"Did you know that the business community realises a growing need for specialists?
Did you know that people with ASD are natural born specialists?"
Thorkil Sonne's son, Lars, was diagnosed with childhood autism at the age of 3. He was devastated but he also noticed something exceptional with the child. “When he starts focusing on something, he is so clever,” he says. “He can learn so much; it’s quite extraordinary.”
It's a trait common to some individuals with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), especially those with Asperger syndrome-- an obssessive focus on things and a remarkable memory. Thorkil recognized these cognitive strengths and soon an idea came to him. In 2004, he got a loan and founded, Specialisterne, an IT company that provides software testing services and data conversion to businesses in Denmark. It's the kind of work that requires focus and accuracy, a perfect fit for people with ASD.
“I have an ability to see when something deviates,” according to Torben Sorensen, a Specialisterne employee. “It kind of leaps to the eye. It’s an ability many people don’t seem to have, but to me it’s natural.”
They don't get bored and lose their focus on repetitive tasks, they don't do office gossip, they're accurate, punctual and thorough, they live on routine. “I think the thing the supervisors really liked most was their work ethic,” says David Hagner from University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability. “If they’re told, ‘Your break is 10 minutes,’ they would take 10 minutes. Not nine or 11. Just 10.”
Currently, Specialisterne has about 50 to 60 employees and approximately 75% are diagnosed with ASD. They do work for companies like Microsoft, CSC, Oracle and Lego. There are plans for expansion and their long term goal is to employ a thousand employees with ASDs worldwide.
Sources:
http://aspieministry.wordpress.com
http://autism.wikia.com/wiki/Narrow_interests
http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/06/04/channelling-autism/
http://www.mnn.com/technology/research-innovations/stories/autism-deemed-an-asset-for-some-jobs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specialisterne
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