Autism: Does everyone just want a label? By Jane McNeice ‘The Umbrella Picker’
This Autism Awareness month (and beyond) you may hear comments like “Everyone wants a label these days”, or “There was none of this Autism in my day!”. This is stimulated by the increased number of people self-identifying Autism, and in many cases seeking assessment and formal diagnosis, which is currently being driven by two things: A considerable number of Autistic people are receiving a diagnosis of Autism late in life. Why? Simply because they weren’t identified in childhood,...
Read MoreWhy I am unable to stop Autistic masking
When people encourage me to be myself, not to Autistic mask, or as one Autistic said to me after my diagnosis at age 45 “Just don’t mask!” they make it totally about me, and totally my responsibility, but it’s not just about me, and it never was. I have Autistic masked my being Autistic for 47 years. I started masking at the age of 3. What is Autistic masking? Autistic masking is mimicking Allistic (non-Autistic people) behaviour to fit in, or to hide in plain sight, camouflaging. It is never...
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