Business-NOS: A Standard of Professionalism

Zoe Gross  illusionofcompetence.blogspot.com There’s a new girl in the office and her brain is weird. One of the labels my weird brain has acquired is Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified — PDD-NOS, for short. This is an outdated term for autism, but I still harbor fondness for it because it includes the word “pervasive.” My disability is indeed pervasive, affecting all areas of my daily life — including my work life, and including [my current] internship. Being Autistic changes the way I interact with the professional world, in ways that have been — until now — Not Otherwise Specified. I actually really like working in a formal setting. I like my Senate staff ID badge. I like suits and pleats and zippers. I like taking the metro to work, I like leather shoes, I like taking my belt off and before I go through the metal detector and putting…