To those who have jobs

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I'm curious, to those who have jobs, do you ever tell your bosses or other employees about your diagnosis of Asperger's of autism?

I'll only mention it during the application process ONLY if they specifically ask if I have some disability, but when it comes to getting a job, when do you feel is the right time to inform your bosses about the diagnosis?

When they think you're on drugs is a good time. This has happened to me more than once.

I informed my employers about mine, it actually turned out to be a good thing as my body shop manager and HR director both have my counselor on speed dial in case of emergencies or things they are unsure of how to handle. Infact, my HR director, even told me she foresees a good long career at the company!

I didn't know I was autistic at the time of my job interview with my current employer some 27 months ago. Since then I have transferred to a rural school and I have told my building administrator that I have Asperger's. I only told her this after the office manager began bullying me ... refusing to allow me onto campus to drop off 7 boxes of personal belongings over the summer ... refusing to allow me to work in my room even though the principal had given me permission to do so .. yelling at me for having spent money for Culinary Arts supplies using the "wrong" account and then refusing to let me leave even though I was close to a melt down because I "HAD TO LISTEN" to the office manager tell me in a very loud (but not quite yelling voice) what I did wrong, why I was wrong, and why I must never do this again.

I subsequently requested a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, said accommodation being that the office manager be forbidden to yell at me. I also asked that I not be physically be barred from leaving if the office manager was on a rant. I offered my immediate resignation if no accommodation could be made. The principal has since forbidden the office manager from initiating contact with me ... and if I need to talk to her, I usually take an NT colleague with me as moral support and as a potential witness should the office manager again lose her temper.

A month and a half has passed since the last incident and the office manager is clearly making an effort to be nice to me. I don't trust her at all because as everyone knows, when the pin is pulled from a hand grenade, Ms. Hand Grenade is no longer your friend.

I think the office manager has anger management issues - but so long as she doesn't take it out on me, I'm okay.

Never. I will never. Bad idea. Don't.
OK, to be fair, it depends what kind of job you have, what kind of people you work with, what your responsibilities are, and if "illness" is spelled "liability". Funny how so many things are spelled that way. For my office, it certainly is. In fact, we just had company-wide layoffs and although my department is resilient to economic downturns, one person in my department was laid off and they just happened to be an open aspie.
A caveat, the laid off employee was a pain in the backside. An important thing to remember, aspieness is not a license to be a jackass.

I work like a software engineer with other engineers. We're all a little weird so noone notices I have told my boss that I want a separate office, but other than that I haven't told anyone.

This is an interesting question for me because I've been discussing this with my therapist recently. I'll be done studying at the end of this year, so I'll be looking for work. She thinks I should own it in an interview, I'm not so sure - how is it relevant, right? But she thinks they'll be able to tell something is different about me, and I should have a reasonable explanation ready

I never had to because it never prevented me from doing my job well. I also happen to have a solitary job so that helps.

If you can mask it pretty well, then don't disclose. Think about it from the interviewer's perspective: "why are they telling me this? will I be liable for discrimination if I don't hire him now? do I need extra documentation for this interview? I don't like him now that he put me in this jam. now I'm unhappy. let's just get this over with." Have you ever had an unhappy interviewer? The kind that seems like they missed lunch and blame you for it. You don't get those jobs.

ScottF,

You are one lucky son of a gun ! Do you realize that ?
I'm currently looking for a job, career even, that will be long term, and a nice place to work.
I'd give my left arm to be in your situation. Being broke all the time has had detrimental effects
on my psychological well-being. I'm surprised I've made it this far (with help from family).
It's a crazy world, and I have no idea what's going to happen to me.
Only thing I can do is keep applying , or trying to drum up business for myself, somehow.

I wouldn't, unless you need some form of accommodation up front, you are really obviously Aspergian, or if you are applying to one of those companies that are trying to recruit people with autism spectrum disorder, like Microsoft (something about them being good at debugging code). I ran across some statistic (sorry, i don't remember the reference) in which people with Asperger's who stated their disability in the interview were much less likely to be hired.

Also, in the United States, it is illegal for the interviewer to ask you about your disability or even if you have one. You are not required to answer any questions about your neurological state. People from other countries will have to weigh in on the statutes where they live.

You can do a disclosure after your hire, if you think you need particular accommodations. I know it sounds a bit sneaky, but you are under no obligation to reveal your status at any point. You can also do a limited disclosure after your hire: reveal that you have issues like sensory sensitivities or difficulties remembering spoken instructions, but not say why. I'm debating whether or not to disclose (fully or partly) so I can ask for accommodations, since I was recently diagnosed. It's a huge step, and it can't be undone. I've heard stories from people who were treated very well, and people who were harassed and fired. I think a lot has to do with the culture of the company, and how they promote diversity and treat their employees generally.

HR and my direct supervisor know, the collegues do not.
I inform people about my autism on a "need-to-know" basis, and generally, my collegues don't need to know.