This Is My Unmasking

I am Autistic. My name is Eric. This is my unmasking.

While it can certainly be a struggle being Autistic, it is more than just a part of me. I am Autistic. Full stop. That is why I prefer identity first labels. I am not a person with Autism. I am Autistic. Like everyone, I have strengths and weaknesses. Come along as I try to explain both. I do this not so you can know me, I do this to raise understanding about Autism. Bear in mind, however, I do not speak for the Autistic community writ large. I speak for myself. People are all different, whether they are neurotypical or neurodiverse. I understand it would be easier for many neurotypicals if there were one Autistic way. Alas, there is not. Some things may apply more broadly, others may not. Even if I sometimes slip into “we” that is merely a slip and should not be taken to mean that I speak for anyone other than myself.

Here you can find various posts providing insights into an Autistic brain. I am self-diagnosed. It took me a long time to finally understand that I am, in fact, Autistic. I am, and I suspect, always will be, reeling from that fact. Not in a negative way; Autism is NOT a bad thing. Having to deal with a world created for neurotypical people while having a neurodiverse brain can be a bad thing. That is why I want to share my stories. There are more and more of us sharing our stories. That is tremendously inspiring (and not in an inspiration porn kind of way). The more of us sharing our stories, the more the world can understand. Neurotypicals can never know what it is like to be Autistic. Just as I cannot know what it is like to be neurotypical. The difference is that I am forced to live in a world made for neurotypicals, which has given me a (sometimes painful) understanding of what it is like. I hope my stories, and all the stories of other neurodiverse individuals, will allow a better understanding of what it is like to be Autistic.