Should I tell anyone that I have AS? (High School)

Post Reply New Topic

I have Asperger Syndrome (for sure) and now with my family we're looking for a good "doctor" to get diagnosed. My question is that, how should I tell this to my friends? I find this especially hard, because it's hard for me to tell them something... What about teachers? This is my last year, so I think it's not that important, but I think my Literature teacher (and mybe my form teacher) should know. Oh yes, and what about others at school, like my classmates? We've had several misunderstandings because... oh, I don't know why, I think I had a strange facial expression or a rude comment which I didn't recognise and didnt want to be like that. So what do you think, should I tell a couple of people that I know well, but may not be my friends? Or should I leave it, as it's my last year. Help me please I hope I was clear sorry I'm a non-native speaker.

Your English is perfectly clear, so no problems there.
I'd advise keeping it to yourself, high school kids tend to use any kind of weakness they can find to mock and belittle their classmates. Standing out for any reason at all can make you a target, and an especially cruel bully could easily find out how to exploit the shortcomings of someone with AS.
Your teachers might be more understanding, but if they have no prior experience of the condition it's unlikely they'll show much interest or leniency if it gets you into trouble.
If you're absolutely certain that you can trust your closest friends then it might feel good to have someone that understands, but only if you truly believe that they can keep a secret.

The important question is: do they need to know? If you need them to understand why you do or say certain things, then perhaps you should. Otherwise, I would consider keeping it to yourself.

Your English is fine.

I am not a big fan of telling people other then family, spouse, medical professionals, etc. One problem is that now people see you as an individual. But once you tell them you have ASD many will begin to see you as a stereotype. The problem is most people do not understand ASD and have a negative prejudice against it. As someone mentioned it is not there business or right to know. Many people have personal issues you are not made aware of.

The thing is while you keep it to yourself, you can always tell someone at some point if it becomes truly necessary. But once you let the cat out of the bag, you can't get it back in. And it is very possible that even if you only tell 1-2 people, it may somehow get around to others.

personal experience says that people recognize it...at least for me.

only tell people that for sure won't end up hating you and try to ruin your life

tell only teachers and staff you know, and your closest friends (especially if they know about AS), but i would keep it a very closed secret from everyone else, lest they fall prey to the stereotypes and expect you to be good at math and pester you for help and whatnot. also, you can't unsay what you say. steer well clear of blabbermouths, no matter if they know about your condition or not since the people they may spread it to might not be as knowledgeable.

in my experience, people can pick up on your condition regardless if you tell them or not, i guess it depends on how much you "show". i know i certainly did, at least until recently.