Posted on 08/10/2006 11:00:28 PM PDT by DuxFan4ever
Those "Army of One" ads would be enticing to such folks.
That's BAD.
Think about it. The test is multiple choice, is it not? 31/99=31.3%. You should be able to get 25% or so by guessing. So the expected score would be (% known) +(1/4)*(%unknown) = (%known)+(1/4)(1-%known) = 25 + (.75*%known)
Set % known = to x, and 25 +.75x=31.3, .75x=6.3, x=8.4. So, in order to pass the test, one would have to know about 8.4% of the answers and be able to fill in random bubbles for the rest.
Also, Jared did fail the test the first time. Take it enough times, and one could get that extra 8.4% out of luck.
Besides, Jared is going to an open admissions community college and won't necessarily pass. He's still living at home with his parents.
Academics aside, many autistics have problems sleeping/digestive issues/seizures/depression/other issues that could interfere with military service. Even very high functioning autistics could have trouble with, for example, a college dorm, a job at a daycare center, or anything else requiring social assertiveness. Many who excel adacemically do not understand, for example, that a peer has a different level of authority than a parent or teacher and are therefore extremely easy targets for schoolyard bullies or anyone else who who wants to take advantage.
Even if he had gotten in, I strongly doubt Jared would have made it through boot camp.
LOL. I bet it is.
We also had one in our BCT, in 1965. A guy from Arkansas, all he wanted was, a pair of combar boots and Sgt. stripes. After one month, he was given a discharge. He took his pay, went to the PX, bought a pair of boots and a set of Sgt. stripes. He was a "US".
We always had extra duty during his one month, because of his lack of what was going on.
The army has relaxed its stand on ADD/ADHD(which btw is generally FAR FAR more minor than autism/PDD or even Aspergher's). Any history of ADD/ADHD used to be an automatically disqualifying, but now one just has to have functioned for a year off meds.
Autism, on the other hand: On the severe end, autism results in institutionalization because they are either violent or functionally retarded. Some severe autistics never learn to talk or get toilet trained, or they may engage in self-injurious behavior such as head-banging or biting their hands well beyond the point of bleeding. On the mild end, Aspergher's interferes with social functioning, which can lead to difficulty maintaining jobs/relationships, [b]handling stressful or unexpected situations[/b], or understanding social cues. Also, autism often either improves or worsens in adolescence, though it can't be grown out of.
Jared, who didn't learn to talk until he was four years old, appears to have been in between the above two extremes.
Also, people like Bill Gates tend to be undiagnosed for a reason. Any social issues have not interfered with their school or job functionality, so they don't even qualify for a diagnosis. I don't think self-diagnosed Aspergher's counts.
I still think it's crazy that ADD was an absolute disqualifier but someone who didn't know that there's been an Iraq war going on for the last few years was almost allowed to enlist.
They are also on meds.
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