Translator: Denise RQ Reviewer: Marta Palacio
I am a founder of an IT company that does software testing.
We perform software testing for our clients.
I know that it doesn't sound that exciting,
but what makes us a little bit more interesting
is that we only employ people with Asperger syndrome.
Yes. We only employ people with Asperger syndrome.
And why do we do that? You might ask.
Well, there's one simple answer to that question,
and that is that they do it better.
They test software better than others.
So it's easy for me.
So, why do they test this better?
I will try to highlight that in my talk today,
and explain a little bit why.
But I will get back to that shortly.
One per cent of the population
is seemed to be on the autism spectrum.
One out of 100.
There's a lot of people here today
so maybe I have some potential employees here,
but then you have to be unemployed; that's a criterion also.
Asperger syndrome is the mildest form of autism.
People with Asperger syndrome
often have difficulties to interact with other people,
and also communicate with other people.
They find that very hard, and they can find it hard.
Unfortunately, they also have difficulties to enter the ordinary job market.
And are often left outside the ordinary markets.
That is, of course, a waste of talent,
because they have a set of unique skills
that can be taken advantage of.
So, let me get back to the why; why are they better?
I want to share a story with you,
and it goes seven years back,
when I started this company.
It was me and four people with Asperger syndrome.
We were going to help a client of ours to test complicated software.
Actually, it was our first client, a big telco company,
that believed in our idea.
We started in the offices of our clients,
and we were giving a big project room
- well, not that big; actually. It was 6x4 meters, so... -
But in this project room,
you could take notes, you could write on the walls.
That was what we did,
because we were going to learn complicated software
that we were going to test.
So going along, we took notes, wrote down what we learned,
and after a while, those walls were covered with notes, of course.
After a while,
I also noticed that one of the guys with Asperger syndrome
got very tired.
So, during breaks,
he would lay down on the floor and slept.
He took a nap.
This was new to me,
because I haven't been in that situation before,
so I asked him,
"Is there something wrong? I see that you get very tired."
He said, "Yes, there is something wrong.
Because I can't stop reading those notes;
I read them all the time,
every minute, every hour, every day.
Constantly, I read those notes on the wall
and that makes my brain overloaded."
Of course, we took care of that.
We erased the notes and created an environment he could function in,
and we learned the software and tested it, and that client was happy -
thank God for that.
Why am I telling this story?
It's because I also entered the same room,
at the same time as he did,
and I did not get tired.
I don't have Asperger syndrome,
but he got awfully tired as I said.
Because I have a filter that many of us do.
Because when I entered that room,
after a while, I didn't notice those notes on the wall.
They were just there for me.
But it was not the same for him.
He couldn't block them out.
He lacked the filter that we all have.
That is of course a problem in his ordinary daily life,
because there's a lot of impressions
for example, taking the bus, doing normal stuff
makes many people exhausted.
But it also can be a really great advantage,
and to us, that's an asset,
because if you are going to test complicate software as we do,
then it's about seeing the things that others can't see.
So, to find a bug, an error in the software,
that's something he's really good at, because he's lacking the filter.
Many people with Asperger syndrome have enhanced senses.
They can be very sensible
to light, sound, smell, taste,
and all different impressions.
And this is, of course - or it can be, as I mentioned -
something hard, get the life to go by,
but handled correctly,
it also can be a real asset.
And that is one example.
People with Asperger also have a tendency
to use the left side of the brain a little bit more.
And on the left side,
we have the logical thinking, the analytical thinking,
and also the ability to see details.
This is also, as I mentioned,
something that is highly valuable
in the area that we operate in.
So, if we can create an environment to take advantage of this,
that is of course an asset.
But that is also a part of, I think,
why they have difficulties in interacting with other people,
with the social interaction with other people.
This is me, 35 years ago;
seven years old, smiling, happy, naive.
I still am, probably.
As I mentioned, I don't have Asperger syndrome,
but when I was a little kid, - and still is the case, actually -
I was quite fascinated
by how easily I could remember things that I was interested in.
And that was the case.
When I was seven years old, I was really interested in ice hockey.
Everything to me was ice hockey.
So, names, numbers, different teams, team members, and everything;
read it once, and it was just there.
And that was lovely, of course.
And grammar
- well, English grammar, as you might notice today -
was not a thing I was so interested in.
So... well... It didn't come that easy.
I think most people can [relate] to that,
because if you're interested in a thing
it's much more easy, of course, to learn a certain stuff.
People with Asperger Syndrome, often have a tendency
to have a narrow interest
and like to dig down into [things] and really get into [inaudible].
If you could take that interest,
and make it a part of your company, as we have done -
All the employees in our company are interested in IT, of course.
So, interest is also extremely important, and also an asset to our company,
but also something that people with Asperger syndrome are good at.
We also have to create an environment in our company
where these people can function in,
so that they can perform their work,
do a great job and also excel in what they are doing.
As I mentioned, in terms of different people have different needs,
we, of course, try to create an environment suited for those people.
Our company is, of course, maybe not the ordinary IT company.
We do it our way,
or the autism way, if we should put it that way.
So, we do things a little bit differently; we do.
Not that much, but to some [extent].
Our Christmas parties, of course...
(Laughter)
They are a little bit different from the other companies', I guess.
(Laughter)
This is me getting my ass kicked at gaming a couple of years ago.
This is what we do;
we game, we eat, we drink, we game some more,
and we have fun.
And this is the typical environment that is on their terms,
and they liked it that way.
And that's why we do that.
I hope I've given you some insight
and also the answer to the question of why
we only people with Asperger syndrome.
These are some of the reasons.
And why they are also better; because as I've mentioned,
if you could take a person who lacks the filter, for example,
but also has the skills needed,
the analytical thinking, the logical thinking,
the ability to see the details that others can't see,
and can combine these
with a great interest in the field he performs in,
well, then you have the answer to that question, of course.
That is what we have done in my company,
and that's why we have seen the potential within,
and also embraced the potential of autism.
I would also like to encourage all of you to do the same;
to embrace the potential of autism.
Thank you.
(Applause)