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Your support makes all the difference.Last night's opening episode followed 52-year-old Tourette's sufferer Paul, who was plagued by violent body jerks and offensive verbal outbursts, and 34-year-old Brett who had autism and a severe case of self-doubt.
Paul, whose condition only came on six years ago, was seen shouting about bombs at train stations and told one interviewer his mum was "very good at sex". It was easy to see why he was struggling to gain employment. Brett, meanwhile, had been turned down for every job he'd ever applied for. A remarkably intelligent man – he is a self-taught pianist and 3D modeller – his inability to express himself verbally was crippling his career prospects.
The men were introduced to autism expert Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and occupational psychologist Nancy Doyle in a bid to help them identify and harness their unique strengths and, somewhat remarkably, it worked.
By the end of the show, keen photographer Paul had managed to sell three of his images to a publishing company who were impressed by his unique vision. But the real hero of the hour was Brett who, after undertaking a two-week placement within the IT department of a mobility aids company, gave an impassioned speech about how much it meant to him. Ultimately, he was offered a job – and I can't imagine anyone has ever been more deserving of such an opportunity.
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