Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello folks :)
I am part of a separate autism friendly group (on WhatsApp and Zoom) and recently we have been talking about masking but I am a bit too shy to say that....I don't really understand.Like - am I supposed to be able to tell if I'm masking and if I'm not? The group organiser said some people just simply don't mask, so maybe I am one of those? I am very newly diagnosed so I'm still trying to get my head around all the terms and facts and stuff.
Like, I can tell sometimes I am forcing eye contact or forcing a laugh or something, especially with new people, but with people like close family I feel just like I am kind of myself with - so I don't understand where the lines are?
Can anyone explain how they view masking - then maybe I can relate?
Thank you in advance for reading and/or replying.
When I was newly diagnosed I assumed it was just a case of figuring out how and when I mask and then making a conscious decision to stop doing those things. However it's not that simple and we are not always aware of when we are masking.
A lot of masking and camouflaging behaviours actually start very early in childhood and happen on an unconscious level. This Kieran Rose video provides a good explanation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFCaoFX-pjg
Another good resource explaining the types of behaviours is this one:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13623613211026754
Wow okay. This was a lot to take in. I identify with a huge number of those points. I tried listening to the YouTube clip but it is 1.5hrs and I simply don't have the ability to take that in.
The list above though sounds 100% like me and I do all of these things. Thank you again. x
OMG I have just listened to 5 minutes and found a new term - hyperlexia. My parents found it strange that I never had a 'baby talk' phase, I just went from not speaking to speaking very clearly. THIS IS SO AMAZING.
Yes that video is long but worthwhile. This link should take you directly to the list of masking behaviours around 40 minutes in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFCaoFX-pjg&t=2486s