Taking Off the Mask: Practical Exercises to Help Understand and Minimise the Effects of Autistic Camouflaging
Hannah Louise Belcheramazon.com
Taking Off the Mask: Practical Exercises to Help Understand and Minimise the Effects of Autistic Camouflaging
When an Autistic person is not given resources or access to self-knowledge, and when they’re told their stigmatized traits are just signs that they’re a disruptive, overly sensitive, or annoying kid, they have no choice but to develop a neurotypical façade. Maintaining that neurotypical mask feels deeply inauthentic and it’s extremely exhausting to
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Someone might verbally camouflage by forcing themselves not to speak too much about their special interests,[5] for example, and socially compensate by researching a friend’s Facebook posts before meeting up with them, so they’ll have a good idea of what to chat about.[6] A person might camouflage their auditory sensitivities by gritting their teet
... See moreDevon Price • Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity
In the psychological literature on the subject, Autism masking is said to consist of two classes of behavior:[4] Camouflaging: attempting to hide or obscure Autistic traits in order to “blend in” with neurotypicals. The main goal of camouflage is to avoid detection as disabled. Compensation: using specific strategies to “overcome” challenges and im
... See moreDevon Price • Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity
Additionally, camouflaging behaviour as a coping strategy reflects many of the regulated actions involved in being social, such as mimicking gestures or purposefully maintaining eye contact, or consciously suppressing autistic-like behaviours like stimming.