Should I tell work about my autism?

In this case, you required your managers to know this information, so it was fine for you to allow your Occupational Therapist to divulge this information.

Having said that, what happened next was well out of order and very insensitive.  I am appalled that you experienced this and doubts from the dean of your faculty. :O

According to what I've read, companies divulging information to third parties, without the person's prior permission, are breaking the law and what they did was totally immoral. 

As a result of their incompetence, you ended up bearing the brunt of private information being known to everyone and having to clear up their mess.  I hope this sort of thing isn't commonplace is business, as nobody should have to go through all this unwarranted stress.

longman said:

I was diagnosed ten years ago. Perhaps things have improved since then, but my experience shows just how bad it can get, and bear in mind I was a lecturer (now retired) - supposed to be a more disability sensitive environment.

I told Human Resources about my diagnosis, and had an interview with the Occupational Therapist to evaluate my needs. She asked if I minded if they told my managers I had an asperger's diagnosis.

Well without exploring it further I said it was OK because that was the point, I needed my managers to know.

So Human Resources scanned a copy of my diagnosis, and sent it round everybody in my chain of management, right up to directorate level as an electronic attachment to an email!

Well if you know what most diagnoses look like - it sets out the evidence, largely responses to questions and gives an evaluation, so it looks a bit like I'd diagnosed myself. So the dean of my faculty thought I was just being silly.

It took months to resolve all the issues resulting from this piece of idiocy by Human Resources (lets face it HR/Personnel Management is one of the weakest aspects of British industry - where while junior staff have to get a qualification, the senior staff running it often don't have any training at all).

Possibly you need to find out first whether Human Resources where you work have much going on between their ears.

Sean WB said:

If you find it hard, maybe you should tell them. I haven't told anyone at work, as I don't feel the need to

I'll have to think this through for when I have more work, but from what I gather, any disability information that an employee gives to their boss is legally kept between the boss and the employee, unless the employee gives express permission for their colleagues to know.  Bosses aren't allowed to disclose this information to work colleagues without mutual consent.

shoekitten said:

It's definitely a judgement call. Personally I mentioned the fact I was seeking diagnosis to my line manager who used it against me as a weapon later when staff were being reshuffled due to cutbacks.These cutbacks meant we would be in direct competition for the same job.

She then went on bully me, claim my work as hers, manipulate me and switch my schedules around to upset me because she knew I couldn't bear sudden changes and confrontation . I have since resigned and am now jobless.

Please tread carefully, I'd hate this to happen to anyone else.

That can happen even when you don't have a diagnosis or know anything about Asperger's too though.  I suffered workplace bullying and had to leave through stress in the end because I had a vindictive line manager who sabotaged my work when I wasn't there, called me up on tiny unfair things (such as being a few minutes late even though I more than made the time up out of lunches) when he was behaving 100 times worse and abusing organisational funds.

I didn't even know what Asperger's was in those days, but clearly I was taken advantage of becaus they sensed I wasn't a team player and they wanted me out.  I was honest and didn't join in the conniving and gossiping and had gone to a superior after the department head came in drunk and had a go at me for no reason.

NTs do pick up on how they can abuse you if they sense you don't fit, and in fact once you have the diagnosis legally they have to be much more careful.  I think what went wrong in your case was telling them you were seeking an assessment, you had no protection without one so you couldn't claim discrimination, but you gave them the information with which they abused you.

I was diagnosed ten years ago. Perhaps things have improved since then, but my experience shows just how bad it can get, and bear in mind I was a lecturer (now retired) - supposed to be a more disability sensitive environment.

I told Human Resources about my diagnosis, and had an interview with the Occupational Therapist to evaluate my needs. She asked if I minded if they told my managers I had an asperger's diagnosis.

Well without exploring it further I said it was OK because that was the point, I needed my managers to know.

So Human Resources scanned a copy of my diagnosis, and sent it round everybody in my chain of management, right up to directorate level as an electronic attachment to an email!

Well if you know what most diagnoses look like - it sets out the evidence, largely responses to questions and gives an evaluation, so it looks a bit like I'd diagnosed myself. So the dean of my faculty thought I was just being silly.

It took months to resolve all the issues resulting from this piece of idiocy by Human Resources (lets face it HR/Personnel Management is one of the weakest aspects of British industry - where while junior staff have to get a qualification, the senior staff running it often don't have any training at all).

Possibly you need to find out first whether Human Resources where you work have much going on between their ears.

If you find it hard, maybe you should tell them. I haven't told anyone at work, as I don't feel the need to

Travelman said:

I've recently been diagnosed with autism and learning difficulties.  I work full time and find work challenging sometimes.  Should I tell work about my diagnosis or would they stop giving me work (I'm employed on a self-employed basis).

This is a difficult one, as while there is nothing to be ashamed of having and declaring you have autism and learning difficulties, sadly at least some employers are prejudicial to anyone who is disabled, regardless of the disability.  I experienced this once during a job interview where they were obsessed with always having the lighting on, regardless of their legal obligation to "make reasonable adjustments", which they were unwilling to do. 

Their excuse for turning me down was because they were inundated with job applications, but the real reason (which they weren't prepared to admit) was that they turned me down because they wanted neon lighting on in the room I would have worked, regardless of their legal and moral obligations, and they called themselves a 'Care' home! :O

On a positive note, as you are already in work, unlike in interviews, they can't dismiss you on Disability grounds. :)  You are a very important part of the team and will hopefully continue to be accepted for who you are. 

It is a bit of a "catch 22" really - if you have a good relationship with the people you have contact with at the company, you may not need to tell them, if you don't have a good relationship you may need to but they may use it against you.  It depends whether they will listen.

I wish I had known at some points in my working life that I had it because we didn't seem to be speaking the same language and it might have helped - though they were inclined to blame every communication issue on me regardless. On the other hand, I once worked as a self-employed person and it was my contact who suggest I had AS so she was fine about it, but she was, on the whole, more accomodating generally.

Is the person you would need to tell likely to listen?

Before you do it, I think you should get help writing down specifically what your difficulties are in relation to work. Don't rush this. Try and think about every aspect of the work situation, both doing work and relating to people. If you can think of ways it might be improved then include these. If you tell them give them a copy of this document.  That way you are trying to avoid any false sterotypes of AS that they may have.

You are not required to tell them.

That's sad shoekitten.

It's definitely a judgement call. Personally I mentioned the fact I was seeking diagnosis to my line manager who used it against me as a weapon later when staff were being reshuffled due to cutbacks.These cutbacks meant we would be in direct competition for the same job.
She then went on bully me, claim my work as hers, manipulate me and switch my schedules around to upset me because she knew I couldn't bear sudden changes and confrontation . I have since resigned and am now jobless.
Please tread carefully, I'd hate this to happen to anyone else.

Travelman said:

I've recently been diagnosed with autism and learning difficulties.  I work full time and find work challenging sometimes.  Should I tell work about my diagnosis or would they stop giving me work (I'm employed on a self-employed basis).

hi there travelman

it really depends on your situation, if you find your issues affect you at work and you think they could help, then you could tell them about them and ask what they could do

if you find you are ok at work and dont need them to 'do' anything to help you, i dont think you need to tell them

but obviously if you do there are pros and cons, pro, they may be able to help you more with these issues, con, you may get some discrimination (which ,sad as it is ,happens)

they arent allowed to just fire you because of these disabilites, thats now against the law, so you are protected there sas caretwo says

but a sad fact is they may do it anyway, and you may have to take the issue to a lawyer, lets hope they arent those kind of people that will breach the disability act that way

im not sure either about the 'self employed' part, you werent planning on firing yourself wer you ?