TAPPING INTO PEOPLE WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: "Moving Towards an Inclusive and Neurodiverse Workspace"

Sammanfattning: Organizations lack knowledge of a relatively new phenomenon of the potential of those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As companies today seek to innovate, this paper explores employers’ experiences and perceptions of employing those with ASD. As companies have already begun to integrate adults with ASD into their organizations’ it seems appropriate to help Swedish companies to innovate and give them a competitive advantage. This paper provides a critical analysis on the challenges within the employment market in Sweden to include individuals with ASD in high-quality labor and high-tech industries. Analyzing data from several case studies and relevant literature review, this paper describes the employment discrimination of people with ASD and investigates if such discrimination can be eradicated by developing an innovation to include those people. Further, this paper seeks to explore if such a social innovation can be adopted in Swedish companies. The results of surveyed and interviewed employers showed their knowledge, support, and confidence about ASD was mixed; partially because of the ethics to question one’s neuropsychiatric diagnosis. Additionally, 2 actors were contacted to gain further insight into the process of the social innovation process framework. In summary, these studies find companies lack knowledge regarding ASD. Increasing knowledge and awareness from successful company cases could encourage companies to design ASD, or more broadly neurodiversity, into their organizations in order to innovate.