Edited by author 02-17-2005 09:00 AM
Although Michelle has posted on The Misbehaviour of Behaviourists comment board (m1077)about the book "Coming Out Asperger", see
http://www.jkp.com/catalogue/book.php/isbn/1-84310-240-4, which is coming out "soon"; I'll post my musings about disclosure as it relates to Asperger Syndrome (AS) here.
I'll mention that although I don't believe there is any significant difference between AS and autism, and prefer to use the terms autism/autistic for all the autism spectrum, I'll use AS here in deference to the book's title.
Disclosure can be the diagnosis and subsequent informing by a person's doctor, pyschologist, psychiatrist or other professional of their AS, or of their child's AS: or the disclosure by the AS person to other people in their lives that they are AS.
Professional diagnosis of AS is neither a life or death medical necessity, nor completely irrelevant, offensive and unthinkable like 'diagnosing' for being gay or lesbian would be. I am one of those people who have discovered by self-diagnosis the truth of their AS, and found it liberating and enlightening. I prefer the term 'self-discovery to 'self-diagnosis'.
I have read that there are people who refuse to admit that they may be AS, and parents who refuse that their chidren may be, and avoid reading about it.
http://www.as-if.org.uk/reasons.htm has very good information and advice on diagnosis, and on disclosure by the AS person and by NTs.
I very much want to read this book, I may treat myself and buy it.
