Auticon (formerly Mindspark), is the idea of Gray Benoist, and is only one of a handful of companies that does this.
 |
| Gray Benoist from Auticon |
From the get go the Auticon interview process takes into consideration the difficulty around eye contact, and the need to look away a lot. There is also the pressure and stress to talk about yourself and 'sell' yourself, which can be very overwhelming for even the most experienced interviewee, and this again is understood and accepted.
Another action Auticon implements is that its employees can wear headsets to minimise the noise in the office, and they even have chance to take time off if they become overloaded - called 'anxiety days off'.
A German company - SAP - employs a mixture of people, some of who are on the spectrum, and they offer ASD interviewees the choice to build Lego robots, instead of a traditional interview.
Steve Silberman wrote a piece about this, called 'The Geek Syndrome', and said that this Lego building showed "problem solving skills and commitment to a task".
 |
| Steve Silberman |
If more companies understood this, and the struggle people with autism can experience, and implement it during interviews, they could become better aware. This would in turn enable people with ASD, who have passion, commitment, skills, and the drive to do the job on offer, a chance to prove their capabilities.
Another action Auticon implements is that its employees can wear headsets to minimise the noise in the office, and they even have chance to take time off if they become overloaded - called 'anxiety days off'.
It goes for everyone however, that when you feel comfortable and accepted, you achieve more, and progress further.
I hope more companies follow suit.
You can read more about this here >>> The Firm Whose Staff Are All Autistic
