Published on 12, July, 2020
I am about to start my pgce year through university. I’ve been asked whether I give permission for my university to pass on details of my diagnosis to my placement schools but I don’t know if I should. Obviously this shouldn’t be the way but I am so scared of facing adversity due to my diagnosis but equally I don’t want to deny support that may be available to me. Any advice?
I'd let them know. I was undiagnosed all though 20+ years of teaching and now know the struggles I repeatedly faced could have been mitigated with some reasonable adjustments.
I might have stayed in teaching if so. I was diagnosed three years after leaving the job. A colleague I stay in touch with always comments that I was a great teacher, but I went through too many struggles to go back to it now.
I am a teacher and have been for a number of years now. I didn’t start my diagnostic process until I was in my second year of teaching. By the time I was in my seventh year I had received my diagnosis and felt able to disclose my struggles (as well as my strengths) and was able to, far too late in my opinion, get some reasonable adjustments put in place.
I could have done this sooner, but due to my own fixed mindset, I wanted to wait until I had received my diagnosis before initiating this conversation. It led to many years of silent struggles in the run up.
For me, disclosing ha/ been very helpful. I wish that I had the chance during the PGCE or earlier in my career, but I have made positive strides since doing so. I am taking part in a course soon in order to further my career and ‘up skill’ my self and, in this instance, I have opted to notify the facilitators and those involved in advance due to these experiences.
I don’t say any of this in an attempt to sway you one way or another, as it is a very personal decision. Rather, I had hoped to give you a snapshot of my time in teaching (a profession I love) and to potentially reassure you that there are other autistic teachers out there doing the job each and every day.
I hope in some small way that my reply helps.
Hello I don’t have any advice as I am not a teacher.
However, there is a book entitled ‘Learning from Autistic Teachers’ which may be helpful for you, it may include topics such as disclosing your autistic identity.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learning-Autistic-Teachers-Neurodiversity-Inclusive-School/dp/1839971266?nodl=1&dplnkId=405b4777-2df9-4023-a9cf-2025769c7a55
Good luck with your teaching ambitions!
It is absolutely up to you, but if it were me I would tell them. You could get more support, and any adversity you would face due to them knowing about your diagnosis would be highly immoral and potentially illegal.