I've been thinking about the outcomes associated with masking a lot recently, it's a hot topic in the neurodiversity community as always.
My courses for autistic people have always centred around educating on what non-autistics generally expect (when they're not autism-affirming), so that individuals can assess for themselves whether they can consistently and sustainably meet those demands without unacceptable consequences in terms of wellbeing, or instead identify and communicate adjustments to remove those expectations or set boundaries in non-negotiable situations, depending on the degree of negative impact and consequences of meeting those expectations.
I advocate strongly for a practical approach by the individual, risk-assessing the short, medium and long term consequences of masking in specific environments, and with specific people, to be able to make an informed decision for themselves, coupled with effectively planning an escape, or absolutely avoiding engaging with the situation in advance, if boundaries and adjustments won't be maintained by others when a decision has been made that masking is not sustainable or an option for the person.
This kind of decision-making is especially hard for the autistic community I feel, considering factors like difficulty coping with uncertainty, predicting outcomes, anticipating consequences etc. But there are some excellent tools out there, apart from coaching, which I feel can really help.
If you're autistic, and looking for practical tools for communication at work, to either help communicate in a non-autistic way (as part of an informed choice), translate others' communication, or explore u masking in a logical and effective way, then I highly recommend these tools by Autentik AI
I advocate strongly for a practical approach by the individual, risk-assessing the short, medium and long term consequences of masking in specific environments, and with specific people, to be able to make an informed decision for themselves, coupled with effectively planning an escape, or absolutely avoiding engaging with the situation in advance, if boundaries and adjustments won't be maintained by others when a decision has been made that masking is not sustainable or an option for the person.
This kind of decision-making is especially hard for the autistic community I feel, considering factors like difficulty coping with uncertainty, predicting outcomes, anticipating consequences etc. But there are some excellent tools out there, apart from coaching, which I feel can really help.
If you're autistic, and looking for practical tools for communication at work, to either help communicate in a non-autistic way (as part of an informed choice), translate others' communication, or explore u masking in a logical and effective way, then I highly recommend these tools by Autentik AI