Speaking “roundup” to qualify the internment of autistic people as an institution or providing for a “Detail of the story” by evoking the temptation of eugenics which could accompany the detection of autism in utero, Hugo Horiot sets the tone. Just like the title of his book: “Autism, I accuse”. “It's a pamphlet“, he assumes. A shocking language for “Fight against single thought“.

Himself diagnosed autistic there is more than 35 ans, Horiot protests and provokes to carry the voice of his family, hear the autistic or spray them. Because there are many (more and more, thanks to a better diagnosis), These atypical, has claim and defend their difference as did, People with reduced mobility, homosexuals or people of color. “The process is similar, continues horiot. There is a form of cognitive racism with regard to our community. It's time for the spectrum to wake up!”

The Spectre? More and more recognized as a genetic specificity, Autism can take a wide spectrum of different shades.

To put it simply, where, in early childhood, The typical brain will begin to filter and serial the information it receives, that of the atypical does not do so and develops its connections differently. This mass of information obviously generates inconvenience and disabilities. But in parallel, atypical people also develop extremely specific skills in certain areas, often inversely proportional to behavioral handicaps.

Between the mutical individual with a fleeing look, who cannot suppress their scales, the silent who flees as much as possible social relations and the one that experiences “only” Hypersensitivity to noise or light, We are talking about the autism spectrum. What to do with it, For Horiot and some of his peers, The idea of ​​an informal organization, In the blink of an eye to James Bond.

Josef Schovanec prefers the notion ofHelp. Multidiplôme, speaking 7 LANGUAGES, great traveler and writer, He regularly gives his “things of things” of his metal and monocord voice in chronicles on Europe 1. “Autistan is not an imaginary country like that of Peter Pan. It is A concept that brings together all our peers under the same term.” For folklore, Autistan has its flag, blocked with blue bands (The color that soothes autistic) and white, struck by a prism of 24 colors to show all the diversity of the profile.

Schovanec wants to be as militant as Horiot. In another form of language, more polite, But the bottom is the same. “Current society is tightened terribly. There is much less room for the atypical. In older times, There were shepherds, hermits, genius handymen leaning over their workbench without a word. There was a place for the atypical. Today, because we are more asocial than others, We sometimes live in very harsh and very precarious conditions.“

Iron?

François Delcoux East “Ambassador of Autistan” in Belgium, As Hugo Horiot is in France. When we meet him, Its door opens even before we have found the doorbell. “I had heard a car that I did not know. I suspected it was you“, he said with a warm smile. The house is a permanent project in which you have to make a way. “This is part of the autistic condition“, recognizes Delcoux, which remains thanks to a minimum insertion income (RMI). He too goes above the difficulties he encounters in giving conferences and bringing the words of autistic. “Proud to be autistic? It doesn't make sense. We are like we are born.” Autistic and proud of being ... The expression readily caricatured had made Schovanec jump. “Can we be proud to measure 1,90 m, to be blond or Belgian. These are notions that are completely foreign to us.”

To describe the functioning of the autistic brain, We are talking about a Another form of intelligence or neurodivergence in relation to neurotypic, supposed to represent the standard. “Autism has nothing to do with Rain Man. This character also presents a completely different syndrome. We are not learned monkeys!“, AFFIRME HD. But this difference gives the atypical Another perception of reality and a Another perspective on problems, which covers the dead corners left by the neurotypics. “It’s quite blatant in terms of cybersecurity For example. The atypical person will see the flaw that the neurotypics had not seen. And hackers often have an atypical side ...“, pointing out Frédéric Vezon, Aspertise founder, who employs around fifteen atypical people in computer consultancy.

Skills and qualities

This is the whole message that activists of the autistic cause want to convey. By dint of relegating the autistic, Aspergeria and other neurodivergentes in the box “disabled” of our very standardized society, We deprive ourselves of appreciable skills and human qualities in the professional environment. Great creators or inventors, who revolutionized the world, are today recognized as presenting disorders related to autism spectrum: Nikola Tesla, Einstein, Edison, Newton…

Julie Mousty had a particularly chaotic schooling, interrupted in secondary school. Which does not prevent him from being passionate about the psychology of behavior. “When I am in my books, I am able to stay there for hours there, literally without lifting your nose. It is obviously a bit complicated when you have to comply with a schedule or social life, But suddenly I can assimilate a lot of material in a short time“, she notes.

This is one of the characteristics of atypical people: l’hyperfocalization on certain interests, sometimes very sharp or even incongruous. But it's not the only one.

We also point the very great precision and the detail in the tasks accomplished. “You will never see an atypical add a gram too much in a recipe, This can be precious in a sector like chemistry for example“, Note hide. In corollary, the perfectionism who pushes them to look for the last carat (“Which does not necessarily go hand in hand with productivism ...“, warns Delcoux). And then, it's almost a cliché, the propensity to Calcutta and at the IT programming.

The insiste surter sur d ’Other human qualities: The probity, reliability, loyalty… “We are unable to conceal or lie. Imagine a world where everyone adopts the same behavior? It might miss a little filters, But we would not win?“

So many professional and human qualities theoretically very appreciable on the labor market. So why can't we find more atypical people in companies?

Education

“How to succeed in winning or only being integrating into society when you don't have the basic background, whatever intelligence“, s’insurge hide. The problem therefore begins from teaching.

Like Julie Mousty, François Delcoux followed a complicated education in general education. “When I made a highly documented presentation on dinosaurs in 1re primary, The teacher warned my parents because I had too rich and too learned vocabulary for my age. çA was the start of mockery and rejection by my Condediples“, Precise Delcoux.

“Petite, I was qualified psychologically as stupid. My mother fought to stay in general education. From dropping off, I ended up leaving school for medical reasons in 2esecondary“, tells mousty.

