Disability Disclosure in APPIC Internship Interviews

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

psychologypancake

New Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2019
Messages
7
Reaction score
2
I'm on the autism spectrum, and I'm in the process of applying to internship right now, mostly at university counseling centers.

I plan to prepare thoroughly for interviews, as these have always been my weak point. I have never disclosed my autism in previous interviews, in part because I wasn't aware I had it and in part because I was worried that it would reflect badly on me (either due to poor professional boundaries or just that it would make me a bad clinician), which would result in not being offered the position. However, I have been considering whether I want to disclose during internship interviews.

What do you all think about the situation? Is it wiser to disclose or not disclose?

Members don't see this ad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
This is a tough and very personal situation, but wanted to share that we just got some resources on Match News that may be of assistance in helping you make that decision, if you haven't already seen that email! What comes to my mind immediately is whether there is potential added benefit to disclosing - specifically, it may help you get a sense of the environment of that program and how supportive (or not) it is. But I also understand your worries and hopefully others can shed light on how realistic the concern is.

Edited to provide the link from Match News email:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
I'm on the autism spectrum, and I'm in the process of applying to internship right now, mostly at university counseling centers.

I plan to prepare thoroughly for interviews, as these have always been my weak point. I have never disclosed my autism in previous interviews, in part because I wasn't aware I had it and in part because I was worried that it would reflect badly on me (either due to poor professional boundaries or just that it would make me a bad clinician), which would result in not being offered the position. However, I have been considering whether I want to disclose during internship interviews.

What do you all think about the situation? Is it wiser to disclose or not disclose?
What specific interview behavior does the asd affect? Given challenges about this kind of thing I’d suggest first trying to resolve that than disclose anything.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Yes, I did see the Match News email, which provided some helpful information, though was generally disability-general or disabilities that do not impact social communication in the same way as mine.

In terms of interview behaviors, I am still trying to figure that out. In part, that is because it seems like so many times interviewers are looking for someone who just "feels" right for the position, as being selected for an interview already signals that one has at least minimum qualifications.

However, two big things that stand out for me are: eye contact and onset and length of verbal responses.

Onset and length of verbal responses: I read a study about how college students with ASD exhibited slower onsets of verbal responses and greater variability in response length than students without ASD (Bublitz et al., 2017). This definitely resonated with me. I worry that the time it takes for me to begin to craft a response--even to questions that I am expecting and am prepared for--will make me seem unprepared, not "present," untrustworthy, off-putting, or uninterested.

Eye contact: Appropriate eye contact is not automatic for me; it is something that I need to at least semi-consciously focus on. It is easier for me to make appropriate eye contact when I am listening to someone, but it is more difficult when I am speaking to someone or trying to gather my thoughts in order to say something to someone. In interview settings, a portion of my attention is on trying to maintain appropriate eye contact and trying to assess whether my eye contact is appropriate. Therefore, when I am not thinking about eye contact, I generally don't make enough to make people feel comfortable, but when I am thinking about eye contact, I have less attention to devote to other important parts of the interview, such as crafting appropriate responses to questions.

My approach to these issues is to practice as much as possible in order to make some parts of the interview more automatic and less mentally taxing, especially since we are all emotionally and cognitively taxed by interview-related anxiety (at least a little). However, there is only so much anyone can do to prepare for novel situations, and I have been warned against seeming too robotic.

Despite these challenges, I've been generally good in clinical roles (as evidenced by feedback from supervisors, peers, and clients) and have been responsive to interpersonal feedback from supervisors. In therapy, I spend a lot of time listening, validating, and providing interventions that are familiar to me. I can form strong therapeutic alliances with clients, and I can respond diplomatically and appropriately to unexpected questions they ask me.

Therefore, it's really frustrating when my job performance and fit in an organization is judged--either significantly or just partially--by my performance in a job interview.
 
This (disabled psychology grad students/trainees) is one of my research areas. OP, the literature strongly suggests not disclosing until after matching if at all possible, especially if your disability is not visible or readily apparent.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Or perhaps a middle ground, such as sharing “I need a moment to think about that.” Interviewers do expect some struggles to compose response, and eye contact may be attributed to normal situational nerves.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Top