How many of you are open about aspergers.

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How many of you choose to hide your aspergers? I choose to hide it in fear of government interference with my life. I have read stories on here of people having kids taken away because they had apsergers....

Well I don't talk about it unless I have to. It's just something very personal

I put that I have it in my Facebook bio, that's about as open as you can get.

I bring it up if there is a reason for it (which doesn't happen all that often) or if it somehow comes up in conversation. However, at the same time, I do not make any extra effort to hide it or anything.

Getting me to reveal personal information is like pulling teeth - difficult for the other person and painful for me. Somewhere along the line, I learned that "Anything you say can and will be used against you in the Court of Public Opinion," so I mostly keep my mouth shut, anymore. Besides that, I'm not formally diagnosed, and I'm not sure that my issues rise (or sink) to the level of "clinically significant impairment." That being the case, I wouldn't want to erroneously claim to be something I am not.

And on top of those reasons, being "open" about it presumes I know people that I could tell, if I so decided!

Tell it to who? and why? -to be understood? LOL

I, pretty much, tell everyone. I am into raising awareness about autism and it gives me a chance to do that. It also gives me a chance to relax a little and make mistakes.

Its my biggest secret ever. I don't know if any of my friends I have known for 13 years remember me telling them about it (which I have). I've never told anyone in college about it.

I don't know what it is that stops me from wanting to tell people, other than the cool feeling of hiding something epic and huge, like someone hiding superpowers .

So yeah, people pass me off as weird, rude and antisocial. But there is actually a golden Angel buried within .

I'll tell anybody that I have autism and not even give it a second thought. People think I'm smart but I'm still sooo awkward socially. I don't see what's wrong about telling the truth.

Pretty open about. I don't understand why you wouldn't be. It's usually very obvious. :\

Oh no it is not. With me it is the most un-obvious thing ever.

I haven't told anyone. A part of me wants to tell, but another part of me thinks that might not be such a good idea. I'm worried about the consequences. There is so much ignorance and prejudice out there.

If I do decide to tell, that's something that can't be undone. If I tell someone, I have to be ready for everyone to know, because in my experience people are not good at keeping things confidential and living in such a small community makes word spread really fast and to absolutely everyone.

I don't make as much of an effort to keep it a secret like I did at first, but I'm also by no means open about it.

Great. In your shoes this would work fine... couldn't hurt.

Overall, I think though that hiding it, (if possible), is better medicine for the natives. When you're around the lesser educated there is a tight-boxed-thinking- syndrome that prevents one from thinking for oneself, and hence the common knee jerk reaction to anything classed as " psychiatric." What would your neighbors think if they knew there was someone with Asperger's Syndrome living 90ft away? Workmates?

It's better for them and you to think that you're weird.

What people know can hurt you. It's the lesser evil.

Last edited by Mdyar on 12 Jan 2011, 3:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I've told my closest friends and my (only) sister. Around those people and on WP I'm very open my having AS. Towards all others though, even my parents, I wouldn't talk about it unless absolutely neccessary. I think that I have to trust people quite a lot before I can give away as basic an information about myself as that. I don't regard it as a secret, much less a dirty one, but people I only interact with losely don't need that bit of information to interact with me. The people closest to me though know that I am odd and I think it is only fair to let them know why I am odd and how I would like them to treat me.

What are the consequences? People figuring out that my constant finger stimming is related to autism? Or that the occasional echolalia is related to autism? It seems like it's a bunch of superficiality that's just awkward and doesn't mean anything.

I do not plan on having kids so I really do not care who I tell. Some people are like - "Really? You don't sound ret*d." They never met an Autistic person they think we are a bunch of helmet wearing lunatics who beat our heads when they are interacted with. Believe it or not someone actually told me thats what they picture when they think of autism like on those psa's you see on tv or on rainman. I always tell them you probably have met several high functioning autistic persons and did not know it. I then tell them we are usually the really shy, intelligent, quiet people you see in the background. I never turn down a chance to leave a good impression about autism. I also would never have a meltdown in public in front of anyone out of fear making the NTs think thats how we behave. I always do my best to come off as polite, intelligent, and well spoken at least until they give me reason not to. You should always try to come off as better than the average person but not by being pompus or arrogant about it.