Specialisterne (Danish for ‘Specialists’) seeks to harness strengths that many people with Autism Spectrum Disorders possess - good attention to fine details, precision, and high tolerance for repetitive tasks. Their consultants bring the joy of work into areas where it is often missing. To ensure their consultants achieve their full potential, the social enterprise creates a highly-planned and predictable working environment to minimise stress.
(source: BBC News - Jobs cash for people with autism in Scotland)
The above is an example of ‘niche construction’ - this is the term Dr. Thomas Armstrong uses for modifying an environment (creating a ‘niche’) to adapt to each unique brain. Assistive technologies represent important resources to help accomplish these environmental modifications.
Proloquo2Go is a powerful augmentative communication app for the iPhone and iPad. Jamie Knight, a 21-year-old front end web developer from the UK, talks about how he uses it to deal with issues related to his Autism:
To ensure their consultants achieve their full potential, the social enterprise creates a highly-planned and predictable working environment to minimise stress.