Unmasking Autism: The Power of Embracing Our Hidden Neurodiversity

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Secondly: Yes, it’s true that some people don’t regard us autistics as people, but that’s not because people describe us with adjectives. That’s not the reason we’re not regarded as people. (I remember, fondly, what one autistic woman said to a non-autistic woman who kept trying to be Bravely Inspirational about why you shouldn’t say “autistic person”. The autistic woman replied that “if you can’t remember I’m a person because people use adjectives, then that’s your problem to solve.”) If I were neurodiverse, I'd really love this book and find it exceedingly helpful. As it is, I've learned so much and have had some of my preconceived misunderstandings of Autistics corrected. May each of the neurodiverse readers find the courage to unmask and be themselves. May the other people in their lives cheer them on, accepting them as they are in both their strengths and weakness. Crystal’s grandfather, who was Autistic, did not want to diagnose his granddaughter, because he feared the consequences of having a disabled grandchild. He hid her condition from everyone, including Crystal, until his death. To continue the process, Morgan suggests working with a licensed therapist. How to be an ally and nurture a more inclusive world If I describe somebody as a cheerful woman, it obviously doesn’t mean that she’s ONLY cheerful and that apart from cheerfulness, she never ever experiences human emotion.

It’s vitally important that in addition to all the individual-level work we put into unmasking and demanding our needs get met, that we also find and cultivate supportive relationships with people who make it a lot easier to do so.

Unfortunately, this coping mechanism often comes at the expense of one's mental health and with "Unmasking Autism" Dr. Price offers a surprisingly straightforward and accessible path toward unmasking with exercises that encourage self-expression including celebrating special interests, cultivating Autistic relationships, reframing Autistic stereotypes, and rediscovering one's own values.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is autistic and feels alone and to absolutely anyone who wants to learn more about the brain and the amazing things it can do. Our only other option for the time being is to focus on protecting ourselves and improving our own mental health and wellbeing. This doesn’t mean stopping masking altogether, it just means becoming more aware of how we use the strategy to cope, and what effect it has on us. Unmasking Autism is at once a most deeply personal and scholarly account of the damage caused by autistic (and all) people leading masked lives, and how unmasking is essential to creating a self-determined, authentic life... This is a remarkable work that will stand at the forefront of the neurodiversity movement.' - Dr Barry M. Prizant, author of Uniquely Human Ironically, a study I recently conducted with colleagues found that masking didn’t change the judgements that non-autistic peers made towards autistic people’s social behaviours. Even when an autistic person is masking, non-autistic people will still rate them more harshly than non-autistic peers if they don’t know they are autistic. This unconscious bias is evident throughout society for anyone deemed to behave or think atypically by neurotypical standards. Awareness and understanding However, for us autistic folk the strategy is often much more ingrained and harmful to our wellbeing and health. Because our social norms are different to others around us, we often experience greater pressure to hide our true selves and to fit into that non-autistic culture. More often than not, we have to spend our entire lives hiding our traits and trying to fit in, even though the odds of appearing ‘non-autistic’ are against us.For example, the method I found most useful was recording in my journal those situations in which I masked, and how that made me feel. I then set about doing some behavioural experiments where I would consciously unmask myself in safe environments, and record whether my worst fears were met and how it made me feel. More often than not my worst fears of being judged or embarrassing myself were not met. Autistic people may find it helpful to speak to a therapist or professional for support if thinking about using these types of behavioural experiments. Further information A deep dive into the spectrum of Autistic experience and the phenomenon of masked Autism, giving individuals the tools to safely uncover their true selves while broadening society’s narrow understanding of neurodiversity This is where compensation comes in. Price does this, for example, through scheduling ghost meetings on his calendar to give himself time to recharge.