Companies say autism can be valuable asset in the workplace
December 9th, 2009
From MSNBC:
Some revolutionary companies around the globe are leading a new movement to transform the unique attributes of high-functioning autism into sought-after job skills.
Companies like Specialisterne in Denmark and the non-profit Aspiritech in Chicago train people with autism to be software testers, data entry personnel and assembly workers. Such positions, which might be boring and monotonous for many, can capitalize on the detail orientation and repetitive nature that are often displayed by people with autism.
“My career would not have existed at all without the autism,” says Ron Brix (above), a longtime computer systems developer for Wrigley.
Robert Austin, a professor at Copenhagen Business School, wrote about Specialisterne for the Harvard Business School and says, “there’s no reason this couldn’t work in the United States.” He says that redefining conditions like autism as differences, rather than disabilities, is important for a developed economy.
… Austin says we need to recognize special abilities in people, realize that these may come with challenges to working in a traditional workplace, and find a way to minimize disabilities and take advantage of differences.
(MSNBC photo)
Our RSS Feed
December 15th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I think this article shows just how “behind on the times” the US really is when it comes to issues dealing with disabled individuals. The innovative thinking style that these companies have focuses on utilizing differences rather than dwelling on disabilities. Katelin does make a very good point though. When a person who has low-functioning autism is given the chance to communicate, their intelligence is far superior to neuro-typical people. If the US could just start thinking like this, it could make a big difference in the lives of many people.
December 11th, 2009 at 11:26 am
It’s wonderful that some companies are finally beginning to recognize that autism is not only not a defect, but can actually be an advantage. However, the article’s focus on “high-functioning” autistics is troubling. Many so-called low-functioning autistics — the majority of whom were previously believed to be retarded — have recently shown that, given the means to communicate, they are no less intelligent than anyone else. Individuals such as Tito Mukhopadhyay and Sue Rubin, who fall into the cateogy of low-functioning autism, have proven the label wrong by demonstrating just how capable they are of functioning in the world. Indeed, Tito has published several books and Sue is a successful college student. Their success raises questions regarding the relevance of the spectrum at all; what is, really, that defines “low” and “high” functioning autism?
December 10th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
I coach adults with Asperger’s Syndrome on career and job related issues. Specialisterne, Aspiritech and Left is Right (Sweden) are demonstrating how employers can benefit by looking at a person’s strengths and not just whether they “fit in” to social norms. There are so many individuals with Asperger’s who are bright, capable and skilled. But they have a hard time moving past social expectations on interviews to make their capabilities known. Or, their difficulties with communication and things like multi-tasking are cause problems on the job that appear to be a bad attitude.
In the right job, with the right support, many of these individuals have a contribution to make in the competitive employment market.