Neurodistinct™

Review: An Employers Guide to Managing Professionals on the Autism Spectrum

An Employers Guide to Managing Professionals on the Autism Spectrum

Book by: Marcia Scheiner of Integrate with Joan Bogden

For anyone managing a logic leaning, frequently neurodiverse technical worker, this book is required reading. For anyone else, it is an excellent lesson in good old fashion, face to face management techniques plus a training about the neurodiverse rolled into one. What I learned from Marcia’s straight forward explanations and examples amazed me. This is particularly surprising considering I have Asperger’s and over 20 years of management experience. I applaud Marcia for the body of knowledge she has taken the effort to compile in an easy to read book.

 Marcia begins by pointing out that 1/3 of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) graduate college and the vast majority are unable to find a job. The problem isn’t these individuals’ skills, but the employers lack of understanding of the neurodiverse worker. While these individuals frequently have very marketable abilities and technical skills, they are often lagging in the communication and social skills most employers consider essential. The funny is many of the jobs I have had and ones the neurodiverse excel at don’t require communication beyond typing on a computer and talking to other geeky team members. If you follow Marcia’s advice, you may be removing the requirement for being a great communicator and team player from many of your non-customer facing technical positions.

The techniques presented in this book are easy to implement and Marcia does a good job in giving you insight into the thought processes of the neurodiverse and the closely related “A”SD Lister. If you are struggling with workers who blurt out tactless words at meeting, seem to never understand what you want accomplished, and argue every approach but theirs is wrong, this is the book that will rescue the employee and save your sanity.

_{* If you purchase from the above link you pay the same and I make $.05 or something.}