A Secret Syndrome
Professors with a mild form of autism must decide whether to reveal their
diagnosis
By Michelle Diament for the Chronicle of Higher Education
(Available online only to subscribers.)
In 2001 Lars Perner had been hired to three visiting-
positions without having set foot on the campuses. But when it came to
getting a tenure-
Twenty-
rejection letters.
In one instance Mr. Perner, who studies marketing, learned that some
interviewers described him as standoffish. He had thought his presentation
was loose. He had even cracked a few jokes.
At that point, Mr. Perner says, his thick Danish accent wrapping each
word, "it was time to re-
that Mr. Perner has Asperger's syndrome, a neurobiological disorder at the
milder end of the autism spectrum. People with Asperger's have average or
above-
often do not like change, and sometimes exhibit unusual or repetitive
behaviors. Some people with Asperger's also concentrate or obsess on a
particular area of interest. In Mr. Perner's case, having Asperger's means
it is hard for him to maintain eye contact, recognize faces, and interpret
body language -
So Mr. Perner tried a different approach: He started mentioning his
Asperger's in a personal note in his job applications.
The strategy worked. Today he is an assistant professor of marketing
at the Imperial Valley campus of San Diego State University, a position he
has held since 2003. He says as far as he knows his disclosure did not hurt
him at all in the hiring process. What's more, being open about his
diagnosis has allowed him to make necessary adjustments in the classroom.
For example, Mr. Perner photographs each of his students on the first day of
class to help him remember their faces.
Stephen Roeder, dean of the Imperial Valley campus, says he has heard
"not a single complaint or negative comment" about Mr. Perner, whose
condition is not always obvious. "Talking to him, the only clue sometimes is
his facial expression or lack thereof." And Mr. Roeder says that Mr.
Perner's experience shows that it is best to be forthcoming about a
diagnosis of autism*. "Talking about it up front dispels any
misconceptions," he says. "That's the great thing about his openness; people
could come to him and talk if there were any issue."
But many other professors who have autism choose not to tell their
colleagues. They say that too few people, even among faculty members,
understand the diagnosis and that if they reveal it they will be pitied or
perceived as less capable.
Despite those concerns, academe is generally considered a more
welcoming environment than most for people with autism. They get paid to
talk at length about their area of interest in a realm where eccentricity
and limited social skills are often seen as signs of genius rather than
cause for scorn. "Universities are probably the place where we get the
kindest treatment, where we are respected and valued the most," says Mr.
Perner.
But, as quickly as the words come out of his mouth, he stops himself.
"I tend to romanticize the university. There are definite challenges."
New Diagnosis
There is no way to know how many people in academe have autism because
many do not discuss their diagnosis and many more who meet the criteria go
undiagnosed, autism experts suspect.
The faculty members with autism interviewed for this article say they
have met others on their campuses who they suspect have autism but have not
been diagnosed, or keep the diagnosis to themselves.
Asperger's syndrome, which because it is a mild form of autism is
probably the most common form in academe, is a relatively new diagnosis.
Although Hans Asperger, a Viennese physician, wrote about the syndrome
in 1944, it was not listed in the American Psychiatric Association's
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the guide used by
health professionals to diagnose mental disorders, until 50 years later.
So most academics with Asperger's would have learned of their
diagnosis as adults, and had to adjust to the knowledge that neurological
differences were behind many traits that had always set them apart.
It takes time to deal with the stigma of having a mental disorder,
says Michael John Carley, who has Asperger's and is executive director of
the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership, a group for adults
with the condition.
Often autism conjures up images of people with very limited abilities
who may be nonverbal, unable to care for themselves, or prone to extreme
behavior problems. Those with Asperger's, however, can typically function on
their own with little to no accommodation.
"Obviously there are still prejudices. Even in the most
well-
and view you as broken," Mr. Carley says. "The only formula that I tell
people is, you better be right about when and when not to disclose."
It is warnings like Mr. Carley's that concern a visiting professor of
astronomy and physics at a small college in Pennsylvania, who asked not to
be named because he has not told colleagues about his Asperger's diagnosis.
Nearly a decade has passed since he got his doctorate and he is still
searching for a tenure-
Job hunting is difficult, he says, because he struggles to make small
talk or socialize for an extended period of time. He worries that disclosing
his diagnosis would hinder his efforts to get a tenure-
"A hiring committee gets about 100 applications and they're looking
for any little thing that can weed people out," he says. "Obviously they
can't discriminate based on physical disability, but I wonder how they would
react if I said I have mental differences from the norm."
The professor says he gets along well with his current colleagues, but
does not think his diagnosis is important for them to know. As it is, he
says, they perceive him as an introvert and realize that he's not one to
"stand around for 30 minutes and shoot the breeze."
Things would change if he got tenure, though.
Then, he says, he would tell people, without making a big deal about
it.
Relieved by Explanation
Dawn Prince-
Asperger's five years ago at age 36. The adjunct professor of anthropology
at Western Washington University says she was relieved to have a name for
her differences. It allowed her to explain to others why she isn't any good
at small talk and why, when she enters a room, she looks at everything, not
just the people.
Ms. Prince-
know she has something unique to offer. In fact, she says, having Asperger's
syndrome makes her a better anthropologist. Social norms that most people
take for granted never came naturally for her, so she can see things with a
different eye, an advantage in her line of work.
She wasn't always so at ease. As a student, she says, she never fit
in, and dropped out of high school when she was a sophomore. She was
homeless for five years and worked as an exotic dancer for three. A visit to
the zoo changed everything. Ms.
Prince-
connect with others, she says, something she hadn't previously understood.
The gorillas became the subject of her college studies and her professional
research. Last year she published a memoir, Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My
Journey Through Autism.
Today, as water flows audibly in the background, Ms. Prince-
speaks matter-
had on her. She prefers to talk on the phone from the bathtub. "I do my best
thinking in the water," she says. "The sound of the water and the feel of it
on my skin and even the smell of it is so constant that it grounds me."
Ms. Prince-
research-
intentions, and often after speaking with someone, she must replay the
conversation in her head to understand what transpired. With practice,
though, Ms. Prince-
people's personal lives if she sensed from their body language that
something was wrong. Now she realizes that doing so is considered invasive.
At the same time, Ms. Prince-
part of who she is and something that she never wants to completely mask. By
being open about her diagnosis, she can be herself while also ensuring that
those she is around are comfortable. So she believes that other faculty
members like her have a lot to gain by not hiding their condition.
"If you have Asperger's tendencies to the point where you can get a
diagnosis, your co-
says. "I think work relationships are more likely to suffer without that
kind of disclosure."
