German software giant recruits autism sufferers to train as high tech IT experts 'because they think differently' By 2020, SAP wants one per cent of its 65,000-strong workforce to have the condition Hundreds of autism sufferers are being recruited by a German software designer to train as high tech IT experts. SAP said it wants to recruit up to 500 sufferers because 'they think differently from others'. An autistic person is more likely to be of average or above-average intelligence and possess 'certain skills' that the company wants to tap into. The firm employs more than 65,000 people globally. By 2020 the aim is for one percent of these to be autistic, it announced from its headquarters in south-western Germany. Dustin Hoffman in Rainman, a film that first brought autism into the public eye Recruitment begins this year in Germany, America and Canada, assisted by Danish specialists with experience in hiring autistic people for large firms. Indeed there is a higher than normal proportion of autistic people working in the information technology industry. Autism as a condition was first brought home to millions by Dustin Hoffmann in the movie Rain Man in which he played the autistic brother of Tom Cruise's character. Sufferers display different symptoms. Some people have no language, intellectual difficulties and are not able engage with others. Other people may have very good or even advanced language skills but find social behavioural norms hard to grasp. The German firm wants more one per cent of its 65,000-strong workforce to be autistic by 2020 Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex. Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. They usually develop gradually, but some autistic children first develop more normally and then regress. Early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help autistic children gain self-care, social, and communication skills. Although there is no known cure, there have been reported cases of children who recovered. Autism and Asperger syndrome are both part of a range of related developmental disorders known as autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). ASD can cause a wide range of symptoms including difficulties with social interaction, impaired language and communication skills as well as unusual or repetitive patterns of thought and physical behaviour. Some people with autism are low-functioning meaning that they find it difficult to speak, interact and in some cases are only able to process minimal amounts of information. However, at the other end of the spectrum is a very high-functioning sufferer, who can in many cases outperform people with no underlying condition. Studies have shown that these autistic people possess an enhanced ability to process information and remember data. This may explain why there is a higher than normal proportion of autistic people working in the information technology industry. A University College London study carried out last year gave 16 adults with autism and 16 adults without autism a task designed to assess their 'perceptual load capacity'. Both groups were successful at the task in the easier initial stages, but the adults with autism significantly outperformed those without autism as the task became more difficult. This, the scientists said, proved that the brains of autistic people are able to process greater amounts of information. Previous studies have also linked the trademarks of genius - breathtaking achievement, attention to detail and obsession with a particular subject - to autism.