Not Quiet. Just Listening. A Reflection on Autistic Girlhood—Then and Now

• By: S. Astrid Cooper Writer and Illustrator
• February 25th, 2026
• autism in girls, emotional sensitivity, inclusive education, masking behaviors, neurodiversity acceptance, pattern recognition, self-soothing strategies, sensory overload
• 274    0

In the late 1960s, a little girl carried a book under her arm—a simple gesture that masked a constant search for calm. She moved through the world as if following a quiet cadence, attuned to subtleties others didn’t notice: a hint of a smile, the tension behind a voice, the pattern of...