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 suit an individual’s unique needs. Armstrong makes the point that niche construction is what animals have done for eons - for example the bird building a nest, the beaver building a dam.
And the environmental modifications do not have to relate to work necessarily. For example, the sleep environment could be modified for an Autistic person - which might well produce better and/or more consistent performance in the workplace.
Sleeping in the Floating Bed™ may be a useful modification for a special needs individual, like someone with Autism:
A recent study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, confirmed that the gentle rocking motion makes ‘healthy’ individuals fall asleep faster, and they sleep deeper: Why Hammocks Make Sleep Easier, Deeper : Shots - Health Blog : NPR
Makers of the The Floating Bed™ claim that no other bed has this motion. It is the most simple, stable, predictable motion, and the only motion suitable for a bed, or for relaxing. This is because it is the only motion that tells your Vestibular System that you are safe to relax.
(sources: A Key Concept for Neurodiversity: Niche Construction | Dr. Armstrong’s Blog; Sleep System for Special Needs Children | The Floating Bed Co; [Better Sleep than Your Bed - The Floating Bed®](http://<a href=“Better Sleep than Your Bed - The Floating Bed®” target=“_blank”><font size=“1”>Better Sleep than Your Bed - The Floating Bed®)) (Better Sleep than Your Bed - The Floating Bed®)