1985: Autism, Employment & the Workplace Gap No One Talks About
So Money with Farnoosh Torabi
Farnoosh Torabi
4.7 • 2K Ratings
🗓️ 20 May 2026
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today’s episode is about neurodivergence, the workplace, and a question that more families and employers are beginning to confront: Why are so many talented people still struggling to get hired and succeed at work simply because the systems around them weren’t designed with them in mind?
My guest is Dr. Helen Genova, Associate Director of the Center for Autism Research at Kessler Foundation, where she also directs the Social Cognition and Neuroscience Laboratory. She’s also an Assistant Research Professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Today, we’re focusing on one area where her work is having an especially profound impact: helping autistic young adults navigate the hiring process and workplace culture, while also helping employers rethink what inclusion and talent recognition can actually look like.
We’ll talk about why job interviews can be such a major barrier, the hidden communication mismatch happening in workplaces every day, the importance of self-advocacy and employer education, and what all of us—whether we’re managers, coworkers, parents, or job seekers—can do to build more supportive and successful work environments.
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Transcript
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| 0:26.9 | Head to booktobrand.co to reserve your spot. |
| 0:30.3 | So Money episode 1985. |
| 0:32.8 | Autism, employment, and the workplace gap no one talks about. |
| 0:37.7 | You're listening to So Money with award-winning money guru Farnush Karabi. |
| 0:42.6 | Each day, get a 30-minute dose of financial inspiration from the world's top business minds, |
| 0:47.8 | authors, influencers, and from Farnoose yourself. |
| 0:51.8 | Looking for ways to save on gas or double your double coupons? |
| 0:55.5 | Sorry. |
| 0:56.5 | You're in the wrong place. |
| 0:57.9 | Seeking profound ways to live a richer, happier life. |
| 1:01.2 | Welcome to So Money. |
| 1:04.4 | I think hesitancy on the part of the employer sometimes to hire someone on the spectrum. |
| 1:10.5 | You know, it's something that we are |
| 1:12.2 | definitely becoming more aware of. Everybody probably knows at least one person on the spectrum or has |
| 1:17.6 | met someone on the spectrum, but there are such differences in the way that autism can present. |
| 1:22.6 | And so you may have an employer who has met someone who is very high needs or someone who is, for example, |
| 1:29.1 | nonverbal. And so in their mind, that's what autism is. And so they say to themselves, |
... |
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