Putting “special interests” to work
by Patricia
A story in Wired Magazine explains how the news of his son’s autism diagnosis inspired Danish entrepreneur Thorkil Sonne to start Specialisterne (Danish for “Specialists”), an I.T. firm that hires mostly people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
One characteristic we often hear about people with autism is an intense interest in a particular subject. Colloquially in the field of autism this is called a “special interest,” and Specialisterne hires individuals with autism who have a special interest in internet technology.
In Sonne’s native Denmark, as elsewhere, autistics are typically considered unemployable. But Sonne worked in I.T., a field more suited to people with autism and related conditions like Asperger’s syndrome.
“As a general view, they have excellent memory and strong attention to detail. They are persistent and good at following structures and routines,” Sonne says. In other words, they’re born software engineers.
Too often I hear people say things like, “People with autism are really good at (name a topic).” CAREFUL! I think people with autism are really good at something that interests them, at a particular time, and in a particular environment. Kind of like the rest of us!
Take me, for example. I’m good at cooking, in the evening, in my kitchen. In the morning, it’s a bowl of cereal. In an unfamiliar kitchen, I’m a little shaky. Each person with autism is an individual, and their interests emerge in particular environments in a particular time frame.
It’s fantastic when anyone’s interest intersects with a vocation, and if you are a person with autism who loves Information Technology, Specialisterne may want to hire you. Mr. Sonne used a great business strategy: find an area of special interest, and employ people with autism who have that special interest. Given the vast number of adults with autism who have difficulty securing employment, it would be great of other business leaders took on this model with their own area of special interest.