ASPIRITECH—HARNESSING THE POWER OF ASPERGER’S SYNDROME
By Frady Schwartz
Courtesy of Hamodia Magazine
The very characteristics that are a liability in one environment can be an advantage in another. Moshe Weitzberg is using the unique abilities of adults with Asperger’s Syndrome to provide a superior service in the field of software development and testing.
What happens to an employee who is talented and successful at his job, but awkward in social settings such as interviews and meetings, has difficulty understanding complex verbal instructions, and doesn’t deal well with stress? In today’s competitive market, anyone who doesn’t fit in is usually quickly out the door. And that is why, although there are no official figures, experts in the field suggest that the unemployment rate for people with Asperger’s syndrome (AS) and high functioning autism (HFA) is 85%, even if they have a college education and have earned advanced degrees.
When Oran Weitzberg, a college graduate, was able to get only part time jobs such as bagging groceries, and was then fired, his parents, Moshe and Brenda Weitzberg, took a hard look at the employment situation for those with AS. Moshe Weitzberg served as a lieutenant in the Israel Defense Forces and has a PhD in organic chemistry from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Brenda Weitzberg, who has a background in psychology and special education, is now a director at the Jewish Council for Youth Services, a Chicago based not-for-profit agency. They were well aware of their son’s many skills and turned to a group of MBA students at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
The Weitzbergs asked that group to conduct a business study to determine what kinds of jobs would match the skills and aptitudes of people with AS—in particular, skills such as attention to detail, focus, precision, and the ability to perform repetitive tasks. One niche they found was software testing. They discovered that Specialisterne, a Danish company if IT (information technology) consultants, was experiencing success employing individuals with AS, as were similar companies in other countries.
Testing is required before a software developer puts his product on the market. The programs or equipment must be tested to ensure, for example, that they perform as advertised under a variety of conditions; they don’t interfere with other programs on the same system; or if it’s an upgrade, the original features are still working. Any bug discovered during testing have to be clearly documented. The testing is sometimes done in-house, but this phase of a program’s development has become a specialty in itself, and there are many advantages to using objective test engineers from outside companies.
The Weitzbergs decided to establish a company to employ their son and others with similar challenges. The founded Aspiritech as a nonprofit company that could access donations as well as income. They had their first paying clients in March 2010, followed by nine more companies in the first two years. The clients were extremely impressed with Aspiritech’s service, which was meticulous and accurate.
Aspiritech works on a contract basis and is currently negotiating to do testing for several companies. Eighteen test engineers have been trained (including their son, Oran), but there isn’t always enough work for all of them. Although it is sometimes an uphill battle to convince companies of the quality of their work and there is a lot of competition from offshore companies, Aspiritech’s services are competitively priced, and the Weitzbergs have a growing body of testimonials from satisfied customers.
The Difference With Aspiritech
Moshe Weitzberg explained how Aspiritech uses the skills of those with AS. First, each candidate is trained in software testing, even is he or she already has a computer science degree. The factors requiring testing are then defined very specifically; many employees with AS do better with visual instruction that with verbal. The software testing has its own system of checks and balances; each test and its result is documented on a spreadsheet, and if a potential bug is identified, it is double checked by another member of the team. At the end of the testing period, all the results have been clearly documented.
On the social side, Dr. Weitzberg and Marc Lazar, an autism specialist, have created a comfortable, supportive atmosphere to help the employees develop social skills. Mr. Lazar is available as a counselor to assist employees any time with issues arising in the workplace or with personal issues that might make it difficult for them to concentrate on their jobs. They also have social events to help them further develop a team feeling. Dr. Weitzberg likes to take some of the testing engineers with him to meetings with clients, both to expose them to business forums and to demystify Asperger’s syndrome for the clients.
Mr. Brian Tozzo, who has worked at Aspiritech for two years, says that he enjoys his job very much. “Individual working styles are accommodated; people can work in private cubicles or in a group, whatever they prefer. I like to work in a group. I also like having a counselor available to speak to in case an issues come up.”
With this job he has finally been able to use his abilities and his degree in computer programming, whereas previously he was able to find work only in data entry. “As one of my co-workers said—and I agree with hem—we like variety, but not all at once.” At Aspiritech the variety is controlled to allow each employee to reach his potential at his own pace.
What is Asperger’s Syndrome?
Asperger’s syndrome is a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. In fact, experts argue about how to distinguish between AS and high functioning autism. Those with AS often have a highly developed orientation to detail, the ability to recognize patterns and spot minute anomalies, and the ability to perform repetitive tasks without losing focus. Their difficulties often lie in the realm of excessive rigidity and awkward social skills, which makes it difficult for them to communicate in a business environment, to read between the lines in social interaction, and to understand abstract verbal instructions.
The causes of autism and its prevalence are a matter of much debate, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 percent of children in the United States are thought to be on the autism spectrum.
Future Plans
Dr. Weitzberg said that the publicity his company has received has resulted in hundreds of inquiries from people with AS all over the world who are looking for an opportunity to use their skills in an environment that will accommodate them. The common theme is that of very bright people, many with advanced degrees, who just can’t find acceptance in the workplace—such as a woman who was a lawyer and was working for a firm but found the anxiety too difficult to manage. Although many states will provide a job coach, usually for ninety days, it’s not enough to satisfy the needs of many people with AS; they can learn fairly quickly how to perform the job, but over time encounter issues related to executive functioning, flexibility, and multitasking.
Aspiritech would like to do more research to uncover other employment opportunities for the, such as analyzing aerial photographs or diagnosing data in medical labs. Although at first the goal was to enable employees to integrate into a regular (or as the AS community likes to call it, a neuro-typical environment), Dr. Weitzberg is not sure how feasible that might be now that he has seen how much the employee benefits from working in a supportive environment.
On a New York Times article called “Building A More Inclusive Work Force”, which discusses Aspiritech’s success, Robert Austin, dean of the business administration faculty at the University of New Brunswick, NJ said, “Business in general, as well as business schools, haven’t paid sufficient attention to the competitive value of employees with differences. The twentieth century tried to make people fit into the system. The twenty first century will be about managing people who don’t fit in.” for all of those who have so much to offer, let’s hope he’s right.