Entrepreneur Creates Opportunites for those with Autism
Entrepreneur Thorkil Sonne has discovered that individuals with autism make exceptional employees in the IT sector. As a father whose son was found to be on the autism spectrum, Sonne was initially in despair over the diagnosis until he quickly realized autism has its advantages. People with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) possess the ability to grasp ideas and perfectly execute certain functions. Well suited to testing tools, they are adept at following structures and repeat functions.
These revelations inspired Sonne to change his career from social entrepreneur to leading an IT consulting business in Denmark that almost exclusively recruits individuals with autism. He has placed many of these workers where they do double-the-work in the same amount of time as their neurotypical counterparts, with fewer mistakes.
Sonne has started an organization called the Specialist People Foundation. Their logo is a dandelion to invoke their management philosophy called the “Dandelion Model." Known as a pesky weed to be eradicated in order to create a uniformly green lawn, the dandelion also has superb healing and nourishing properties when planted specifically and used for its positive qualities. So it is with individuals with autism. When carefully placed, they are invaluable assets to companies. It’s a win-win situation for employer and employee and an exciting trend. A quote on the Specialist People Foundation Web site sums it up, “Innovation needs variation…placing value on differences creates innovation. That’s the key for 21st century management.
The Specialist People Foundation recently hosted a global conference of parties representing twenty-five different countries united for the purpose of promoting career opportunities for individuals with autism. The conference helped further the foundation’s ambition of creating one million jobs globally for people with ASD and similar challenges. Teams are planning chapters of the foundation in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, USA, Turkey, Singapore, Dubai and many other countries.
Thorkil Sonne’s awesome work is creating a wave of the future when individuals with autism are recognized and rewarded for their considerable gifts.
For more information, visit https://www.specialistpeople.com .