Published on 12, July, 2020
I was wondering if anyone might have any experiences (either positive or negative) disclosing ASD to your boss/supervisor/line manager who is from the older generation?
Asperger Syndrome wasn't discovered until the mid-1900s, and wasn't really known of by most people until maybe the past 20 years or so. So it seems plausible that some people who are from an older generation might not have heard of ASD or know much about it. And because of this, it seems quite scary to tell a boss/supervisor/line manager who is in their 60s-70s that you have ASD, because it's something that didn't really exist in their time, so there's the worry that they might not believe it. I don't know if this kind of worry makes sense. I'm afraid they might just think you're not "trying hard enough" with the social stuff, rather than it's due to autism.
I disclosed to a few, mainly because I felt I needed to explain why I maybe didn't fit with the normal NT version of work by this I mean, banter, getting together after work, gossip. I just don't get it and it was causing me problems and I was isolating myself, although in hindsight the problems were more to do with me in my head, I did feel better for it initially but am since having some quite serious problems at work so I'm now re- evaluating whether it was the right thing to do?
As far as some of my colleagues go, they have been brilliant and accept me for me, quirks and all but senior management not so, I think my difference scares them. I think they see me as a problem that needs to be solved, that said, for everything bad that has happened over the last few months I now know I do have some really good friends at work in my colleagues which I didn't realise before
I can really relate!