Secretive or upfront about what ya have?

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Let's say I'm both secretive and upfront.
I think that it's important that my close circle know, for a better understanding between us.
The rest don't need to know, but if someone asks me a question I won't hide or lie, I will certainly be ultra embarrassed but do my best to answer.

I have Asperger's

Same here as same out there. Though I'd mention it only if it were relevant to something, like someone asking why I don't talk to them.

need-to-know for me.
i am not especially secretive, if the situation comes up or someoen asks me, i simply admit my aspergers, but i dont go around telling everyone the first time i meet them.
if i get put together with other people on a project, i tell them of a few specific problems i have when working in a group, but i wont disclose why i have those problems, unless specifically asked.

I'm not technically diagnosed (since apparently I'm not "impaired enough" but that's another topic) but since few people that I told don't seem to understand and seem to think it's a made up term, I only tell my brother, mother and recently my girlfriend (who is undergoing an ASD assessment shortly). My brother basically said "yep, that's you all right! I work with Asperger guys all day long (engineer) and they act the exact same as you." and even mom has come out of denial and accepted it because it's no blatantly obvious since I am textbook Aspergers.

As I've mentioned previously, every medical expert I know has told me NOT to tell anyone because like homosexuality was seen last generation, most people have ridiculous ideas about what Autism is and some will treat you like you have leprosy. Not to mention I've adapted so well most people would just assume I'm just making excuses for being lazy and inflexible like my extremely limited diet. If you met one Aspie you've met one Aspie but most people like to categorize everyone under the most over the top example of Aspergers they can find so for now, I'm very selective about who I tell.

I generally only tell people I am in a serious relationship with, although one of my friends knows simply because it came up in conversation and I didn't want to lie. She's a really understanding person though so I didn't mind sharing that part of myself with her.

Yes, sad but true. When I talk about it with some people, they directly see the most extreme example of Aspergers and have difficulties to admit that I can have it just because they can't imagine that everyone is different, doesn't have the same symptoms/habits/reactions. They just ignore that there are scales on the spectrum. Sometimes I'm pretty sad to realize how bad informed are people about autism and its different forms. :S

I say it only to people close to me or to people who should know it. It's not that I am secretive, it's just that I see no point in telling it to other people.

I'm starting to be more upfront about it. Hell, what do I have to lose? I think disclosing it under the right circumstances--and not just to close friends-- makes me appear more human. Otherwise, I think I seem somewhat other than human.

I say, "I had autism as a child and mostly grew out of it, but I still have trouble with certain things, like being expressive and using the correct facial expressions."

I would never disclose it to an employer, though.

I really liked this post. I aspire to doing this. While I'm in the process of diagnosis and haven't told anyone as yet, I'm still working on the "confidence and ability to stand up for myself" part, so I will be starting small and just telling some family members. However, in the long term I intend to be clear about it with anyone I have a long term relationship with (e.g. more than just a passing interaction). Partly this is because, working on recognising and understanding the challenges I have, I realise what a difference it would make to my life to have the people around me understand that certain things are difficult for me and make allowances for that instead of getting frustrated or impatient - both emotional and practical allowances. There are so many simple misunderstandings that happen to me every day, with people think I'm being difficult, selfish or ignorant, when I'm actually working my butt off trying to manage the situation and just can't think of anything to say, or am trying to avoid overstimulation, or some other simple thing to look after myself. Being able to simply say to them "sorry, I'm having trouble managing this at the moment" with a legitimate reason why would be wonderfully freeing for me.

I understand that this brings with it the weight of a label which people are ignorant about (the comparison to homosexuality is pretty good). However, I think it is potentially a really powerful thing to be open about being autistic, and not just for reasons of advocacy (though that is certainly important). If you don't want people to treat you differently because you're autistic, consider that they probably already do - if people don't already treat you differently because of the way you are due to your autism, then it's unlikely you would need a diagnosis! However, being open about it means that from then on they understand why you are act differently and many people are likely to respond much more positively when they understand your quirks or difficulties, especially the kind of people you would want as friends. If they respond negatively instead, well hey, what a great way to filter out the jerks from your life without having to work hard at watching their actions and social cues. There are people who will make your life difficult everywhere, and they will do it whether or not they know you have AS.

I tell those who need to know, or if they ask me about it. I'm not exactly secretive about it, though.

I'm not sure really what I'd do really.

I've only recently become more ok with who I am, AS included. And although I'm sharing this with more online friends via my gaming, I currently don't have any NT friends in my life to disclose things to.

I like telling my online friends since i feel it helps them understand me better. But I'm hesitant if they were a more real life situation.

I'm upfront about it. No reason to hide something that is such a big part of who and what I am.

"Hi, I'm [real-name]. I'm high functioning autistic."

Sometimes I literally say that. At the very least, probably by the time you've known me for half an hour, I'll have told you I'm on the spectrum. It's rare that I make any effort to hide it.

<--- Up front. Too old to care.

Up Front.

Secretive. I still haven't got a formal diagnosis, but even if/when I get one, I won't tell it to anyone, unless it's necessary.

Once you say something, you can't unsay it. It will spread to everyone in a day. Not everyone's good natured. Some may use it against you. I have seen quite a few people who love stories of other people's unhappiness etc. Those people don't need to know about my personal issues.

I would surely tell those I can fully trust, but I haven't reached that stage yet.