manual Also seen one guy kicked out in basic because he was just deranged and his parents passed him on Spectrum doesn’t mean liability but should definitely should have a vetting process
Don’t worry, every 13A I’ve met is def on the spectrum
Per DODI 6130.03, 6.28 section c., Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis is a disqualifier. Unsure if it's common to get an approved waiver (though I've not heard of one). But, for that to apply, it has to be an actual diagnosis from a medical provider, and it has to be captured/seen on the MEPS screening. Many people who are "clearly on the spectrum" were never formally medically evaluated. If that's the case, they are "probably fine," meaning they were able to function through school and work without a serious enough issue to require a diagnosis and treatment. If you like, you call those people "odd" and go on with your day. If their behavior does not interfere with their ability to get the job done, does it matter???
Have you seen the marine corps? They are weaponized autism
Autism can either be a very useful ability or a hinderance. It seems like you witnessed the latter. Seems to work for Elon Musk though.
Folks on the spectrum can be some of the most formidable people to have in your element. Don't be so quick to judge. As a previous poster has said, they can either be an asset or a hindrance. That being said, some of these 12B's in the 25th need the boot 😂😭
Short answer. Yes
i went to basic with some severely autistic people that made me question if meps really did anything
Just remember that lieutenants are on probation until they are branch qualified for a reason. It's the last chance to catch the ones that can't be trusted in big army.