Published on 12, July, 2020
Has anyone who has been here a long time got an answer to this question? We all obviously come here for a reason, but how often does it turn out that it ISN'T autism-related?
I'm planning on disclosing to my employer on Thursday that I am awaiting an assessment and explaining some of the difficulties that I have. I know some people disagree with this approach but I have a challenging and unpredictable job and I've just changed employer, and I feel like I need support from the earliest opportunity even if I'm wrong and my needs are anxiety-related rather than autism.
I am prepared for the fact that I may have quite a wait until I am assessed so it is going to be in the back if my mind that they may consciously or subconsciously treat me differently and then I don't get the outcome I expect. I don't want to feel like a fraud.
Interested in any thoughts people have about this.
I disclosed to my manager I identified with some traits. At the time I was off work with anxiety. The adjustments made were based on my anxiety. Even if you are not on the AS there are things which cause you problems. You could go down the mental health route instead if you need adjustments. ..
18 months later, I have a diagnosis of ASC. I've been on here since 2018.
I agree although I feel like I've been berated by past managers for feeling anxious so it scares me to only mention that. In social work there is a lot of emphasis on "resilience" and "emotional intelligence". Anxiety doesn't tend to be treated as compatible with these things, although I personally feel like I am resilient and emotionally intelligent in the sense that I need to be emotionally intelligent to mirror others. I don't always get it right but because of my job I feel I get more practise than others might.
I must admit, I get very annoyed when managers use buzz words like resilience and emotional intelligence as so often, they don't understand enough about things like anxiety in order for those words to have any meaning.
We all deal with stress in different ways but it's no excuse to ignore a persons welfare because they don't measure up to expectations. Often, simple changes can be made which prevent larger issues down the line.
My managers are a prime example. I've tried for a few years to deal with a number of situations, including being threatened twice by a manager (this would be the same one that told me I have a bad attitude - they still can't see the irony!). They aren't interested in discussing it with me because what I'm asking for is them to understand how the problem has occurred. They might have to take ownership of their mistakes!!!
Now, I'm fed up and things have snowballed. I've joined the union and have told them that if they aren't going to discuss it with me, it will be dealt with by higher management in the form of a grievance.
All it took to prevent this, was listening, understanding, and supporting my colleagues and myself which they haven't done.
If you have managers that are being dismissive of your anxiety, remember they are in the wrong. It's protected under the equality act. You have protection from discrimination and legal rights to reasonable adjustments that probably wouldn't take much effort to put into place and can not only benefit you, but those in the community you work with.