The difficulty of integration therefore begins from an early age, Because teaching is not always suitable. learning, when it is possible, is therefore solo according to its centers of interest, generating excessive specializations such as gaping gaps. Autonomous learning, While most autistic people display an IQ below the average. “Unless classic intellectual quotient tests are not adapted to our intelligence ...“, find Horiot.

“There is a great divergence of approach on how to integrate different people in teaching. Italy practices a totally inclusive teaching; in Belgium, Hasselt is quite point in this area. But it varies very strongly from one region or even from one city to another“, Note Encore Hide.

Horiot is more virulent in his analysis. For him, institutionalization (the placement) atypical people is a gigantic market. “Not in the marketing sense of the term, where atypicals would constitute a target audience, But because this care, who is not always necessary, generates social assistance and therefore enormous financial interests!“

Social galley

In fact, For atypical adults, It is often galley and dependence on social allowances. François Delcoux, who has a RMI, has been struggling for weeks to win a paid job in the ASBL “Autistics in action“, But that stuck at the administrative level. “I hope it has nothing to do with my autistic state!“

Julie Mousty depends on the mutual disabled, Her husband is unemployed. “Our life ... it's total brothel! We take it day by day. It’s necessarily very precarious. Our goal is not to remain dependent on an allowance system.” HAS 28 ans, Julie Mousty has just resumed lessons to take her cess then plans the university in psycho, with a specialization in behavioral disorders, His favorite subject.

How to reach Monetize your hyperfocalization? This is the crucial question that arises to an autistic person who wants to work. “This is probably there to hope for a job for all. It’s just not always possible, But this remains the best way to integrate into typical society. To have a status in this company. Things are moving but for some more socialized profiles. This is all the harder for others“, notes Schovanec with a certain bitterness. Especially since very often, The mockery that we already suffered in school lessons are transformed into harassment in the world of work. Julie Mousty has had the cruel experience.

Silicon Valley

Precursor in the matter, The Silicon Valley targets this type of profiles more and more specifically. Selon Tony Attwood, specialized psychologist, Cited by Horiot, Silicon Valley would have almost 50% from autistic or to spray among its engineers. Normal, Estem Frédéric Vezon: “The Silicon Valley has been well created by autistic profiles. Gates, Jobs, Zuckerberg are often described as autism spectrum. Most Silicon Valley companies broke the company's hierarchical and very formatted model, in which the atypical does not feel good.“

And Israel, The army also recruits spectrum profiles, For data analysis in particular and certain universities encourage autistic intelligence. We are indeed witnessing an thrust of the number of atypicals in companies that realize their potential. “And this no longer only concerns early adopters. We are in a second phase”, Note the consultant again. A push still very relative since in France 1% barely 400.000 Autistic adults work.

Home, A quick overview of announcements and job offers gives an idea of ​​the reality on the ground: Barely two ads on almost a hundred points to the autistic character in the criteria for selecting candidates.

Diagnosed to spray in the wake of his son's diagnosis, Frédéric Vezon is a “serial entrepreneur” In France and Canada. With the support of an investment fund, He launched a consultancy company a few months ago which today employs fifteen people atypical. The company has specialized in artificial intelligence, Big data or cybersecurity, So many branches where the expertise of atypicals is almost cliché. “Our customers are part of the CAC 40. And the number of our consultants should double or triple in the year as the demand is strong“, rejoices Vezon. Other companies of this type are emerging on both sides of the Atlantic.

In Belgium, The Antwerp Society Easter work Based on the same consultancy model. His consultants have worked in particular on the development of STIB security gantry. Paaswerk is currently carrying out a recruitment mission for security agents specialized in screening by X -ray.

Fear

More, It must be recognized, Autism, even more than other handicaps, scare in the company. “We have the feeling that for people with reduced mobility, We know what to do to facilitate their integration. Mental or psychological handicap impresses much more, As if it was potentially dangerous“, find Horiot.

And as for teaching, The main brake on hiring of neurodivergenous people is basically: How to find them? There is no database coupled with specific skills.

“The classic recruitment scheme, Announcement-CV-Entretian, does not suit us. You have to find another path“, AFFIRME HD. A specific recruitment for spectrum profiles at Microsoft has proven to be a failure for lack of candidates, Reminds Vezon. “Job interviews, It’s a scorching dupe game: We measure social skills and not clean real capacities“, Martèle Delcoux.

We said it, The autistic has few filters, His speech is rather cash and he cannot hide. Difficult in these conditions to succeed in an interview where you have to present yourself in your best light, even if it means embellish things. “We cannot count on a feeling of competition from autistic people to put ourselves forward. We don't have, most of the time, not aware of our performances or feelings of pride. Why become manager? Why earn more money?”, s'interroge hide. “A cybersecurity consultant candidate has proven a formidable expert in Bolckchain; He had classified this compensationtence among his hobbies ...“, Remember Vezon.

Social networks

In an increasingly connected society and which is also said to be more and more autistic insofar as everyone folds up on it, The atypicals could find more their place. Communication networks give them additional tools. “E-mails, Skype or social networks offer new perspectives to those of us for whom direct verbal communication is a problem, reconnaît. But provided you can be able or have learned to write an email.” These tools obviously allow more telework to atypical people, which will prevent them from having to face public transport, the noise, promiscuity and environmental change. So many stress and disturbance factors. “Internet is to autistic people what sign language is to the deaf“, says Hugo Horiot, which relays the rumor according to which Wikipedia is largely controlled and managed by autistic.

As for social networks, and Facebook in particular, Our witnesses remain circumspect. “Even if it was created by Zuckerberg to solve certain communication problems, It must be recognized that today, The network has mainly become a narcissistic tool in which we do not find ourselves at all“, Conclut SDEC.