How You Can Support the Hiring of Adults on the Autism Spectrum

There are an estimated 1.5 million people in the U.S. living with some form of autism, Diverse Ability Magazine reports. However, the combined under and unemployment of young adults with autism is around 90%.

Behind these statistics are people with exceptional skills, though they are afforded few chances to put them to use. According to a study in the Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, people om the autism spectrum typically possess strong visual perception skills and the ability to remain highly focused in certain situations. They often are highly intelligent, pay careful attention to detail, have the ability to find patterns and anomalies in data, and are able to focus and perform high-quality repetitive tasks.

It’s not simply a stereotype to say that individuals with autism can possess astonishing and enlightened talents. For example some with autism are highly artistic; some exhibit heightened memorization abilities; some are extremely adept with miniscule details.

Autistic people have valuable skills to bring to the table, especially when employers understand that neurodiversity is a strength, the Mighty reports. There’s power in having diverse perspectives on any team and that includes people on the spectrum. Even though there may be challenges as you iron out accommodations that work for you, there are benefits for employers and employed autistic workers.