If I can give some practical advice to parents, employers, or anyone else who supports an autistic worker, it would be this: get on the level of the one you are trying to support, know what they enjoy and what they are good at, and build onto their strengths from there.

As I mentioned in a previous post, too often stereotypes of autism developed over the years and shown in movies, give an incomplete picture of the skills and special traits of an autistic adult.

Their strengths come from their interests and/or skills they have developed well. Typical strengths are organization, punctuality, having a routine, proficiency in accomplishing a task, and dedication to their work. While these are very basic, yet desirable strengths in the workplace, not every autistic person can identify with these strengths. Some may struggle with being organized or getting things done on time. The belief that all of these strengths characterize an autistic person is based on the stereotype that those with autism are superhero geniuses.

This strength-based approach was researched and confirmed by Laurent Mottron, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal. It emphasizes developing strengths through interests as a way of adapting to the world around them, rather than suppressing an individual’s obsessive behaviors. The Corporate Leadership Council further supports the strength-based approach through research that correlates employer’s focus on autistic employees’ strengths with high performance in the workplace.

The research makes sense in light of how those with autism respond to negative feedback, even if it is meant to be constructive. No one wants to be criticized for bad work, not even me, yet more often than not; this is what happens in both the workplace and in schools.

If you want to see the chart on emphasizing the positive in autistics’ strength and the personal testimony of an autistic that has been through several jobs before retirement, click on the link below: