ABSTRACT
People's reactions to diagnosis vary, but a majority experiences it positively; for some it is a life-changing event, a shift in perspective, an epiphanic moment. A major issue for everybody who gets a late-in-life diagnosis is disclosure. There are two issues here: first, whether to disclose and, second, how much, when, to whom and why. Liane Holliday Willey suggests that disclosure has to be dealt with by two groups: those who need to know and those who might not need to know. The need to know group includes people in a position of authority, such as employers, teachers, doctors, people with whom those with AS have a strong trustworthy relationship with and individuals to whom they might turn to for advice and support. With partners in a long-term relationship, he suggests, that open disclosure may be beneficial and create a certain freedom, but warns 'The truth may set you free but it does not necessarily set everybody else free'.
