Scary thing happened

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I'm new here; I'm a researcher who was working on a paper on the epistemology of the the DSM, stumbled on an article in the New Scientist on undiagnosed AS in females and took the researcher's survey out of interest and professional curiosity, but realized pretty quickly that I saw exactly what the internal logic of the thing was, and at the end followed her advice that it was not a diagnostic tool, but that if anything subjects saw alarmed them, where to seek medical help. I then tracked down both the AQ and the Aspie Quiz and scored really high on both. Some of the questions on the Aspie Quiz made me sit back in shock and think, "I thought I was the only person on earth who ever did that!"

But what's really scary is, this same day. . .I got a call to a phone screen for a very exclusive internship with a company I'd be interested in working for down the road. I have reason to believe they would be neurodiverse-friendly in the specific role and high levels I'd be shooting at. But first I have to survive a PHONE conversation with an HR type. And I am HORRIBLE on the phone. I can get jobs if I can make it to interviews in person in the first instance, but I'm pretty sure I have never actually passed a phone screen and gotten to the in-person phase. I don't know what I'm doing; the last phone screen I had, I worked very hard on speaking slowly, waiting until it was definitely my turn to talk but not too long, not going on tangents, watching a silent video of flowing water to have visual focus, etc., and I still didn't get a callback.

This is all just too much information. I don't even know whether to consider pursuing diagnosis or whether this is just an alarming possibility about myself I can't ever prove or disprove.

Like you, I've never been diagnosed, but I'm probably somewhere on the high functioning end of the autistic spectrum. And I'm completely useless on the phone!

An aspie/autism label wouldn't change who you are. You're still the same person you've ever been. It's nothing to get alarmed over. It's not like this terrible thing about yourself that you have to hide. Nor is it something you have to reveal if you don't want to. It's just a label, and not even a terribly useful one, when it comes in so many flavours.

I wouldn't rush out and get a diagnosis. It'll likely close more doors than it opens, if you're high functioning (which it sounds like you are) - e.g. locking out certain careers or limiting your ability to immigrate into some countries.

For phone interviews, I find it helpful to wear noise cancelling ear phones. I use a pair of Bose QC2s and it feels like you're in the room with them. Then I find the interviewer on LinkedIn and have their profile on screen beside my resume. I put the phone away from my mouth when I'm not speaking, so that I don't accidentally breathe onto it. I play a sort of make-believe that I'm talking to the person in the LinkedIn picture. I've passed every phone interview I've ever had using this technique.

NewRotlck: What countries can you not immigrate to because of autism?

carthago: I don't think any western countries flat out deny entry to everyone with autism. But it likely does reduce your chances of being allowed to immigrate into countries like Canada and Australia, where they may consider you a burden on their healthcare systems. I've seen a few articles about families with autistic children being denied entry.