Just Another Possibly Autistic Woman
You may have heard this story before
It took a major breakdown for me to face up to the fact that the roles I played were not sustainable. You can read all about it because I wrote about some of it here.
Autistics call these carefully but unconsciously created behaviours ‘masking’. They are coping mechanisms that are learned early in life, so that they can be socially acceptable. They are more excessively seen in females, and are one reason why diagnoses of autism in girls, women, or female-presenting people is difficult.
I am not diagnosed. I now identify as neurodivergent, an umbrella term for minds that work differently than the “norm”. I doubt I will ever be formally diagnosed, though I strongly suspect I am autistic. I also am not sure of the value of diagnosis in my case (I…
