What do you think about telling others you're an aspie?
I have posted autism-related stuff on my facebook profile as well. Under my interests I put in the WP site. I figure it's like code. If you know what wrongplanet is, you probably also know what to make of AS. If someone looking at my profile doesn't know what wronplanet is about, then just the act of going to the site to take a look would provide them with some education. I also have some stuff on there from my support group. Nothing is explicitly stated.
I dont think it's even possible to educate people on AS. Trust me on this. You tell them what Asperger's is, they'll only pretend to know what you're talking about and be like "so you're just a geek then huh?"
That's why I've come to realize that telling people about my AS is pointless and won't change how I am treated in public.
I don't have many people to talk about it with, really. My parents, my supervisor at work, my one friend. As I'm thirty-seven years old, and I've known these people for a long time, I think it was rather anti-climactic for them to hear it. My mother nodded and said, "Really. Well, that does make sense." Everyone else said, "Asperger's? What's that?" I found it difficult to explain (which is typical for me), but I managed. More or less.
Sharing it with my supervisor has turned out to be a positive thing. He understands that I can get "overloaded" and have to step out for a couple of minutes sometimes. Clear my mind, get away from the noise and disorder. He realizes I'm not being lazy, that I just need a minute to get it together. And he lets me off early on Wednesdays so I can see my therapist.
So good things can come from sharing. However, I'm not ready to wear an "Aspie" t-shirt and deal with all the questions it will draw from strangers.
I have posted autism-related stuff on my facebook profile as well. Under my interests I put in the WP site. I figure it's like code. If you know what wrongplanet is, you probably also know what to make of AS. If someone looking at my profile doesn't know what wronplanet is about, then just the act of going to the site to take a look would provide them with some education. I also have some stuff on there from my support group. Nothing is explicitly stated.
I dont think it's even possible to educate people on AS. Trust me on this. You tell them what Asperger's is, they'll only pretend to know what you're talking about and be like "so you're just a geek then huh?"
That's why I've come to realize that telling people about my AS is pointless and won't change how I am treated in public.
The assumption is that if they take the effort to scroll all the way down my page, then they probably have a genuine interest in me. When it comes time to grad school admissions I might take it off, but right now I don't see the point. Especially since no where on my page does it actually say that I have AS. Basically only another aspie would be able to figure it out, which was my original intention.
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Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.
I worried for ages about telling people, and decided to only say anything to those who really needed to know, or asked me directly (which has never happened).
In a way, I'm lucky because I'm a teacher, and so the 2 people at work I told (boss and person I work with all the time) already know about autism/AS so there was no problem with them misunderstanding, and it's made my life so much easier at work.
The only other person who knows is a good friend who's also a teacher who works with AS children, so she knows loads, and said "yeah, I thought so" when I told her!
But I won't be telling anyone else. They don't need to know, and I've gone 25 years with people just thinking I'm a bit weird/reserved/strange- I don't care anymore!
Mmmph
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: 29 Sep 2009
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 68
Location: Fantastica
I usually don't bring it up, although my family knows (and that's okay). I just don't talk about it a lot because it means telling everyone the same story over and over, and I get the pity thing from the misinformed ones.
Oooh, I told a coworker once when she asked me. I honestly answered that I have Asperger's, and she said, "No you don't!" Hi, I've grown up with this. I've just trained myself a little.
I don't tell anyone, but then I never see the point with pushing labels about me on other people. Like, I never tell someone "I'm male" or "I'm female." If I come across as male to them then fine by me, same with if I come acorss as female. Same with I'll rarely say "I'm queer" to people - if they pick up on the slightly-eccentric orientation, fine, they can make of that what they will.
Most people pick up on the fact there's something a little odd about me, but I let them make what they will of that, and don't inform them of what their impressions should be. Strangely, people have said things like "that is such a typical autistic response" to me when I never said anything. I guess I (usually) let people draw their own conclusions instead of making statements about what I am or am not.
I recently told my boss. Despite practicing what I wanted to say I didn't get to explain anything at all. I mean, it went fine. I'm sure he knows nothing of autism, but he has been nice to me (I think just seeing how stressed I was was enough for that). But I really did want a chance to explain that I bring many benefits to the workplace, as well as needing a couple of adjustments.
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