Newsletter Archive

AUGUST 2009

Use Your Strengths to Compensate for Challenges

Specialisterne is a Danish company that has received worldwide attention for recognizing the strengths of people on the autism spectrum. Specialisterne provides software testing services to clients like Microsoft, Oracle and CSC. Founded in 2004, the company hires people with Asperger's Syndrome and high-functioning autism because their accuracy, attention to detail and intense focus make them superior testers. 
 
In the United States, a non-profit organization called Aspiritech (www.aspiritech.org) is following the Specialisterne model by hiring individuals with Asperger's Syndrome to provide testing services to Chicago-area software development firms. According to Founder Brenda Weitzsberg, Aspiritech will be fully operational this fall.
 
Both of these organizations demonstrate how strengths-based employment creates a win-win situation for employers and employees. Perhaps one day the Specialisterne model will be de rigueur in business. Until then, individuals with Asperger's Syndrome and NLD can adopt a similar strengths-based approach to their careers. Dr. Temple Grandin, an extraordinarily accomplished woman who is on the autism spectrum, sums up how: "Develop skills in a career that other people value and need, and then become an expert at what you do." 1
 
Career satisfaction is dependent on a number of factors including your interest in a particular field, having the talent, skills and education to be employable, the availability of jobs, opportunities for advancement, the right work environment, etc. Finding the right fit requires careful research into various fields. You might also discover that you have strengths that can compensate for Asperger's or NLD-induced weaknesses.
 
For example, does the accuracy or quality of your work make up for slower working speed? Does your technical prowess earn you the respect of your colleagues (even though you're not as "social" as others)? Does your loyalty and dependability make up for needing a longer training period?
 
The challenges of trying to navigate the neurotypical workplace can sometimes eclipse appreciation of what you do well and how your talents benefit an employer. While it is important to understand your limitations, don't forget to notice your strengths, too! (For $6.95 you can order a copy of a case study about Specialisterne, in PDF format, that appeared in the Harvard Business Review. Go to www.harvardbusinessonline.com and enter "Specialisterne: Sense and Details" in the search window.) 

1 Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships, Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism, © 2005 Dr. Temple Grandin and Sean Barron, Future Horizons, Inc.  

© 2009 by Barbara Bissonnette, Forward Motion Coaching