(this is part of a common diagnostic tool called the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, or the ADOS, and it was developed for use in children).[72]

Autistic people have differences in the development of their anterior cingulate cortex,[14] a part of the brain that helps regulate attention, decision

I think if we want to really confront the role the mask has played in our lives and work on parting with it, it’s important we face just how unsustainable and costly masking has been. We sacrifice a lot of our well-being and individuality in order to seem “normal.”

For me, and for countless “high functioning” Autistics, communication and intelligence become an essential part of our masks. I never could fit in with other kids, but I could impress teachers with my grasp of big words and my sophisticated-sounding opinions.

To download this chart, go to http://prhlink.com/9780593235249a006

Unmasking in one’s living environment means detaching from expectations about how one “should” live, first and foremost.

Dissociation is also a means of controlling the social and sensory data we’re taking in, ignoring inputs that have become too intense.

Autistic people pay much closer attention to small details than neurotypical people do, particularly when they have the cognitive energy to do so,

Informed by eugenicist ideals that only granted rights to those who were “valuable” to society, Asperger focused on describing Autism as a disorder for intelligent, yet troubled boys, usually ones from wealthy families.