The next three I do in the series will go together as a trio where I parse what masking means for autistics, neurotypicals, and PDA/CPTSDers.
Looks like: The autistic is struggling and requires help to fit in with their peers. Classes, counseling, training will help them overcome all these struggles their autism presents
The Reality: Autistic individuals are already almost always instinctively forced to behave in ways that keep them from standing out among neurotypical peers. Offering therapies and training as a solution for the unmet need of belonging only adds to their stress.
The message sent is “There is no room for you as you are” and “you have something wrong with you that requires fixing.”
The pressure is suffocating and impossible to bear long term. This is why there is so much modern advocacy crying out for change.
Those who stick out from a crowd (like those who are autistic) are at a disadvantage of being the victim of harmful and degrading stereotypes. How sad it is that it has taken so long to have the opportunity to band together as one voice.
That voice says, “We are the same in our differences! No pre-fit mold will suit us; our needs reminder all of us that being human is more than simply filling a role or doing a job. We’re worth slowing down for.”