Relationship Levels
The four levels of relationships are....
What is disclosure?
Disclosure is telling someone private information that they do not know.
False! Certain topics are not appropriate to talk about with certain people.
Pick one: An appropriate thing is a ..... A) good thing.... or ...... B) bad thing
Disclosure is....
Telling someone private information about yourself they did not previously know.
TRUE OR FALSE: An intimate friend is someone I know more than almost anyone else.
TRUE. An intimate friend is a friend you know so well that they are like family.
I meet someone new and I don't want to tell them I have Autism. Do I have to disclose?
NO. Disclosing your disability is YOUR choice.
Can I talk about sports with anyone?
YES. General topics like sports can be spoken about with anyone on any level of friendship.
TRUE OR FALSE: If something makes me uncomfortable and I will not be harmed by not doing it, then I do not have to do it.
TRUE. If something makes you uncomfortable, like disclosing your disability, and you will not be harmed by your choices then you do not have to do it.
Another way to say advocating is...
Speaking up for yourself.
Fill in the blank: an ____________________ is someone I barely know.
ACQUAINTANCE
FALSE. Disclosing your disability is completely up to you.
Fill in the blanks: I can talk about my feelings with a _____________ or ______________________ friend.
Close or intimate
Sharing my deepest darkest secrets with an acquaintance is.... A) Appropriate.... or ....... B) Inappropriate
B) Inappropriate. You can not trust an acquaintance to keep your deepest darkest secrets and you might make them uncomfortable by doing so.
TRUE OR FALSE: Sometimes I will have to disclose my disability in order to ask for appropriate accommodations.
True. Sometimes those accommodations may need to be explained by disclosing your disability.
Which level of friendship comes first: CASUAL FRIEND or CLOSE FRIEND?
CASUAL FRIEND. You are usually casual friends with someone before you are close friends.
Fill in the blank: It is __________________ for a job interviewer to ask me if I have a disability.
Inappropriate/illegal. That question should not be asked at a job interview because it is YOUR right to disclose if you have a disability
Fill in the blank: I can talk about my family structure with a ______________ friend, but not an _______________.
I can talk about my family structure with a casual friend but not an acquaintance. That information is too personal to share with someone I barely know.
If someone makes you uncomfortable a lot on purpose, are they a friend?
No. A friend would care about a friend enough that they would not knowingly make you uncomfortable.
TRUE OR FALSE: I am the only one who can advocate for myself.
FALSE. We all need help advocating for ourselves sometimes, and asking for help from others is a good thing if it is what you need.
What level of friendship is HIGHER than a casual friend but LESS CLOSE than an intimate friend?
A close friend!
Should I disclose everything about my disability to everyone I disclose that I have disability to?
There is no correct answer. It is up to you how many details about your disability you choose to disclose and who you want to disclose them to.
What level of friendship is needed for me to talk about anything with that person?
Intimate friends. Intimate friends are friends who you know well and trust with anything.
Someone tells me the topic I want to talk about is making them uncomfortable because we are not close enough to speak about it. Should I keep talking about it?
NO. Other people's feelings matter and if you are not close enough for BOTH PEOPLE to feel comfortable talking about a subject, then you should not be talking about it.
Will people still be able to know what I need even if I do not advocate for myself?
NO. You need to ask for help if you need help.