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Anyone know if disclosing a diagnosis of Aspergers necessarily excludes you from college ROTC and/or later military service?
I'm providing an intervention in a local high school to individuals on the ASD spectrum and one of them is in the process of applying to colleges. He's also long been interested in a military-related career. He inquired at one of the schools about doing ROTC to help pay for college. He disclosed that he has a diagnosis of Aspergers and was told that they do not accept people who have that diagnosis. He asked me if this is necessarily true. I hadn't heard this before but then I don't have many clients interested in the military either.
Does anyone know how true that is? I know people who disclose mental health diagnoses can be excluded from military service, and perhaps the person he asked assumed ASD falls under that for their purposes, but I don't know how ROTC works in college. I have known someone with an Asperger's diagnosis who did ROTC but to my knowledge they did not disclose. Haven't rec'd a response from the ROTC chapter I reached out to for clarification on this matter. Per the online website http://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/disqualifiers-medical-conditions.html I see that the following sections seem relevant (but not necessarily specific to my guy, who is overall functioning quite well and is very independent and smart):
Neurotic, Anxiety, Mood, Somatoform, Dissociative, or Factitious Disorders
The causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction are a history of such disorders resulting in any or all of the below:
a. Admission to a hospital or residential facility.
b. Care by a physician or other mental health professional for more than 6 months.
c. Symptoms or behavior of a repeated nature that impaired social, school, or work efficiency.
Miscellaneous
Any condition that in the opinion of the examining medical officer will significantly interfere with the successful performance of military duty or training may be a cause for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction.
Thanks for any insight you guys may have. Unrelated to my question but FYI the above link is interesting to peruse just for the range of odd things listed as reasons for exclusion (women below 4'10- also, undescended testicle(s)).
I'm providing an intervention in a local high school to individuals on the ASD spectrum and one of them is in the process of applying to colleges. He's also long been interested in a military-related career. He inquired at one of the schools about doing ROTC to help pay for college. He disclosed that he has a diagnosis of Aspergers and was told that they do not accept people who have that diagnosis. He asked me if this is necessarily true. I hadn't heard this before but then I don't have many clients interested in the military either.
Does anyone know how true that is? I know people who disclose mental health diagnoses can be excluded from military service, and perhaps the person he asked assumed ASD falls under that for their purposes, but I don't know how ROTC works in college. I have known someone with an Asperger's diagnosis who did ROTC but to my knowledge they did not disclose. Haven't rec'd a response from the ROTC chapter I reached out to for clarification on this matter. Per the online website http://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/disqualifiers-medical-conditions.html I see that the following sections seem relevant (but not necessarily specific to my guy, who is overall functioning quite well and is very independent and smart):
Neurotic, Anxiety, Mood, Somatoform, Dissociative, or Factitious Disorders
The causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction are a history of such disorders resulting in any or all of the below:
a. Admission to a hospital or residential facility.
b. Care by a physician or other mental health professional for more than 6 months.
c. Symptoms or behavior of a repeated nature that impaired social, school, or work efficiency.
Miscellaneous
Any condition that in the opinion of the examining medical officer will significantly interfere with the successful performance of military duty or training may be a cause for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction.
Thanks for any insight you guys may have. Unrelated to my question but FYI the above link is interesting to peruse just for the range of odd things listed as reasons for exclusion (women below 4'10- also, undescended testicle(s)).
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