Autism Spectrum: Now Acceptable In Most Companies, Is It Worth It?

Gone are the days when people suffering from autism spectrum are on the bottom of a company's applicant's list. Nowadays, more and more companies tailorfit their working environments to accommodate the needs of autistic employees and not deduce their worth by giving them unpaid or incentive work.

According to Chicago Tribune, the workforce is at a loss when it refuses to accept people with autism spectrum just because of their cognitive impairment and lack of communication skills. When given repetitive tasks and interior design is tailored to make autistic employees more attentive, they prove that they can deliver what is ask of them.

People with autism spectrum often struggle after high school when they are thrust to enter a new phase of their lives that won't be giving the same special treatment they received before adulthood. These include having to face the struggles of college, post-graduation, employment, paying bills, and the like.

A report last year from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University found out that more than a third of 50,000 autistic high school graduates don't go on working or attending school in their early 20s (via Chicago Tribune). As per Huffington Post in 2014, more high-functioning children with autism spectrum have been going to college but develop anxiety or depression that makes them drop out of school.

The workplace is a whole different jungle. When autistic people do find jobs, they find it harder to stay employed. They usually forget how to do simple tasks and/or lose attention immediately. These are the primary reasons why most employers are hesitant to accept people with autism spectrum (via CNN).

Ann Cameron Williams, Chief Research and Innovations Officer of The Arc (an organization for people with intellectual disabilities), tells CNN that employers do not have a choice but to employ people with autism spectrum. They'll even be surprised with how autistic people can function when given the opportunity.

"Giving someone with autism a chance to work, many employers will discover that those on the spectrum are great at working with numbers, computers and spreadsheets," Wiliams told CNN.

As per Chicago Tribune, companies such as Hart Schaffner Marx, Ford, Walgreens, Microsoft, SAP, Northwestern University, AutonomyWorks and Sears Holdings have people with autism spectrum working for them and/or training programs for interested autistic applicants and the managers that would handle them. These companies have given clerical and creative jobs for people with autism spectrum, planning to employ more for accounting and technology.

Notably, Hart Schaffner Marx has spent around $500,000 for the past two years to redesign its workplace for people with autism spectrum. It employed the help of Autism Workforce and developed a whole new system in its office that would make people with autism spectrum feel that they belong as well as giving them the opportunity to perform at their best (via Chicago Tribune).

Do you think that it's a good move for companies to hire people with autism spectrum or is it a costly risk that would lead to more negative consequences than benefits? Sound off your thoughts on the Comments section below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.