Hundreds of people with autism are hired by the German software developer SAP, hoping to make them indispensable experts in the field of IT technology.
SAP said it wants to hire up to 500 autistic people because they "think differently" that sets them apart from regular employees. The IQ level of a person with autism is likely to be average or above average, and they also have some skills that other people do not have and that are of interest to IT companies.
SAP has more than 65,000 employees and hopes that by 2020, 1% of them will be autistic, the German office said. This year, recruiting distinct employees will begin in Germany, America and Canada. Recruiters will be assisted by Danish professionals with experience in hiring autistic people for large firms. The publication notes that a larger percentage of autistic people work in the information technology field than in other areas.
Autism was shown to millions of moviegoers by Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, where he played the cynical hero Tom Cruise's autistic brother. Autism has various symptoms: sometimes those with severe forms of the disorder cannot speak at all, because they are unable to master the language. There may also be intellectual disabilities and an inability to communicate with other people.
The disorder is due to genetic disorders, but the genetics of autism are complex. Parents usually notice signs of the disorder in a child under the age of two. Such children, as a rule, develop slowly, but it happens that at first development goes well, but then regression sets in. Psychological correction helps autistic children gain communication skills.
Although autism is incurable, isolated cases of recovery, or absolute compensation for the disorder, are known.
