I know someone who is definitely on the spectrum but not to my knowledge diagnosed. What they tell people is their business. What I wonder is, do they realise how badly they are regarded by other people, and would people be more fair and decent towards this person, and all undiagnosed aspies in general, if everyone knew why they are different?
I wonder if some undiagnosed aspies think they fit in and are respected more than they really are, and would it ever be possible to tell them the truth without causing great calamity?
I wonder if some undiagnosed aspies think they fit in and are respected more than they really are, and would it ever be possible to tell them the truth without causing great calamity?
I can't imagine that someone would be better off undaignosed, but it's important how you tell them.
The only way it would be a "calamity" is if someone were to be told the truth but then just left alone (i.e. there wasn't any follow-up info on AS and why it isn't something they should be ashamed of.)
My question wasn't really asking about the pros and cons of seeking a formal diagnosis, but If anyone would like to explain specifically what benefits might come from a formal diagnosis I would be interested to know.
I don't know what to say when a person complains that they need a family member to act as an interpreter when they need to discuss important matters with people outside the family. Do I tell them they are the problem? I myself can't imagine what is going on inside the heads of people when they weirdly misinterpret stuff that I say in plain language. We already know that we think differently to others, that is not news, but some of us explain this difference as "us smart - them dumb/crazy". I can imagine if someone explained a communication/bent ego problem between an AS person and an NT as being due to AS, the NT might simply give up trying to communicate with the aspie and look for an NT family member to talk with instead.
Have you ever felt the need to disclose to someone outside of your family that you have AS (employer, doctor, govt. official, your child's teacher), and if so, did that advantage you and the people that you care for, or did that disadvantage you (ie the person then ignored, exploited or discounted you and went over your head)?
Why do you advocate a formal diagnosis over informal or self-diagnosis? Many autistic behaviours are pretty distinctive and obvious, but I guess many people don't believe something unless a person with letters after their name says it is so.
I don't believe I misinterpret NTs nearly as much as they misinterpret me. I got an above average score in a test of recognising facial expressions, this is the only test or questionnaire that I have done in which I did not have a score typical of an aspie. I think the biggest cause of misinterpretation between me and NTs is probably NTs assuming that I have NT-like emotions and motives that I simply do not have, but why they choose to do this is anyone's guess.
I've recently been diagnosed with AS and I have the dilemma of whether I notify my place of work or not.
My psychologist said that there was no legal requirement for me to tell anyone but thought it might help if my boss was aware of the reason for some of my difficulties.
I'd be interested to know what people think - I'm still concerned that it will jeopardize my position with my employers.
I'm really interested in finding any other females with AS that I could maybe chat to about things.
It's so hard to find women who have it as opposed to men. I would also like to know how differently AS affects women.
I am in the process of being evaluated for AS, and if it's what I have, it would explain a lot about my life especially socially. As a kid, I endured a lot of bullying because I had to get speech therapy until my freshman year in high school. My issues started in infancy when I had epileptic seziures that I somehow outgrew. The reason I'm being evaluated is that in over 10 years of applying for numerous jobs, I've never been able to get past the interview.
As for telling others about this issue, I would still be careful about what is said because of people who've used what I told about my past against me. Any employer would probably be told, but there are laws that would protect against any discrimination based on a disability.
well i don t see a reason why you would like to tell people. DO you have to shout it out in front of the class that you ARE different? Most of the time people notice that you are different, i dont think they would satisfy with the argument that you've got AS? SHouldnt they accept who you are? I think its like if you are an Arab, and then telling everybody that you are an Arab. It's quite obvious i think
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SHouldnt they accept who you are? I think its like if you are an Arab, and then telling everybody that you are an Arab. It's quite obvious i think
What isn't always obvious is why some aspies say the things that we say. For years I thought, but was not sure, that a person that I know was a spiteful person because of some things that they said. Now I think they might have been more thoughtless and clumsy than deliberately spiteful, and in any case we get along much better these days.
Some aspies are thought by some people to be plainly stupid because of the way they present themselves, when in fact they have some quite interesting talents.
my personal experince is that the soner you know the better, if my parents had kept the truth form me i dont know how things had been, but probably worse
That might work if people in general were well informed about autism but I note that there are still a lot of misconceptions in the community eg. only kids have autism and girls/women don't have it and that it is a mental illness rather than a developmental variation/condition.