Telling Your Employer About Your Diagnosis

I've told every employer about my AS and I think you should too, because it makes it easier for you and if you are struggling with tasks then at least they no why.  I have never been judged or treated differently as a result, in fact many employers have appreciated the honesty.  It is of course your choice and your choice alone and if you want to disclose your AS and if that is what you choose to do tell your boss / line manager.  I have a post on my blog http://goo.gl/fnC6jx about disclosing to your employer and if you want anymore advice about all things employment follow my blog or you can contact me, because I've been there and done it.

I would also suggest analysing to what it is they object, or seek to take issue with. In my experience (which I'm not suggesting is representative) it never amounted to much.

I had no diagnosis until late, so I hadn't autism as an excuse. In the latter part of my career I taught in the university sector. There I encountered real problems over my "not being collegiate enough" and not living up to the expectations of an academic.

I went through a succession of investigations into concerns about my behaviour, each time very harrowing but the outcome was the complaints were dismissed by managers as hearsay. At one point I was observed by five senior staff over three months and they found no fault.

The complaints repeatedly raised by a small group of colleagues were:

I kept having to ask for clarification or reiteration of instructions everyone else managed to get first time.

I didn't look people in the eye and didn't appear to pay any attention

I didn't show expected regard to my betters and talked to everyone the same way

I appeared to get on well with the students and was suspected of underhand tactics to curry favour

I talked at people a lot, talked on about things and didn't know when to shut up

I was often talking too close to people, intruding on personal space

At the time I didn't know that this could indicate autistic spectrum, and had great difficulty trying to understand the grievances. But let's face it, none of these are state crimes. They are nuances of personality. Why all the fuss?

University academics wherever they teach (not just the Oxford world of Morse and Lewis) have an incredibly high opinion of themselves, talk down to students in ways I perceive as inexcusable, and show the most astonishing arrogance. I couldn't fit into their cliquey world.

My point is, write down whenever you are criticised or appear to have caused concern what the issue was.

I suspect that, after a while it will become obvious that most of their concerns are petty and indefensible. That doesnt make it any less painful to endure. But I suspect a lot of the workplace issues around autistic spectrum are very insignificant and it is all about people not liking difference.

well Jimmy - I would not have told them either. I have no faith in employers making allowances for disabilities - they'd just rather get someone else in who is less trouble, in my experience, and they will find anon-disability related reason for this - that's what HR do. 

People interact with you based on the way you present yourself, and they aren't able to adjust to differences, even when they try. When I told a former boss I was deaf he used to shout at me when he remembered and mutter the rest of the time. He even used that moron voice quite a lot. I just used to cry. I'm trying to imagine what the reaction would have been if I had known about my autism. Perhaps I could have made a joke of it ? I think you have to be very strong to sort of say 'I'm autistic, not stupid, I am willing and able to do this job but I have to do it my way.'

In practical terms, and I hope this isn't too depressing, can you not get around this by making lists for yourself and maybe 'training' your colleagues to get involved with them?  Like a list for each task etc? So don't say - 'sorry, I have ASD' but say something like -  'Good point, I need to add that to my list, its the way I work... '. maybe lists aren't your thing, but something similar.

This has just brought on a wave of depression/self pity about past employment experiences! I wish you luck

It may be useful to draw a parallel with universities. Ten years ago the concept of having autistic spectrum students in universities caused considerable alarm.

This was because experience of diagnosed and disclosed autistic spectrum students (that you had to support under the DDA) was relatively small.  The SEN Post 16 guide for Asperger Syndrome came out in 2004, while at the same time, a guide for my subject area about autistic spectrum was based entirely on ONE student.

Obviously people on the spectrum had been through university before 2005, but it really is that recent a phenomena. There was a considerable growth in numbers as the DDA opened up the possibility of taking on diagnosed students. Mythology abounded and many universities had what is termed "a fast learning curve".

The DDA was pretty hard on universities adapting to supporting disability. In comparison the world of work has been less pressured, but more importantly there are substantially more employers than universities, and the chances of a firm or organisation having built up experience, even now, is relatively low.

