Being Developed

Someone has just sent me a message following my last newsletter about the article I wrote about Specialisterne, the company started in Denmark solely to provide support and employment for people on the autistic spectrum and, also, to exploit the unique skills and advantages they can offer.

The question posed was: "what are Specialisterne doing to develop those staff that have the capability to become managers internally?".

The answer is that I don't know, but knowing what I do about the company I am sure that they will be receptive to the idea and doing all they can to realise this objective going forward.

The question did however get me thinking. What are/can companies do to assist people with Asperger to become managers in terms of personal development?

A key issue is the current lack of understanding and training in this area. This, of course, was what prompted me to write my book Managing with Asperger syndrome and also to formulate my Transitions Programme with Nottingham University to try and provide some assistance for those about to enter the workplace.

It is, therefore, an incipient area and one that I would like to develop on these forums. It would be most welcome if people could post their thoughts on the type of training and assistance that they feel would be beneficial in this area.