When I didn't know I was NeuroDivergent, I used to feel like a failed NeuroTypical Person (because the expectations for me to be a "good" NeuroTypical seemed impossibly out of reach).

I Used to Hate Myself When I Thought I was NeuroTypical

When I didn’t know I was NeuroDivergent, I used to feel like a failed NeuroTypical Person (because the expectations for me to be a “good” NeuroTypical seemed impossibly out of reach).

“Why can’t I just _______ ?” – Do something NeuroTypicals find simple.

“Why do they hate me? Why do they think I’m weird?”

“If I could only ______.” – Insert some activity that NeuroTypicals don’t struggle with.

“What’s WRONG with me? Why am I such a failure?” Continue reading I Used to Hate Myself When I Thought I was NeuroTypical

Being Autistic doesn't necessarily mean one will have a mental health condition; there are Autistic people with great mental health out there, but they are in the minority.

Autism is NOT a Mental Illness! What IS Autism: Autistic People Without the Pathology

One piece of misinformation I’ve been seeing a lot of recently on this page is the misconception that “Autism is a mental illness” – which it’s not. 

Being Autistic doesn’t necessarily mean one will have a mental health condition; there are Autistic people with great mental health out there, but they are in the minority.
Continue reading Autism is NOT a Mental Illness! What IS Autism: Autistic People Without the Pathology

A neon purple and teal set of headphones on a black background with the words Autistic Pride in teal on top

Do I seem MORE Autistic to you NOW? Why many Autistics stop camouflaging their Autistic traits post autism discovery.

To onlookers it may have seemed that I was “acting more Autistic” since my diagnosis, but in reality I was done with the shame, hiding my Autistic traits, and done acting NeuroTypical.
Continue reading Do I seem MORE Autistic to you NOW? Why many Autistics stop camouflaging their Autistic traits post autism discovery.

Autistic and NeuroDivergent Masking, Unmasking, and Burnout

NeuroDivergent masking is when a NeuroDivergent Person, either consciously or subconsciously, camouflages, or masks, their divergent traits in order to blend in or to appear NeuroTypical.

Now, when we talk about masking for NeuroDivergent People, whether that’s Autistic People, ADHD, Dyslexia, any other neurodevelopmental difference, it’s important to understand that this camouflaging, this blending in, this masking, is something that many of us do in self-defense. It can be a subconscious thing. Some of us are not even aware we are doing it.

It’s something we do for safety and self-preservation. It’s a survival skill that can be harmful to those of us who adapt this survival skill. However, being able to blend in, and being able to be invisible, in a society that can be unfriendly, and even hostile, to those whose minds work differently, is something that we do to be safe. It’s not intended to be a manipulative or deceptive bait and switch.

The thing about masking, as a NeuroDivergent Person is: I learned to mask, even though I didn’t know, I was NeuroDivergent. I learned to mask, even though I wasn’t in any formal NeuroDivergent Conversion Therapy type of a program. I learned to mask, because not having an autism diagnosis and a label growing up, meant a lot of the Autistic struggles I had were labeled as behavioral problems and punished. Continue reading Autistic and NeuroDivergent Masking, Unmasking, and Burnout

Autistic and NeuroDivergent Masking – Help! I Don’t Know How to Unmask

NeuroDivergent masking is when a NeuroDivergent Person, a person who is brain may be Autistic, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, OCD, et cetera. Is masking or hiding that NeuroDivergence, in order to blend in and appear more NeuroTypical. Continue reading Autistic and NeuroDivergent Masking – Help! I Don’t Know How to Unmask