can I join the army or air force with tourettes and autism

K

Kaleb

Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2017
Messages
11
Hi I have a very mild form of autism and a very mild form of tourettes syndrome and I want to go into rotc I have never taken medication and I can still function in everyday life as a normal human being i just have a bit of social anxiety and the tics that i have i can controll, my tics aren't that bad when im preoccuipied and i can follow orders and i will listen to the rules i was wondering if i can join either the army or the airforce without a problem or if i have to get a waiver I was also wondering if I would get disquilified for these symptoms.
 
Mod Note:
I am Moving this from off topic forum to DoDMERB. You will likely receive more responses there.
 
Last edited:
Your limited social anxiety and tics may be okay for normal society. However, as a member of the military you will be subjected to extraordinary stress and still expected to carry out the mission.

Whether you are granted a waiver or not will depend on how functional you truly are and it is unlikely anyone here can determine that. You should likely apply and do your best to work through the ROTC program. If you can convince the cadre, you will set yourself up for the best possible outcome.

Good luck.
 
So how bad are the "tics" and anxiety?

For example, has it held you back from attaining leadership positions? Athletics? Would the tics affect motor coordination as in working with firearms?

Keep in mind that it is not YOUR opinion that counts. It will be the ROTC program you apply to that ultimately decides if something can be waived or not.
 
the tics aren't bad I could probably fire a weapon and hit the target(I live in a anti gun states so it's pretty hard to obtain a weapon)the only reason I say probably is because I've never fired a weapon before and it's been a easier for me to control the tics than it was when I was first diagnosed
 
Kaleb, I am not going to lie, if you have ANY impairment on motor coordination, it is going to be a tough hill to climb. You should talk to a physician who is familiar with military (DoDMERB) requirements and determine what your chances are.
 
tics that I have include head bobing (ocausanally but relatively rare)
opening my mouth when talking to my self ( which I would say would be the worst since I don't notice it all the time)
walking around (which I don't usually do in public places)
I usually don't do this stuff when preoccupied though.
 
I still write like a first grader it's gotten a little better but not to much
 
With autism, Tourettes with tics you "probably" be able to control, never fired a gun, etc. Why do you think you'd like to be in the military? Do you think you'd be a good fit?
 
yes I do think I'd be a good fit because I do listen to what people tell me to do and I do follow the rules and I'd want to be in the military mainly because I not so sure on what I want to do in life which is part of the reason why going officer or going enlisted is going around in my head plus I really do want to fire a gun but like I said I live in a anti gun state
 
Kaleb, what does the military gain from having you as a member? You have stated that your reason for joining is because you are unsure of what you want to do in life. How does the Army or Air Force benefit? What traits do you offer that are valuable?
 
Kaleb what year are you in school? Are you in sports? What is your GPA? These are all important to Army or AF ROTC.
 
so let's say I have a decent gpa (2.5 and above) and I'm physically fit and I have a decent score on my act and sat but I still have tourett's and high functioning autism (formally known as Asperger which is what I have) with the tics I said I have earlier what would you think my chances of going to ROTC be
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top