Thread by @jamcusack

At the #INSAR2019 business meeting @johnrobison pointed out that sadly, many autistic scientists don't feel they can disclose their diagnosis.

It's a personal choice, but as an autistic person working in the field & in a fortunate position, here are a few points. ⬇️

1. Autistic people have a diverse and nuanced set of views and attitudes, and so do I. Yet people tend to make assumptions about my own views.

2. I don't want to impose my own views and attitudes anyway. I want to do my job and ensure we listen to everyone and serve everyone.

3. I get that I am different from other autistic people - particularly those with "complex needs". Yet some people feel the need to specifically explain that to me in a room full of people. I have been living and working with autistic people for 20+ years.

4. If some autistic people don't feel they can't disclose, instead of thinking about it as "a shame that they're not ready", perhaps we need to think about the fact that they might have legitimate concerns about how they will be perceived. Barriers do exist - let's address them.

5. Some people make assumptions about my abilities as someone with a diagnosis on the basis of group differences observed in research! In particular, actually, I don't have amazing attention to detail, but I am quite good at seeing the big picture.

6. We do need to do more, but I have to say to autistic scientists that disclosing my diagnosis has been a positive experience. Most of the people I work with don't do the above, have been a real pleasure to work with, and value the experience and skills I bring.

Regarding point 4. It should read "4. If some autistic people don't feel they can disclose...". Ah well, I did warn you about my attention to detail!