Telling people I am autistic

aidie said:

but i havent the nerve to ask do u have autism " just in case they dont want anyone

Would you say "Are you gay?" or "Are you trans?"...

While I understand the fact that post diagnosis it's like someone suddenly found the 'on' switch for your 'autie-dar' you need to be wary of making what is essentially a clinical diagnosis based on your own amateur (albeit well-informed) understanding.

My approach is that I'm open about my neuro-atypicality and if someone wants to share with me then that ball is in their court...

They haven't yet withdrawn the offer. They have been "seeking advice" - I suspect regarding the legalities of whether they can withdraw the job offer. If it is withdrawn I can imagine the NHS legal team will have looked at the decision very carefully so as not to appear discriminatory. 

I got diagnosed at 58 (just over 2 years ago), and so far I've had very positive reactions when I have disclosed I'm autistic.

If I've been speaking to someone at a utility firm or similar, I often find it difficult to process their speech quickly, and to get meaning from what they say.  A couple of times I've disclosed to people I'm talking to on their phoneline, so they are aware I might need time to process.  There was one call in particular, where the operative was very understanding, and waited while I made notes of what he said, before he gave me the next bit of information.  Considering that a lot of these call centres try to get through these calls as quick as they can, I was very impressed with the time he took to make sure I was clear on everything.

A week ago we had an aerial installer visit to make some changes to our TV aerial.  I explained to him that I was autistic and might need processing time, and he too was very clear.  It makes things much better.

I told my extended family when I was diagnosed, and without exception everyone was very supportive.  I haven't had any experience of this in a social setting outside the family since diagnosis, as I prefer following my own interests at home, but I'm hopeful that my experiences would be the same as those explained above.

i wear 4  and likewise no one noticed

isnt that disability discrimination ?

I was diagnosed a year ago at 52. Haven't told my family. Told neighbours and one friend who lives abroad. Was out of work but offered a post in June this year with the NHS. Since disclosing my ASD to the occupational health team the offer is now on hold, and the manager has made it quite clear, in a rather unfriendly telephone call, that they cannot guarantee I will be offered the job. They need to ensure they have the "right person for the job". As far as I am aware I was the right person at interview. I have help from a charity and things seem to be moving forward slowly but I can't help feeling how daft I was to disclose - I only wanted the option of being able to have input to my physical environment should I be placed in a noisy, open plan office. I thought that life, and work, would be so much easier post diagnosis but it has been anything but. You live and learn! 

Magnolia1 said:

I am proud of my new identity (got diagnosed at 40 in March this year) I love that it explains my behaviour and I seem to have developed an autism radar in spotting others with it. 

ditto for me :) but i havent the nerve to ask do u have autism " just in case they dont want anyone 

Well i got myself a little wristband saying 'I have Autism". I don't think anyone has noticed it

I have found often if I disclose I have Asperger's to a group like a social group I've just joined there will be usually 1 person who is more understanding, 1 person who is more of a ***, and the majority of people simply don't even notice what I said. I haven't decided yet if it is good or not to disclose.

In due course once trials have been completed and data has been collected, a thorough review will be published and will be accessible to the public.

As I mentioned on another thread, I have a number of ‘Kiss My Aspergers’ T-shirts that I wear. So, I suppose  I do, in a way, tell people I am autistic.

I haven’t hidden my diagnosis from any family or friends, even those I suspected would react negatively with antipathy or prejudice. It’s not a shameful secret. I’m not looking for special attention, just acceptance of my right to exist without hindrance or prejudgement.

I accept that, as a 63 year old male, this may be an easier position for me to adopt than it is for others. And I also accept that others may wish their diagnosis to remain unidentified.

I enjoy telling people I see in a professional context as it feels like a relief

I dread telling people I know in an informal context as I worry if they'll no longer want to associate with me

It could be quite interesting telling someone, and I suppose a bit of attention would not go amiss. But I would say it has only really been constructive in about 1 out of 9 people I have told F2F or online (when they were fully aware of my identity. And I further reckon I could count the most positive ones on less than half a hand. But I'm obviously not counting the anonymous contacts I have had on this site; which have nearly all been productive; even when there was some slight difference of opinion, there was something to be gained from the experience. But I suppose I could also say the same about my F2F informees; if it weren't for the fact that one tends to lose contact even further with the somewhat less than positive respondees. I do have some pride in who I am; and always have done really. But there is also the heavily-critical self, on numerous occasions. (But I cannot really be counted as a person with massive problems, and do not want to divert attention unnecessarily from those who really could do with some attention.)

Similar to you, nevertheless. But I also reckon you will find that there are many others here who share your obvious pride and enjoyment.