Niwot residents nurture a trend toward hiring people with autism

Niwot's Casey Grothus is heading to California next month to give a presentation at the corporate headquarters of a major tech company in Silicon Valley. It's something he never imagined as a child with autism.

"I worried all the time that it would be hard to get a job. Absolutely," Grothus said. "Members of the autism community have such a high unemployment rate and underemployment rate that it was a real concern of mine."

He had reason to worry. About two-thirds of people with autism don't have jobs or continue their education after high school, according to the Autism Society of America.

"It's a challenge because members of the autism community are a little socially awkward, so if you've ever interviewed for a job, it's a social situation," Grothus said. That can make it difficult to break through with employers. "They might think a job candidate knows their stuff, but won't hire them because they think they might not be a good fit for the office environment."

But that may be changing as some employers recognize the value of neurodiversity, which includes people with autism or ADD, or whose brains work in unique ways. (STATS)

"More companies are figuring out that there's a huge talent pool of people who are very skilled workers on the spectrum," said Barry Janzen, also a Niwot resident who is a test engineer and Grothus' boss at Trimble, Inc., a California-based technology company. "When you have diverse teams you just make better products," he said. "They point out things about our product that we never thought of."

Janzen said Grothus has that attention to detail, and is a conscientious worker who has grown tremendously. Companies are finding that those attributes, along with loyalty, productivity and problem solving skills come with a more neurodiverse workforce. "I think it's leaps and bounds better than 10 years ago. But we still have a very long way to go," said Janzen.

Both Janzen and Grothus work for Trimble, which makes SketchUp, a 3D modeling software product and other technology for construction and other industries. It is also home to Project Spectrum, which began in Boulder more than 20 years ago when SketchUp was a start up.

Project Spectrum teaches kids with autism how to use SketchUp. Janzen, along with another Niwot resident, Bryn Fosburgh, kept the program going even as SketchUp was bought and sold before landing at Trimble.

Grothus was one of the first students, a middle schooler, when he went to a Project Spectrum camp in Boulder. The program helped him envision a career path and the skills to make it happen. "Typically members of the autism community are skilled visually and spatially. 3D matches the natural way they think," he said, adding that Project Spectrum also helped him with social skills.

"I've kind of always been kind of awkward myself. Getting the ability to really meet people like me and just sort of hang out and be ourselves is nice," he said.

Grothus learned to collaborate and made friends, something that can be challenging for those on the autism spectrum. He built confidence and a vision for the future. "When I saw some success I was able to start finding my own idea of what I can do with my life and how to do things. It just started all clicking into place for me," he said.

Twenty years later, Grothus is now managing Project Spectrum in his role as SketchUp Community Programs Trainer. "I get to see students succeed. It's so much fun to see all the creative things students do," he said. "It feels nice to be able to do something for others. I get to do what was done for me."

Grothus also does SketchUp training for schools and gives presentations about Project Spectrum like the one he'll be giving in April at Trimble's corporate headquarters. And, he leads an internal group of neurodiverse employees that helps them navigate the workplace. "Let our guard down a little bit and just socialize with one another, find the good, find a solution, find a way around things."

Janzen said it's important to support a neurodiverse workforce by focusing on what they're good at rather than trying to improve weaknesses and by creating an atmosphere where employees can be open about being on the spectrum. "Whoever they decide to be, they should be comfortable with that person and be able to bring that to work."

That makes a difference for employees but also for parents who can be discouraged about the career options for their children. "My dreams for him were limited," said Heidi Grothus, Casey's mom, "I think that's sort of typical because your doctors are not encouraging, your educators will tell you what's wrong, and that begins to take a toll."

Project Spectrum changed that by focusing on Casey's strengths. "That brought a lot of hope." She'd like other families to feel the same. "It opens the door for them to know there is a place for their child. Your dreams do get bigger," she said.

"The goal for me and my kids is that they contribute to their community somehow. You can't be a taker, you have to give somehow. So it's really nice to see Casey doing that. My goal for him as a parent is definitely fulfilled. I never dreamed it would be on this level," Heidi Grothus said.

She would like to see more companies set up programs like Project Spectrum, not out of charity, but because of the competitive advantage. "People with autism have to work very hard to adapt to the world. In the process they develop unique problem solving skills, perseverance, willingness to experiment–that's exactly what brings innovation."

Unlike many with autism, Casey Grothus lives independently. He's excited to go to work each day and dreams of what else is possible. "I'd like to keep doing what I'm doing, maybe get a raise at some point and save up for a house. I'm loving what I'm doing."

For information on Project Spectrum, contact Casey Grothus at [email protected]. Grothus also recommends TACT in Denver, https://www.buildwithtact.org/

CUTLINE: Casey Grothus loves his job training students to use 3D software, SketchUp. He says employers are recognizing the talents of people with autism like himself, "We still have a way to go before the autism community is completely accepted but we're on the right track," he said.