Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity

Being identified as Autistic can be socially and emotionally perilous for women and gender minorities, regardless of race; for Black and brown Autistics, being visibly disabled can be deadly.

There is no objective definition of what makes someone moody or a social chameleon, either. It’s easier to socially camouflage if you’re the kind of person society doesn’t view with much suspicion in the first place.

fashion. Here in Chicago, I’m aware of just one therapist who is competent in treating Autistic adults who mask, and the only reason I know they’re competent is that other Autistic people have vouched for them to me.

institutionalized and stripped of legal autonomy.[44]

We are hyperreactive to even small stimuli in our environment We have trouble distinguishing between information or sensory data that should be ignored versus data that should be carefully considered We are highly focused on details rather than “big picture” concepts We’re deeply and deliberatively analytical Our decision-making process is methodic

They are, in every sense, sibling disabilities, two highly similar groups who belong in community with one another.[86]

Some masked Autistics are drawn to the structure and sense of control that an eating disorder can provide. We often seek out clear “rules” for good behavior,

The leading treatment for Autism in children, Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy (or ABA for short), has widely been criticized by Autistic people as being traumatic to endure.

unique connection patterns