Telling to people that you have Asperger

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Telling to people that you have Asperger it's:
Good idea 27%  27%  [ 8 ]
Bad idea 73%  73%  [ 22 ]
Total votes : 30

AspieUtah
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25 Nov 2014, 12:03 pm

I believe that it is a good idea unless doing so might cause a tangible negative reaction. To an employer who offers no supports to people with ASDs within the workplace and might find another reason to dismiss me, I would wait and see before disclosing. Same thing with college educators unless the college offers certain supports, too. But, among family, friends, neighbors, church members, and even, sometimes, the public at large, sure, I would disclose if I believed it would help others with ASDs. I disclose a lot more lately because I believe that I need to be one of the faces (notice how I didn't presume to say "we," but "I"?) of those with ASDs. I hope others would do so, too. :D


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Diagnosed in 2015 with ASD Level 1 by the University of Utah Health Care Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic using the ADOS-2 Module 4 assessment instrument [11/30] -- Screened in 2014 with ASD by using the University of Cambridge Autism Research Centre AQ (Adult) [43/50]; EQ-60 for adults [11/80]; FQ [43/135]; SQ (Adult) [130/150] self-reported screening inventories -- Assessed since 1978 with an estimated IQ [≈145] by several clinicians -- Contact on WrongPlanet.net by private message (PM)


FautheralLoather
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25 Nov 2014, 12:09 pm

No It would cause problems in the short and long run. Infact many people instantely hate me or try to take advantage of that when I tell them I am autistic.

I always have to hide it yet I see others who blab it out all the time and other simply accept them. Infact other autistics bash me for being autistic.



B19
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25 Nov 2014, 3:47 pm

r2d2 wrote:
Just like a gay person doesn't have to tell every person they meet, "I'm gay, I'm gay, I'm gay," A person with ASD doesn't need to either. But I believe in the general principle of being open about it the way people are open about many things - but don't necessarily inform everyone they meet. I don't tell everyone I meet about my job or how much money I make or where I have previously lived - But if it should come up - I don't think there is anything to hide. What made life a lot less painful for most gay people is that they started to be open about it instead of living secret lives of shame. I think the same principle applies to being open about having ASD.


r2d2, The analogy doesn't seem to work so well here, because "coming out proud" wasn't as simple as that. Between the era of suppression/oppression of gay people and the much later proud-to-be-gay era, there was a long intervening political era of targeted protest led by a few key people to challenge all the forms that oppression was taking, to name it for what it was, to represent the rights to equality of gay people, to challenge the stigmas, myths and stereotypes, to encourage the gay community to throw off internalised stigmas, to demand fair treatment, fair reporting, all the fairnesses that the straight community allotted to themselves.

That's the problem: so far there has not been this evolutionary stage of political transformation led by ASD people for ASD people which starts small then gradually becomes a critical mass, and leads to a powerful change of attitudes, depictions and so on.

Compared to other marginalised or previously marginalised groups which have struggled to acceptance and recognition over the past few decades, the spectrum dwellers are far back in the field - perhaps running last at present.

There are many reasons for this, which would be off topic here. However things won't change just by standing up and saying "I have Aspergers, it's ok, I'm cool with it, isn't that cool" to NTs - though I do so wish that you were right on this. I don't think that you are though, sorry.