Admitting you have AS or hiding it?

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Here is a question for people who work or have worked:

Have any of you admitted to your boss that you have AS or do you hide the fact?

I know there are plenty of reasons to not admit it but there are also plenty of reasons to tell an employer as well.

Why did you choose to come out or not come out?
Did they treat you better or worse or the same?
Has anyone ever been fired shortly after admitting they have AS?

If my boss is cognizant of the fact that AS exists and the basic traits, she knows that I have it- a very simple algorithm indeed.

i told mine at the job interview and it did not change a thing. was my mothers idea to tell him.

Well definitely if they are very familiar with it! And it's up in the air how they would take it.

But that might also depend on how strongly you show it and how well they know you too.

Most of my aquaintances don't know or notice anything wrong with me. But my closer friends notice it. At work I do have some wierd ticks and inflexibilities that my employer might think as "doesn't multistask well" "doesn't have motivation" or that I'm lazy. (I.E. I freqently screw up multitasking and I show dislike about doing over time or coming in on my off day")

Though fortunately they didn't see my meltdown when they asked me to come in. I accidentally answered the phone and didn't know how to back out since I'd backed out the day before as well.

The benefit for me might be some sensory accomodations, but I think even with an official diagnosis that would be such a difficult fight.

She knows. I didn't say so at the interview, although I am thinking of doing so next time, but I wrote it on a medical form.

I'm getting on better here than I have at any other place I worked. Me and my boss have a great understanding. I work my socks of, in return for which I get allowances made. But because I work so hard and get good results I don't feel like I burden them at all, quite the opposite. I think my boss would take on another person with aspergers after the experience she's had with me.

What I do for them...

*Punctual, reliable
*Don't waste any time since I am not interested in chatting with other people who work there
*Very accurate at the maths - the job involves processing a lot of money, I make the safe come to zero almost every day.
*I create good systems because I like to have routines to follow
*Helpful - if I finish my normal tasks I spend time orgnaising things or ask what i can do for other people.

What they do for me...

*They made sure all the building work near my office was done overnight so I wouldn't have to deal with the noise or too many people I didn't know
*They let me switch the phone off if I am starting to MD, (in return for this I always get the basics done no matter how bad I feel, having the phone switched off allows me to stick around for however long it takes me to complete this)
*They inform me of any changes of routine in advance, to as great an extent as is possible
*My boss adds extra hours to my paycheck each month because, in her words, 'you take so much s**t'

Thinking about it, all the problems I have are with other managers who don't know I have aspergers, but have clicked that something isn't quite right. One of them actually treats me like a ret*d child

That is definitely kind of cool that they accomodate you in return for your abilities. I wish all places did that!

I'm still debating myself whether or not to come out or just keep it to myself. I know they won't fire me but I don't want them to suddenly look at me in a negative light.

How much do you like your boss, Centinela? If you think he or she is liable to be understanding then perhaps you need to book time with them to have a talk and bring it up then. I would certainly keep it as a confidential matter between yourself and your boss, as if it becomes general knowledge across the company there is bound to be someone immature or ill-informed enough to think less of you because of it, and besides, your boss is the only person who really needs to know.

With regard to your co-workers, I just describe the problems I have and never mention the medical name for them, (a lot of them wouldn't know what it meant anyway). For instance, 'I get anxious when things happen that I don't expect', 'sorry don't understand sarcasm! no point in using it with me' etc

Emphasise how much better you think you could do your job if certain small changes were made. For instance, I would guess you biggest problem with overtime is that it's a change in your routine and it's that which is stressing you out, it's not that you're workshy. You could tell your boss that you needed to know you were being made to do overtime well in advance, and then you'd be happy to do it, because you'd had the chance to get used to the idea.

Good plan and ideas. Sounds like what I will probably end up doing. I have one boss I can trust not to create an instant judgement about it.

I'm going to get the diagnosis done next week and then it's time to deal with whatever they say

Thanks

Just make sure being honest about it wont get you fired. Some jobs wont allow it like pilots. ha Thats a battle Im fighting IM gonna have to pass this neural exam next week and fake being normal. What a waste of time!

I haven't told my employer yet and probably won't although I have confided in a few people at work whose children are autistic. Their reaction is that I can't possibly be because look at how well I am doing.

I would say that if you are high functioning and don't need much in the way of accomodations it's probably best not to tell. Fortunately there are ways to get around it, like for example, I say I am a very visually oriented person and need to "see" a problem in order to solve it. Or that I am very easily distracted. I have found that the key is to use terms that are already being used in company training materials that people are familiar with and understand and find nonthreatening. Why call attention to yourself if it isn't necessary?

Anyway some things just aren't anyone's business. . .

Yeah of course though if you don't tell them they can't "accomidate" for it.

I don't really know what UK employers are like in terms of discrimination, where I'm originally from (and I'm returning there once I finish my studies) Mc Donald's is probably the only place that would hire you if you said you were autistic, and forget about suing or anything like that. So I'm not planning to tell any future employers.

I have a huge dilemma. After being very successful as a museum curator (I dealt with things more than people and really enjoyed my work), the president retired and after much mental struggle I said I'd take over (it took over a year for me to acquiesce). Now I deal with budgets, personnel, the board, local politics, lots of interruption, and I am having trouble focusing and accomplishing what I should. I don't like that I feel drained much of the time. Deep down I knew that the director's position would be extremely difficult for me and take too much out of me. I didn't hear about AS until after I said I'd take the job. I'm pretty sure I have AS, and I will be tested later this year.

Since I first leaned about Asperger I've been writing a book about autistic traits in several generations of my family (history! genealogy! special interest!), and about how the traits look in someone [myself] who functions at a high level (genetics! autistic spectrum! special interest!). I feel that the book has a good chance of getting published, and if it is published everyone will know that I identify with AS, an ultimate Asperger outing.

I'd love to quit my job and find something that suits me better, but there are only certain things at which I excel. If I'm not really interested in what I'm doing, forget about it. Professionally, it's also difficult because I would have a hard time convincing a potential employer that I would take a jr. position after being a president. I need the income, and who knows if I'll get published or if it would earn me much. I'm working on developing more options but I feel cornered.

Wow! It feels great to be able to spew in writing on WrongPlanet!

Z

When i have been for Jobs i never said to them on interviews i have AS. But have put i do have Autism, dont effect me when working. No employer has questioned this at all if they did i speak to them about it. This also applies for anything else

I finally had the chance to see Michael Moore's Sicko last night and it offers a compelling reason not to ever tell an employer or get diagnosed (at least here in the US, where for the majority of people, health insurance is reliant on one's employer): autism and Asperger's Syndrome are considered by insurance companies to be pathology sufficient to deny a person any and all private health insurance coverage.
I am trapped as a non-diagnosed corporate drone.