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Autism is a neurological condition, affecting how the world is seen, understood and interacted with, and affects autistic responses to it. A differently wired brain, bringing great skills. And people with the condition are protected from discrimination by Employments laws, so why should there be any questions about whether or not you should disclose this condition at any time in the employment process?

The reasons why would seem obvious, protection against unfair dismissal, greater understanding, Reasonable adjustments, support from appropriate organisations, help through the Access to Work scheme. Yet not all see it as a positive. I can say this from experience, and lack of understanding at work from some management when a likely disability was hilighted. It was after this I ended up with a formal autistic diagnosis.

The answer can be Assumptions. Negative assumptions of this condition. Not the sort of people easy to deal with, not fit into your company.

However Autism is a spectrum, showing itself in many ways, in different people, not on a straight line, different communication abilities, different skills, different needs and behaviours. 2 people with autism may display the condition very differently.

Some people have been trusted for years, hiding autism, then opening up, and suddenly the trust is gone.

Some of the negative assumptions are

1/ We are like Rainman, or Sheldon from Big Bang Theory, odd, hard to work, live with – clever, hard to work with – yes we can have great skills, but we are all different, some obviously different, some show few obvious signs.

2/ We cannot communicate ideas/thoughts clearly – we do think and communicate differently, but we can have multiple thoughts, take time to translate into words, our thoughts, ideas. Or do this by discussing with others, or type them up. It’s worth the wait.

3/ We are rude – no we can just be blunt, short, no social niceties. We just don’t always understand the need for small talk.

We are how we are, we think how we think, and we have contributed a great deal to the world, made the modern world possible. Understanding autistic people will help autistic people to feel able to disclose, and be themselves.