I just want
to let you in on a few things that you may not be aware of. The autism spectrum
is much larger than people know. There are people on the spectrum that are some
of the leading geniuses of all time. People on the spectrum are already in
critical positions that help keep our nation’s economy afloat. Employing people
on the spectrum is not about charity; it’s about finding the right person for
the job and keeping them there. As a matter of fact, you probably already know
people who are doing important jobs whom you were not aware were on the
spectrum.
Autistic
people tend to have several characteristics that make them able to do certain
jobs better than your average worker. Some of these qualities are:
organization, creativity, superior memory, hyper-focus, calculation ability,
routine-focus, and brutal honesty. I’ll try to some personal and general
examples of each of these. Now, sometimes these extraordinary abilities can
come with a price, and I’ll point this out as well.
People on
the spectrum have a need for things to be organized. If I walk into a store and
the shelves are messy and disorganized, it truly bothers me. It bothers me
enough that unless I am restrained, I will spontaneously start organizing them
(my wife would frequently chastise me with the phrase, “you don’t work here,”
whenever we were out shopping.) The right person on the spectrum will keep your
inventory organized far better than the average worker without having to be asked
or reminded.
- Downside: Organization is often not optional and can be confusingly inconsistent from an outside perspective. Having things out of place can leave a person on the spectrum distracted and confused until things are put in the “right” place.
- People you may know: If you have run across a person that can keep an entire store or warehouse organized and always seems to know where everything is without having to look, this person is probably on the autistic spectrum, even if they don’t know it themselves.
Creativity
is also a hallmark of people on the spectrum. We tend to look at things from a
slightly different perspective than the average worker, which allows us to do
things that can really catch the customer’s attention. Eye-catching displays, memorable
slogans, more efficient ways of doing things, and even new products and
services that add to your business are things that someone on the autistic
spectrum can bring to your business.
- Drawback: Creativity is a very hit or miss thing. Sometimes even the best seeming ideas just don’t pan out. Also, autistic people can sometimes get stuck on an idea that turns out to be unworkable. A frank discussion may be needed to get us to move on.
- People you may know: Most new products are created by people on the spectrum as well as things like logos and artwork.
Superior
memory is one of the most useful of the autistic “quirks.” People on the
spectrum often become fascinated by something and will quickly become an expert
in whatever that is. This often leads to an encyclopedic knowledge that can
give you your own in-house expert.
- Drawback: The subject has to “catch our attention,” and this is not really voluntary. It either fascinates us or it doesn’t. This type of memory is also extremely quirky. I can remember amazing amounts of historical data but can’t remember the names of people that I know quite well. Warning! If we start talking about a subject we love, we can talk for hours.
- People you know: If you know someone who knows everything there is to know about a particular subject, they are most likely on the autistic spectrum.
Hyper-focus
is another ability that can be very useful to an employer. Hyper-focus allows
the person to become completely absorbed by the task at hand and to then do it
at an amazing rate for long periods of time. I remember doing an inventory once
where I got into hyper focus and I started going so fast that the other people
could barely record what I was inventorying in time.
- Drawback: When someone is hyper-focused they stop noticing anything else around them. It’s often difficult to get their attention and they may not notice you even yelling their name in their ear. Another problem is that they can forget about their physical needs like eating, drinking or taking bathroom breaks and have been know to collapse exhaustion or dehydration when in this state. Having a supervisor or co-worker look out for them and make them take breaks nay be needed.
- People you know: Artists are especially known for getting into creative “moods” where they will go on marathon creative streaks and forget about things like eating, sleeping or personal hygiene, but turn out amazing works.
Some
people on the spectrum have amazing calculation and mathematical abilities.
These people seem to eat and drink numbers. Because of this people on the
spectrum make some of the best bookkeepers, accountants and auditors around.
- Drawback: No real drawbacks for this one.
- People you know: If you know someone who is more comfortable with numbers than people in one of the above professions, that is a good indication that they are on the autistic spectrum, although they may not know it themselves.
Similar
to the need for organization is the need for predictability. This most often
manifests itself as a reliance on routine. This can be very good in an employee
as they tend to be always on time and get things done in a set predictable
pattern, which they never tire of. While most employees might find this boring,
they find it comfortable and reassuring.
- Drawback: People who take comfort in routine predictability have a hard time with unexpected major changes. The more warning they have, the better they can accept the change.
- People you know: Anyone can get into a rut, but there are people who have no interest in getting out of theirs and in fact, get quite upset if their regular rhythm is disturbed.
Brutal
honesty is also a common trait among autistic persons. People on the autistic
spectrum tend to remember things by how facts and images relate to one another.
If you ask a question, they will answer with the relevant facts. This leads to
a straightforward and literal answer to the question asked (which can sometimes
be mistaken for sarcasm or aggression.) The tendency is to say exactly what
they mean and mean exactly what they say.
- Drawback: Tact does not come easily to someone on the spectrum. An offhand question that is asked suddenly will usually get a brutally honest answer. Not that people on the spectrum are incapable of lying, but it is difficult to learn and reluctantly used. People on the spectrum do not tend to use subtexts or implications in their speech and do not usually recognize it in other’s speech. (i.e. hints and sarcasm are often lost on them which can lead to misunderstandings.)
- People you know: People on the spectrum make very good if hard-nosed judges and law enforcement officers.
All in all,
people on the autistic spectrum make very good “niche” workers. They are very
common is positions like IT, engineering, and accounting, and are often
successful in these and similar roles as well as artistic areas like actors and
writers. The one caution is that we are very specialized workers: we can do
some things better than anyone who is not on the spectrum, but the price we pay
is in generalized abilities and social interactions.
If we are
pushed to do the things that we find painful because “anyone can do this,” then
the same thing will happen that would happen if you used a cell phone for a
hammer, it would break. It doesn’t mean that the cell phone is defective; it’s
just being used for something it’s not designed for.
Similarly,
we have trouble with social pecking orders and socialization. If you push one
of us to act “just like one of the boys,” it will end in disaster. We are also
especially vulnerable to bullying and social sabotage. I have more than once
gone from the top employee to fired because of a new person that was
uncomfortable with me began spreading rumors and accusations, and every person
on the spectrum that I have talked to has similar stories. All it usually takes
for this to stop is a word to “leave them alone and let them do their job.”
Last of
all, I want to remind you that the autistic spectrum is wide. It goes from
people like the character “Rain Man” who needed help to be able to survive to
people like Temple
Grandin
