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Unmasking the Mask: Breaking Free from Stigma to Embrace Authentic Autistic Identity
This article explores masking in autism, defined as the practice of suppressing autistic traits to conform to societal expectations. Specifically, it examines how stigma reinforces masking, oftentimes leading to emotional exhaustion and complex mental health struggles. To challenge stigma, this...
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The Never-Ending Cycle: Autism, Stigma, and the Cost of Late Diagnosis
What actually constitutes as a late diagnosis for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been up for debate for years. Some studies and institutions cite any diagnosis after 12 years of age as being the cut-off (Hoxworth, 2022), whereas some argue it could be as young as three (Russell et al., 2025)....
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It Is Time to Remove Stigma from Autism Interventions
Historically, autism has been blamed for the challenges autistic people face. Struggling to stay in school? Get a job? Make friends? “It's because of the autism.” The belief is this: If autistic people are trained to behave like someone without autism, they will face fewer challenges. Under...
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The Mental Health Effects of Autism Stigma
Autism, in itself, is not a disorder of mental health. Yet autistic people are disproportionately affected by depression, anxiety, and suicidality. The connection is not biological alone — it is social. Much of the psychological distress experienced by autistic individuals stems from how they are...
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Navigating Autistic Shutdown and Burnout Through a Neurodiversity-Affirming Approach
(Note: This article is written in neurodiversity-affirming language, including identity-first language) Autistic shutdown is a widely recognized but poorly understood neurological response to overwhelming stress. Despite its significance, research on shutdown remains scarce, with most scholarly...
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Preventing the Hidden Burnout Crisis in Autistic Women and Girls
One of the most heart-wrenching things I realized as a late-identified Autistic woman was just how disconnected I was from my true self. Decades of masking, of becoming a professional-level chameleon, left me feeling like I didn't even know who "me" was anymore. It was this constant, buzzing,...
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Why Don’t Autistic Women Get Diagnosed, and Why Is It So Important?
I’ve diagnosed unrecognized autistic women for ten years and worked with them in therapy. These women are often successfully employed and married or with partners. They might have children and be involved in working with schools on their children’s behalf. Some might have struggled in jobs or...
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Yes, We Can Socialize
Throughout my life as an autistic person, I have been fortunate to have experienced great moments where I have been able to socialize with others and gain long-lasting friendships. There were also times when, due to my misunderstanding of certain social situations and the anxiety that comes with...
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What Neurodiversity Means to This Late-Identified Autistic Adult
I lived the first 40 years of my life as an autistic individual who didn’t know it yet. In a sense, lost because I lacked a complete picture of who I was. Confused because I faced too many questions as to why I was contending with challenges that were foreign to just about all of my peers, which...
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Just Because We Can Mask Doesn’t Mean We Don’t Need Support as Autistic Adults
We spend a lot of time in the Autism community focused on children and how to support their needs. I admit this is the focus of my career, but we sometimes forget that autistic children become autistic adults. And while progress is often made as autistic people age and mature, there will often...
