Summer Internship - Do they need to know I'm Aspie??

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Crysta
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25 Nov 2012, 6:04 am

:D Hi community!!

So my question of the day is----> Should I tell the organisation I've gained an internship with that I have Asperger's? My only concern is the fact the internship is very in-depth in some sensitive, cultural and social issues (working at an indigenous representative group) and very likely will spend days at a remote community, taking part in discussions and meetings. I've almost quite mastered my small chit-chat mimicry over the years, so in the office I'll be fine. It's just the outings and sudden events wherein I'd have to participate or observe sensitive issues.

Any thoughts are appreciated! :)


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AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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25 Nov 2012, 6:29 pm

Hi, I think being Aspie will in part play to strength in that you probably already have some cross-cultural skills which you can build upon.

And I think there are some ways to medium disclose, such as telling people I'm pretty much on the nerd side, which means I like my alone time, only have limited patience for small talk, etc.



RocketPeacock
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29 Nov 2012, 11:17 pm

If they can't tell, you shouldn't.

With friends, it might make sense to come out, and you shouldn't lie if it comes up in conversation. But telling people you have Asperger's before you have had months to prove yourself socially competent is usually a bad idea in a professional setting, where a negative judgement could end up as a black spot on your resume.