A Visible Career on the Spectrum An engineer with autism explains how she has succeeded in the workplace,and what employers can do to be more supportive

摘要

AUTISM Spectrum Condition(ASC)is what it says on the tin-it is a spectrum and a condition.People with ASC are characterised by communication and social impairment issues,sensory issues and repetitive behaviours.This condition presents itself very differently in women than men due to certain physiological differences.1 It is debilitating in some people,but at the other end,some go on to manage it exceptionally well and have jobs and relationships.Thankfully,I am one of the latter.If you are reading this,it is likely you are working in engineering or science.Research has showed that individuals working in STEM careers have more autistic traits.2 Also,children of autistic engineers,scientists and accountants tend to be over represented in STEM careers.3 And while autistic people are stereotyped heavily in the media,the reality is that no two people experience this condition the same.Most of us go unnoticed,falling through the cracks of society and its machinery,designed largely for a ‘typical’population.The truth is,most of us with autism barely get by and every day is a new minefield to navigate.As Temple Grandin,a fellow autistic person and prominent spokesperson on the condition put it:”I am an anthropologist from Mars.”