What is masking??

Masking is what happens when an autistic person tries to fit into neurotypical social rules or standards. Sometimes, we can place these demands on our children without even realizing it like demanding eye contact or reducing or stopping self stimulatory behaviors, and insisting a child hug or kiss when they do not like to be touched are just a few examples. Autistic girls are known to be better at masking their traits than boys. Masking can have a negative impact emotionally and physically and sometimes is done to cope. Often people report they do not even realize they are masking. We need to be supportive of Autistic individuals and try hard not to place demands on them that are not natural for their neurotype.