IN THIS SECTION 2 APRIL


On World Autism Awareness Day UN member states hold events to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which covers a range of conditions, including autism and Asperger syndrome. autism.org.uk


It has been suggested that great talents such as wartime code-breaker Alan Turing and Apple’s Steve Jobs were on the autism spectrum, along with Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist


2020


German software giant SAP has pledged that people with an ASD will account for at least one per cent of its global workforce by 2020. Microsoft is also piloting a scheme for hiring more people with autism


The huge potential of autistic talent p7 | Consumer health trends to pep up your venture p9 | Edwin Morgan, the IoD’s interim DG: ‘Business must make its voice heard amid the political chaos’ p13 | Experts’ views on cyber security p14


According to the National Autistic Society, the proportion of autistic adults in full-time employment is


700,000 16%


people in the UK are believed to have an ASD


of cognitively able adults with autism have interests and aptitudes, such as analytical thinking and attention to detail, that make them well suited for work in cyber security, according to Kevin Pelphrey, an eminent autism researcher at the University of Virginia


Research by the University of Montreal suggests that people with an ASD are


AUTISM IN THE WORKPLACE


40%


faster at solving problems than those without an ASD


‘The traits found in people with an ASD – such as strong problem- solving skills, attention to detail and outstanding rote memory – can be huge assets to any employer’


LAUREL HERMAN, founder of Aspierations, an organisation helping employers to recruit and retain high-functioning autistic talent. aspierations.org


Laurel Herman is a member of IoD London


3/4


director.co.uk 7


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