Seeing Business Potential and Developing a Niche

Thorkil Sonne

Experts wrung their hands last month over a study published online in Pediatrics, which found that one in three young adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had not held a paying job or attended further education within six years of high school graduation.

It’s a growing problem: In the United States, one in 88 American children has autism, and prevalence is rapidly increasing. When they reach adulthood, these people are often left out of the labor market, where many companies dismiss them as “disabled” or unqualified.
But Danish social entrepreneur Thorkil Sonne knows better. In 2004, he saw something in the statistics that no one else could see — business potential.