Telling Your Employer About Your Diagnosis

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.

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.