Is it ever OK to mention autism/Asperger's in an interview?

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Mild tends to be an arbitrary sort of thing. There are no set guidlines on what is mild, what is severe. So I would consider calling things mild putting a positive spin on stuff. Actually, if someone is out there, able to handle work and job interviews and stuff it can't be too severe. So maybe it is mild... Either way it isn't the sort of thing you'll get in trouble over.

I'd consider mild impairment where a person is able to work but finds it a little bit harder to cope with life in general than most other people. The thing that complicates matters is where a person copes very well in the workplace but doesn't cope well with self care at home or vice versa.

Q: Why have you been out of work so long?
A: I have been caring for a family member who had cancer.

Q: Do you have a disability?
A: No.
Plenty of people get through life without an official diagnosis, some are never aware that their eccentricities are the result of AS. Be one of them, don't take the label because NTs love their labels 'It is against the law to discriminate!' which might be true, but in reality its a joke. If you're an employer who is interviewing several people for the same job there is no way they'll take someone on if it means more work for them in accomodation or special training for other staff. They want someone who will take up the job and operate seamlessly to prevent loss of productivity/profit.
Play dumb, get the job.

If I have to play dumb to get a job then it isn't the job for me. However, I also can't see any reason to mention the autism unless specifically asked. I don't have any problem being a PWD.

I would recommend highly against it.

I mentioned it in a job interview, the person interviewing me looked confused and said that they don't deal with it, that i need to talk to recruitment.

I don't think they cared.

They should have been better informed than that.

I am going into the teaching profession and I am absolutely not going to mention it since being a teacher requires good social skills. That would hamper my chances of getting a job and keeping it because maybe the principal/administration would discriminate against me for having some wonky social skills. I do have strengths though that will help me out in the profession (my focused attitude, my non-judgmental manner, and my acceptance of all people).

When I go for a job interview in the spring/summer, I will keep my strengths rather than my weaknesses in mind because it's better to think about the positive side of this disability (even though some days it's hard).

The short answer to the question is "No."

You interview for a job because you have a skill that the company needs. The Interviewer is not looking for a new best friend or a sexual partner. And like others have said earlier in this thread-- being an Aspie is really not well known outside of your community.

Speaking as an NT, Someone telling me they were Asperger would have only gotten a quizzical blink-- then more pointed questions to see if you had a 'Mental' condition (re-- Schizo, BiPolar, etc)Or even worse-- if you were on Medication.
And I notice that a lot of you use the word Autism in his Medical Sense. Don't even mention Autism, in an Interview or on the Job-- because to the Average person, Autism means 'Dimwitted and drooling'. There is no complex, layered Medical Definition. There is no Spectrum of Autism to the Average person. Autism is a PROBLEM, and no-one wants to hire a problem. So again, keep it to yourself.

On the other hand, If you get to know someone at work and feel like opening the after-hours door to a friendship-- that'll be your call. But still-- be careful. Offices are little villages-- and everyone talks about everyone else.

To the Average person in the workplace, what you call Asperger translates to "Quirky". "Not much for conversation", or "He's a little weird. . ." And you may be ironically aware of others who might even FIT the Bill of Aspie better than YOU-- except he or she is just a plain NT A--hole--perfectly normal, just that God was short on Personality when it was their turn to be born.

But in the end, All the Boss is concerned with is whether or not the task he or she gave you is finished when they ask for it. End of Story. Anything else is None of their damned business.

Asperger to the Average person is an odd syndrome they may or may NOT have read about in the NY Times Education section. It is NOT thought of as a disability. Nor is it a crime. And for those people pondering the Legal Rights question-- In order to Sue, you need a Lawyer-- and the Pro Bono ones are very very rare. So if you can't find a Pro bono lawyer-- you need MONEY to pay the regular one. No Job. No Money. No Lawyer-- thus no Rights.

Everything else is Cubicle Soap Opera.

Have fun-- Oh-- and Office Romance NEVER works out. Never. Period. Absolute.

Never, EVER volunteer this information! They do not need to know. The only thing that prospective employers need to know is if you can perform adequately in a job scenario, remain drug free, and not steal from the company. NOTHING ELSE!

Whilst the Americans With Disabilities Act can make it appear easier for you to retain a job or gain employment, employers can and will use other excuses to let you go, or deny you opportunities for advancement in the workplace. They can have a handy excuse for letting you go, or denying you advancement. --More often than not, they can and will look for any excuse after you are known as 'Differant', be you of another Race, Gender,Sexual Orientation, or Psychiatrically Labeled.

Of which, of course, having an ASD is a psychiatric label. Employers do not need to know, and it is not required that you give them this information.

There is absolutely no good that can come from telling ANYONE (outside of a controlled community like this you) you have AS, in my experience, ESPECIALLY an employer. For those who have not received an official diagnosis, it is not lying to say you do not have it because, after all, there is no trail to prove otherwise.

Rule #1 in an interview: positivity ONLY. I have gone on SCORES of interviews and I know that the only time you get hired is when you can avoid giving any negatives at all, particularly if you don't have the natural ability to make them like you. Just one negative and you've lost the job.

Don't do it!

First of all the employer probably wont know what it is and regardless of what the law says, he/she will descriminate against you (consciously or unconsciously).
If you have a long gap of non-work in your c.v. then the employer wants to be re-assured that after he/she spends lots of time and effort and money training you, that you are not going to quit! Employers are afraid of hiring people who have had lots of different jobs in the past or who they think will quit at some point. They are usually looking for stable people.
For this reason, you have to come up with something that assures him/her that this gap was a once-off fluke, and that you are now settled and looking for a long term job.
If you say you have AS and that was the reason for your gap, then he/she will conclude that this will happen in the future again, rigth after they have just spent lots of time/money on your training......
Also, if they ask if you are married etc. and if you're not, then say you're engaged. Remember they are usually looking for stable people who are settled, and not about to move away. Saying you're engaged makes the employer beleive you will soon be married and settled and having kids etc, all things that are good for an employer as you are then more 'stable' in their view.
Good luck!

I believe that knowledge promotes understanding. If you don't tell them about your AS and they think you are "weird" or "rude" and dont get the job anyway then you are just as badly off. I always get my Autism/Asperger job agency to call them up beforehand to give them knowledge of the condition.