As you are probably aware, the month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Because autistic people are much more likely to experience mental health disorders than allistic, or non-autistic people are, I wanted to take this month to tell you about various aspects of mental health & their relationship to autism. To start off, here are some statistics about autism & mental health:
There is little research into why there is such a strong correlation between autism & mental health conditions, but it may be because autistic people:
Common Mental Health Barriers For Autistic People:
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What Is Autistic Masking, Anyway? Autistic masking, otherwise known as camouflaging, is sometimes used by autistic people to disguise or minimize specific autistic traits or behaviors in social situations. Why Do Some Autistic People Mask? Some reasons autistic people might mask include, but are not limited to:
Who Masks? While any autistic person may mask, it is more likely for autistic people to mask if they:
What Are Some Examples Of Masking?
What Are The Consequences Of Masking?
Masking & Me:
Ways I Masked Growing Up:
Ways I Mask As An Adult:
WELCOME to the first Autism Acceptance Month blog post of 2024! Today, I wanted to take a few steps back & go over some autism terms & what they mean. I use many of these terms throughout my blog & I try to provide definitions as I write. It's always good to take the time to pause & review what some of these terms mean though. And there's no better time to do that than when we're kicking off Autism Acceptance Month! Important Autism Terms & Definitions:
Part of the reason I started this blog was to use my voice to help others in the autistic population. Our voices matter & no matter how much you read about or study autism, you'll learn the most valuable information from autistic people themselves because they are the only people who truly know what it feels like to be autistic. Autistic voices have been silenced, ignored, & talked over by allistic, or non-autistic, people for decades. Sadly, this has resulted in higher suicide rates, lower life expectancies, & higher rates of PTSD, depression, & anxiety for autistic people across all levels of autism. Personally, I feel that much of the time, I am talked over or ignored, unless I'm having a one-on-one conversation with someone who is very clearly giving me his or her full attention. I know this is part of the reason I have anxiety about expressing myself, even among close family. I felt this way a very, very, VERY long time before I knew I was autistic. We DO NOT need your voices. We NEED our voices to be heard. So, please remember to stop & listen to us. It really matters & you doing that one simple thing will really make a difference. Some Other Things To Remember:
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AuthorHello! My name is Kim, I didn't know I was autistic until I was in my thirties, & this is my story. Categories
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