Compared to universities, where there has been a push to get more students in from disabilities that previously made it difficult, most employers haven't seen that many. I'm not a fan of NAS's only 15% in full-time employment statistic because it is 12 years old and I don't know how it was obtained. But the painful fact is a lot of people on the spectrum cannot obtain secure employment. That inevitably means lots of employers with little real experience or understanding.

Nor am I convinced by NAS's idea of offering consultants to assess individual workplaces. That sounds to me like being a very small proportion of those trying to cope in the workplace.

Also as I keep pointing out on here, and elsewhere, information for employers and training for employers largely based on the Triad of Impairment, and a lot of propaganda about us being good time keepers and computer wizards is failing to grasp the issues. The Triad is a diagnostic tool, not a description of everyday life on the spectrum. So how employers' perceptions are ever going to improve is beyond comprehension. And the fact is we aren't all good time-keepers or computer whizzkids.

Employers get totally the wrong messages.  I wish NAS would listen. And the unions - well they are putting out amazingly ignorant explanations of how to support autism in the workplace.

Hi. I would have liked to hear what your capacity is at work, and why you applied for the job. Clearly, it attracted you, but was it a particular role you were after, that is to say, did you match the job description with your particular talents? Or did you just need a job...

My view would be different, depending on your circumstances. First, if it's a job you really want to do, then I'd disclose it to them. You're obviously having some difficulties, and if they know your condition and can make differences to your working life that help you to cope, well that's what they're supposed to do. There's the bonus that if this strategy works, you'll be more comfortable and more productive, hopefuly feel a better contributor (our different way of seeing things!) and the aim is for everyone to feel better about the situation.

If, however, you are working to earn some dosh, then don't bother because your motivation isn't necessarily the best one, just look for another job. Sooner or later you are trying to fit in where you can't, just to pay the bills, but the personal price you'll pay could be very high, I think.

It's difficult enough for us without unecessarily spreading such personal information to unreliable people. Also, as Longman spoke about in another related post, having had one unsuccessful AS person in their midst, there are employers and HR people who will use this as an unspoken excuse not to try another one...

The decision to disclose or not can only be yours, and I'm sorry you have this dilemma. If only we could get them to understand how lucky they are to recruit and retain someone rare and special.

Hi AspieJimmy,

Your observations are precisely the main ones I have issues with too.  I'm waiting for a Full Assessment (I was told the Initial one showed several possible indicators of AS), and especially when I found out about problems with verbal instruction and learning tasks, everything fell into place - that's by far my biggest issue.

As other members have pointed out to me here, it pays to be cautious who you reveal your ASD to, as not everybody has a balanced view of autism.  I am currently not working (I have other health problems too at the moment), but have decided when I go for interviews, that I will tell prospective employers of my possible ASC.  I feel that if I didn't, and had problems, they might say I should have mentioned it to them.  The other side of the argument is that by telling an employer beforehand, how do we know they're not going to use that as an excuse not to employ us, even if they don't tell us why?  However, my understanding is that you have rights when any condition is classed as a disability, as the employers have to make allowances for this, though perhaps other members who have a better understanding of this can confirm this.

An employer could make allowances for your difficulties by providing written instructions, if they would agree to that, and also in allowing you time to process (and if needed, to write down) their instructions.  They could also be made aware of the very many positive traits of people with Asperger's and autism, namely tenacity, attention to detail, intense focus, logic over emotion, to name just a few - qualities that any employer would be pleased to see in any member of their staff.

I would certainly see what other members of the forum post on here - we all tackle problems in our own ways, and see things in different perspectives.  This is something I've yet to tackle when I enter the jobseeking world again in the future, but I hope things can improve for you.  Perhaps if your bosses realise there is a reason for your issues, they will understand and make allowances - at least they have kept you on probation, so there is some time to see what other members on here think, before you decide what to do.

Best of luck, and do keep us up to date with how things develop.