Something I found in my company's website about Autism that I would like to share.
23-Aug-2011 Diederik Weve has a mild form of autism that makes his mind work differently to other people’s. But that’s also a good thing.
Two years ago, Diederik Weve found out he has Asperger syndrome. It’s a mild form of autism which makes his mind work differently to other people’s. But that’s also a good thing. “Many mental disabilities are an ability in disguise, and we just have to make them work for us,” he says. Diederik Weve has recently joined the disABILITY network in the Netherlands to help break the taboos surrounding autism, and to encourage people to better harness the talents of employees with autism for the company’s benefit.
“People with autism can provide companies like Shell with a sound foundation. Their talents often lie in contributing highly specialised knowledge, as well as providing structure in the form of manuals and procedures,” he says.
Now in his 28th year at Shell, Dutch-born Diederik is a Senior Engineer for noise control in plants, but also designs flare and relief systems. He came to Shell as a graduate chemical engineer and over the years he’s chalked up experience in a good many specialist roles. “In this one, I’m able to apply many elements of my previous jobs in research, operations, modelling and technical safety,” he says.
Two years ago, he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. It’s a kind of autism formally known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, which occurs in people often with average to high IQ, and it means they process information in a different way to most. While they often have difficulty with social communication, they also have a good eye for detail and exceptional focus.
ASD might explain Diederik’s passion for all things technical and mechanical, but it also has a profound effect on the way he thinks and functions. His condition challenges him in three areas – social interaction, seeing the bigger picture, and the brain function needed for handling new or unusual situations.
“A big challenge is dealing with a lack of context,” he says. For example, a colleague calls, asks how he’s doing, mentions an earlier project they worked on, tells him about a new one, and explains how he came up against a problem. “For many people that might be a natural way to deliver and process information, but not for me,” Diederik says. “I need to know where the story ends before its starts, otherwise every twist and turn and change of context is confusing.
“That’s because I have to switch modes – from small-talk and searching my mental archive to capturing new information without memorising lots of trivia, and then trying to work out what they actually want.”
To cope with it Diederik has learned to interrupt his colleagues and ask them directly what they want to know. “This stops me getting frustrated trying to understand what track they’re on.”
He also learned to compensate for his ASD. “Most of this won’t be perceptible at first sight because I mimic what other people do, build a ‘rule base’ of what normal people expect in behaviour, and that generally works.”
Diederik thinks that the key lesson from his own experience is having an awareness of his limits and strengths, which has helped him and others to work much better together. This is what prompted him to become a member of the Shell disABILITY Network, joining many colleagues who’ve been able to overcome physical or sensory impairments to make the most of their talents in Shell.
In a recent interview with Dutch financial daily NRC Handelsblad, Diederik spoke about the contribution that autistic people can make to complex, technical operations like Shell. He said that autistic people had long been stereotyped as mentally disabled. “In a high-tech environment such as Shell it can be difficult because you want your intelligence to stand out. There are autistic individuals who have serious limitations, but there’s a much larger group that doesn’t.”
“disABILITY understands how to focus on my ability rather than my disability, and I want to add mental disabilities to the agenda. My ability contributes to Shell’s bottom line and is an asset to its diversity.”
Diederik says Shell has given him plenty of opportunities that match his abilities and interests. When his managers suggested adding project management to his role, he told them about his ASD and context-blindness. “An open and honest discussion helped them realise that such a move may not be the best for me or for the company. It shows that only in the wrong context does ASD become a disability.”
Ultimately, like any employee at Shell, it is important for autistic individuals to use their initiative to demonstrate what they can achieve. Diederik’s last project was flare software, now it is spreading awareness about autism. He says, “Sometimes I make a conscious contribution that other people aren’t capable of, helping make up for my less strong points. In this way, I feel that I can make a difference for Shell.”
Now in his 28th year at Shell, Dutch-born Diederik is a Senior Engineer for noise control in plants, but also designs flare and relief systems. He came to Shell as a graduate chemical engineer and over the years he’s chalked up experience in a good many specialist roles. “In this one, I’m able to apply many elements of my previous jobs in research, operations, modelling and technical safety,” he says.
Two years ago, he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. It’s a kind of autism formally known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, which occurs in people often with average to high IQ, and it means they process information in a different way to most. While they often have difficulty with social communication, they also have a good eye for detail and exceptional focus.
ASD might explain Diederik’s passion for all things technical and mechanical, but it also has a profound effect on the way he thinks and functions. His condition challenges him in three areas – social interaction, seeing the bigger picture, and the brain function needed for handling new or unusual situations.
“A big challenge is dealing with a lack of context,” he says. For example, a colleague calls, asks how he’s doing, mentions an earlier project they worked on, tells him about a new one, and explains how he came up against a problem. “For many people that might be a natural way to deliver and process information, but not for me,” Diederik says. “I need to know where the story ends before its starts, otherwise every twist and turn and change of context is confusing.
“That’s because I have to switch modes – from small-talk and searching my mental archive to capturing new information without memorising lots of trivia, and then trying to work out what they actually want.”
To cope with it Diederik has learned to interrupt his colleagues and ask them directly what they want to know. “This stops me getting frustrated trying to understand what track they’re on.”
He also learned to compensate for his ASD. “Most of this won’t be perceptible at first sight because I mimic what other people do, build a ‘rule base’ of what normal people expect in behaviour, and that generally works.”
Diederik thinks that the key lesson from his own experience is having an awareness of his limits and strengths, which has helped him and others to work much better together. This is what prompted him to become a member of the Shell disABILITY Network, joining many colleagues who’ve been able to overcome physical or sensory impairments to make the most of their talents in Shell.
In a recent interview with Dutch financial daily NRC Handelsblad, Diederik spoke about the contribution that autistic people can make to complex, technical operations like Shell. He said that autistic people had long been stereotyped as mentally disabled. “In a high-tech environment such as Shell it can be difficult because you want your intelligence to stand out. There are autistic individuals who have serious limitations, but there’s a much larger group that doesn’t.”
“disABILITY understands how to focus on my ability rather than my disability, and I want to add mental disabilities to the agenda. My ability contributes to Shell’s bottom line and is an asset to its diversity.”
Diederik says Shell has given him plenty of opportunities that match his abilities and interests. When his managers suggested adding project management to his role, he told them about his ASD and context-blindness. “An open and honest discussion helped them realise that such a move may not be the best for me or for the company. It shows that only in the wrong context does ASD become a disability.”
Ultimately, like any employee at Shell, it is important for autistic individuals to use their initiative to demonstrate what they can achieve. Diederik’s last project was flare software, now it is spreading awareness about autism. He says, “Sometimes I make a conscious contribution that other people aren’t capable of, helping make up for my less strong points. In this way, I feel that I can make a difference for Shell.”
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