Skills and Abilities

Autistic employees may have a number of skills and abilities that can be of great interest and benefit to an organization. With the right kind of support, they can become highly successful employees. The skills and abilities of autistic employees may include:

Unique way of thinking

Autistic individuals can be highly creative or innovative.  Their unique way of processing information may enable them to imagine things and to present information in the form of a model or picture in quite unusual ways.  They may also be able to determine patterns or relationships between things and words in ways other people may not.  People with this unique ability can be particularly suited to professions in the fields of art, graphic design, maths, languages or computer programming. Some have even been able to make successful careers encrypting communications for intelligence agencies.

Extensive knowledge

Autistic individuals tend to be highly focused and have very specific interests. As a result, they may be extremely knowledgeable in a particular field of expertise. They also tend to have good memories and may be able to memorize extensive amounts of highly detailed information easily and to retain this knowledge for long periods of time. Some may even be considered to have photographic memories. People with this ability can be particularly suited to professions such as medicine, composing, engineering or linguistics.

High concentration levels/preference for routine

Due to their focused way of thinking, autistic individuals may be able to concentrate on tasks, even very mundane or routine ones, for extensive periods of time. They are also known for their tenacity, seeing tasks through to completion without losing interest. This particular ability can make them particularly suited to professions such as programming or proof-reading.  

Perfectionism/eye for detail

Autistic individuals are often perfectionists and, as a consequence, have a keen eye for detail.  They may be able to notice things, such as fine details, patterns, inconsistencies or spelling mistakes, more easily than other people. They are also renowned for producing highly detailed and accurate work. People with this ability can be particularly suited to professions such as software testing, design, translating, records management or determining profile patterns such as in the medical/pharma industry or in the consumer business. 

Logical way of thinking/objectivity

Autistic individuals tend not to get emotional about things or let other peoples' emotions influence them or their decisions or opinions. They are particularly adept at regarding situations logically and coming to an objective conclusion. People with this ability can make good managers or can act as effective mediators in very volatile or emotional situations.

Conscientiousness/reliability/loyalty/honesty

Autistic individuals tend to be highly conscientious and have a keen sense of justice.  It is important to them that they do the right thing in all situations.  Due to their focused way of thinking, they tend to be dedicated to their work and make extremely reliable and loyal employees.  Autistic individuals are also renowned for their honesty.  They can be relied on to state things as they are, regardless of the situation or the person involved.