Disclosing AS to your employer

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At the job interview, I did not yet know I had AS. But when they asked if I had any special requirements I would want from my employer, I told that I had to be told verbally everything related to my work, because I am unable to read unverbal clues. And I told that I would like to be left alone, if I had to do someting requiring concentration. They agreed to do what I asked.

I have worked for the same employer for 12 years now. When I was diagnosed, I told them about my diagnosis, too.

I chose "no, and no intention of doing so." If necessary, I can disclose parts of the diagnosis (problems with verbal instructions or dyspraxia come to mind). I think they would be relatively okay with all of this but I'm simply put afraid that they won't. I've managed to come this far without a diagnosis. I don't want to end up getting screwed over simply because I gave myself a label that doesn't say anything my personality doesn't.

I'm not currently employed... but would like to be in some capacity so I have considered this. If I felt that Asperger's was relevant or somehow going to influence my job performance (for instance I am considering volunteering to learn how to do behavioural therapy with autistic preschoolers and I would consider it a little unethical I suppose not to mention that I am on the mild end of the spectrum). Also the the environment would need to be open enough to really receive and understand otherwise it would only be damaging. I don't know that I'd tell work colleagues though - 90% tend to flat out tell me I'm not AS when I tell them anyway and no one makes any extra effort in light of the revelation so I would expect there would be little point unless I was working somewhere in the "field of autism" where being on the spectrum may be an accepted and insightful difference.

I did it twice and it ended up differently each time. Both scenarios involved people who had experiences with others on the spectrum.

When I admitted to it for the first time, I did so because I knew they thought that disabled people are normal people too. It went well, truth to be told I didn't feel that they treated me any differently than before. They paid attention to my requests and suggestions about what I would need to work better long before they even knew I had a PDD and ADHD!

They just figured that all people need different things and did their best to respect that and accommodate to it. Amazing people, they were like that to their special ed students, their regular ed students and many others.

The other time I didn't do it myself and I regretted that they knew. When a problem occurred, I somehow ended up with a lecture on social skills. I felt silly discussing that because the situation on hand was unrelated to my autism beyond that of course, I am always autistic and some people might plainly not accept me/a young adult who is "different".

Worse than that was the impression that they tried to pin the problem on me having autism, even if not intending to do it. I'm sure they didn't, they're great people, but prejudices are common even in specialists for the spectrum after all.

One of our out of touch politicians in the UK recently suggested that people with disabilities should take lower pay because they cannot be as productive as others.

In Australia people with some disabilities are assessed as to what proportion of a "normal" person's workload in their particular job they can do and their pay is scaled accordingly. To put it simplistically if a typical worker can wash 12 windows in an hour and the person with a disability can only wash 8 they would receive about two thirds of the "normal" wage. I don't know that that kind of thing really should apply in the case of AS, unless the condition significantly reduces their ability to do the job (which is the point of the scaling to start with). Although I suppose for some they would probably prefer employment with accommodations and graded pay than unemployment.

Thanks for all these different perspectives. I guess it's kind of a crap shoot--like most of life. My main concern is having my supervisor put all the blame for our interpersonal difficulties squarely on me & Asperger's. I think I'm probably the first co-worker she's ever had problems with inter-personally, so it wouldn't come as a shock if she took this perspective, absolving herself of any and all responsibility, despite the fact that I get along great with most of the other people I work with.

I see what you mean. She could refuse to believe that she is part of the problem. Some people just clash, it happens a lot in work so maybe it is a case of that you two just don't get along as well as the others.