View past chats on this topic here: Jan 26, 2020, and May 29, 2022.

Masking, or camouflaging, is when autistic/similarly neurodivergent people try to act less noticeably neurodivergent, often in order to fit in and avoid ableism. Many of us consciously learned to do this when young, but it might have become automatic over time. #AutChat

You can read more about masking here: https://soyoureautistic.com/masking-camouflaging-mimicking-2/ #AutChat

Some people are pressured more heavily to mask, or at greater risk of harm if they don’t or can’t mask. For example, autistic and neurodivergent people who also have other marginalized identities can experience more discrimination when not masking. #AutChat

While masking is highly relevant to many autistic/similar people, it’s important to acknowledge that not all of us are able to mask, either in specific ways or at all. Both masking and an inability to mask can cause various kinds of problems. #AutChat

Q1: What does masking mean to you? What does it look like in you or people around you? #AutChat

Q2: Do you mask? Have you in the past? Are you able to mask in some ways and not others, or in some situations but not others? #AutChat

Q3: What impact does masking, or the inability to mask, have on you or your life? What do you consider the pros or cons of masking? #AutChat

Q4: Are you able to control how much you mask, or in what ways? If so, what factors do you take into account when deciding how to present yourself? #AutChat