Should I mention my Asperger's in an interview?

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It's not a job interview, just a work experience one(couldn't fit it in the title). The placement might not be open so I'll update you if the circumstances change.
But yeah, I was planning on doing it at an IT shop, and figured that quite a lot of the people who did work experience there would be pretty anti-social, but IDK... Should I just say at the start, 'Hi, my name's Emma. I just wanted to say that if I come across as a bit weird or don't look at you in the eyes or something, I'm not trying to be rude- I just have a mild form of Autism'? Or something like that? I think the guy will find out anyway 'cause my Mum has to fill out a sheet in regards to any medical conditions I have, and whenever she does she puts Asperger's on there, but yeah...
So, do you think I should, and if so, if there any particular way I should say it?
Thanks.
EMZ=]

If your mother is going to include it on medical papers that they're going to see, why should it matter?

IDK... LOL.
I figured that the interview would be before all the formal stuff like the transition of medical papers and stuff happened... xD.
EMZ=]

I think there are a couple ways you could present yourself as AS. If i were in such a situation, either I would shoot it out up front so that the interviewer knows why I'm going to not be picking up on the subtle social things, OR if I think i could pass the interview then I would mention it after, if I thought i was getting hired. If I ended up working there my co-workers would know what to expect of their interactions with me. I suppose you could drop it in the middle, but it might alter the interaction mid-interview since their understanding of your person will change, whereas if you mention it before the entire interview will be held under that pretense, and if you mention it after the interview is over and done with.

I would definitely not mention "Autism". There tends to be alot of negative bias and stereotyping; the word is pretty loaded and may associate you with severe autistic symptoms(?) the listener is familiar with. (I told a friend once that he had autistic traits, he understood that statement as: "you are ret*d") Using the word aspergers would be better, I think that fewer people have an idea of what it is and they will ask for clarification. Many people already have preconceived notions of "autism", so mentioning it may subtly sabotage your interview. Also, when speaking on the topic try to just give him the basics quickly and clearly, only expound if he shows interest.

I've just seen a placement for a Lab Assistant, so I'll probably go for that. There is no interview and I'm assuming they won't really notice. I apparently have to interact with staff, and if they pick up on anything weird I'll just mention I have Asperger's, I think.
If she asks if there's any medical conditions or anything she needs to take not of I'll tell her that I have a disorder called Asperger's, though it's a Neurological disorder- not something to worry about in terms of health and safety, but may effect in certain aspects the way I think and perceive things.
EMZ=P

I assume that as you are 14 and this is a work experience placement then your school is involved in some way. Is that right?

If so, and if your school is aware of your diagnosis, then it might be worth asking them to check out the relevent legislation for you and to give you some advice on how and when you might want to to disclose your diagnosis. I think this is a great opportunity for you to find out how you might approach this type of thing when you are older and going for actual job interviews.

As far as the medical information/questionnaire is concerned, that information is normally read only after interview and only if it has been decided to offer you the job. In larger organisations it is usually read by the Personnel staff, not the people who did the interview and companies will probably vary on how they deal with that information.

I'm in Scotland, so I'm speaking from a UK perspective here.

My school is informed on my dx, but I don't really like talking to them about it. Generally it's just said I have a statement, only once in my social skills group did they actually ask what diagnosis I had, and that was only 'cause a guy brought up Asperger's and did a presentation on it there.
However, I do think in my social skills group they will be bringing it up, and I also think my Mum will probably be having a meeting with the head of SEN.
I think I'll actually pass the interview, though right now, I'm looking at the Lab Assistant which doesn't require an interview !
If anyone says I'm weird or something goes wrong I'll just say that I have Asperger's and sometimes I take thing literally or something.
I'm in England so yeah xD. Things would probably be the same.
EMZ=P

I hope it all goes well for you, and that you enjoy it.

Thanks . It's actually in February... LOL. We just have to get a placement before all the other schools so I decided since this is the only one I want available in my area I'd try and get it asap.
Thanks everyone for your help .
EMZ=]

Hi. Good luck with the interviewer/placement.

You could mention your diagnosis of Aspergers, but do so in a positive way.

For example, "I'd like to share that I have Asperger's. Although I am very detail oriented and tend to really concentrate on my work - I may have trouble with eye contact or some reading some social cues. Please don't take my lack of eye contact as disinterest or disrespect. I am very excited about this opportunity and want to share my skills"

This will alert your interviewer that some of your behavior is NOT disinterest or a negative attitude. It also alerts them of the positive contribution that you will make.

That's a bit on the paranoid side. I never use the word Asperger simply because people always hear ASS BURGERS and it just becomes something to snicker over.

True, most people have no idea what autism means, and tend to lump it in their minds with conditions like Downs' syndrome, out of sheer ignorance. However, the phrase 'A FORM of HIGH-FUNCTIONING AUTISM' gets an entirely different reaction. It may puzzle them, but it doesn't sound like 'ret*d', and if you were a 'ret*d' (pardon my bluntness), you probably wouldn't have the presence of mind to mention it.

If its going to appear in the paperwork anyway, you are in no way obligated to mention it, but if you stim constantly like I do, somebody's going to ask you about it, probably sooner than later, and at that point its silly to pretend there's no elephant in the room.

Actually, that's a good point to have a dialogue with a new coworker and get to know each other. Just be very careful about boring them with more information on AS than they have any interest in.

I like the t-shirts that say:

Do I LOOK like a @$#&* PEOPLE PERSON!?

That pretty much sums it up. I'd wear that to a job interview.

If it's only work experience, it might not matter much either way.

With longer-term work, there might prove to be unforeseen circumstances in which it might have been useful to have AS known by an employer. For instance, years ago I had a personality clash with a superior who refused, in writing, to tell me what he expected of me that I wasn't delivering; I could conceivably have argued that he was discriminating against me, if I'd been diagnosed and the diagnosis had been known to my employer (arguing that specific direction of this kind is an AS need).

Later still, it's probably less important again. I've just started with a new employer in a role in which my ability is already well-known. I've been able to put off completing the medical forms until I've been in the job for six weeks and proved how good I am, so now I'm about ready to tell them about the AS. What I'm saying is, because I'm demonstrably valuable, the AS is unlikely to be seen as an obstacle.

At the same time, I'm amazed at how easily the people in my new surroundings have accepted me. I'm glaringly unnaturally quiet, solitary and awkward, but at the same time, really competent; and they seem to respect and even like this (of course, my being competent means they don't have to carry the new bloke, which helps them like me).