Treyza.West-Midlands

BadDad, Your comments in response to mine are too over analytical, defensive and offensive. To state that being diagnosed with AS is "top trump" and "having your cake and eating it" for having a successful career despite not being able to receive very needed support because of this is ignorant.

Fair play, I agree there is no such thing as mild AS which is not in the diagnostic criteria. However, there is a lack of resources, (I don't agree with) that means difficult decisions about the level of autism are made.

Hi, I hope this helps. I paid to be assessed by a private psychologist because I did not want Asperger's on my medical notes. I have a professional career that those with Asperger's syndrome are not expected to be able to be successful at. I would be very unhappy, if having paid privately, liaison occurred with medical professionals without my explicit and written consent. Though I clearly have mild AS, some of the difficulties I have are very severe and the impact upon my life is greater than many. Firstly, please read the new Autism Bill and Strategy which I understand means you are entitled to an assessment. Secondly, when I was diagnosed (I just had to know) I felt as though a mistake had been made. Although I knew I had Asperger's, I was told a couple of things, not widely known, convinced the psychologist I had it. This has helped me to accept the diagnosis even though I knew I had the condition! Given that for adults, it is not uncommon to be misdiagnosed, and to have the history you have, I do feel that the NAS assessor should be aware of this and do an independent assessment. On the other hand, professionally and ethically, the NAS assessor was obliged to be upfront with you. Stating that he/she could not diagnose was upfront legally so some of what has been said is very encouraging. It is true that having mild AS makes no difference in terms of support resources and I passionately believe more should be done for adults who can appear to have a near normal life and hold down a job. As you are paying for the assessment, I suggest you ask the assessor's opinion of the merits of an the assessment given what he has been told. If the answer is no, as it is likely to be mild, I would have no confidence in the assessor as he/she should recognise the importance of you knowing once and for all regardless and the importance of an assessment to you with a fresh pair of eyes (so to speak).

Hi Jeeves, I am sorry, I am not from your area and so I do not know about support services in your area. Just wanted to send you best wishes given your circumstances and to say try to be strong. Thinking of you.

It is not a legal requirement to prove/disclose a disability or being on the autistic spectrum. In principle, it is perfectly okay to state, after you have commenced employment, that you have a disability. There can be no legal consequences for doing so and many people with a disability do this. By disclosing, your employer has to make reasonable adjustments as you are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act. However, if your employer does not know, and it is unreasonable for him/her not to have known, then you are not covered. In your circumstances, I would not disclose although that is a personal decision. Bullies play victim when confronted and the perpetrator will use your ASD to defend herself. In employment law, the burden of evidence is on probability and not proof. Disclosing that you have ASD, I fear, will lead to you being discriminated against. ASD, I hate to say, is the perfect way for a bully to convince anyone that you are the problem. I wish you all the best, as it shows how desperate you must be feeling about the situation to even consider disclosing. I too am being bullied by my line manager and everyone knows as she has done the same to others. However, I would not rely on others as evidence as though they may know you are telling the truth, and sympathise, they are unlikely to back you up. They may even have good reason to use you to fire 'bullets'. Bully's always befriend managers so they can get a way with it. Manager's all to often side with bullies and lose good staff. As you work for a small shop you would be vulnerable by disclosing. Keep a diary and keep that secret or leave. I hope that helps. As I have Asperger's (diagnosed three weeks ago), I know how you feel. Be strong.