My Partner of 18 years. She doesn't always understand or comprehend my challenges, but she is willing to learn and listen.
My children. As my Eldest is the one whose formal testing enlightened our family into the whole realm of Autusm Aspergers, I readily shared my Aspergers. My youngest, at eight years old, understands that momma has autism and that sometimes she has difficulty with social situations, being unable to verbalize and sometimes needs a lot of rest.
The rest of my extended family, parents, siblings and such, I am rather estranged from. They have heard it probably through the grapevine. Due to the lack if closeness, it didn't matter to me whether they knew or not.
My doctor/ nurse practitioner Needed to know. My autism causes me to have great difficulty relaying symptoms and putting words to how my body feels. I am forgetful. I am very sensitive to meds, so we often start with children's size doses. I sometimes have a delay in processing her questions, so she gives me time to answer. I audibly process slowly, at times, and I need things, instructions spoken repeatedly or even better, written down. Having a practitioner who understands my autism and it's challenges is vitally important.
Health Care Providers can help me more effectively, is they are aware of my autism. I talked to my optometrist, who doesn't think I look like Rainman, but he listens. It's important that he knows because with my eye exam, he asks multiple questions and I have that delay in understanding thingy going on. I frequently ask him to repeat his questions, often more than once....now is this clearer or this? As he flips lenses.
Employers...I don't have an opinion on this topic, as I work for no one but myself. Each and every nt can be different in their understandings and opinions of an autistic employee.
At school. My grade school sons teachers need to know about my Aspergers. My slightly physically different, Younglink, requires me to interact and problem solve with his teachers due to his physical difference and....hmm, high energy nature. I feel it important that the teachers know that I'm not going to be the classroom volunteer mom...for anything. But I am always available to meet and talk about my son in the classroom.
My friends and neighbors. I like that they know because I have moments of high stress in which my autism sometimes breaks out. Nope, I'm not a drug addict in withdrawal and no, I don't have alcohol or psychiatric issues. It makes my life easier and it's easier to be me, walking around my yard, talking to myself and pointing to "fairies" in the air, at times.
This is my list of people who I am Glad know about my autism:)
