Mindy Clegg, Author at 3 Quarks Daily 3quarksdaily.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 3quarksdaily.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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I came out as autistic during the pandemic. Being isolated for so long finally revealed that I had been âmasking,â or performing social behaviors that are considered neurotypical, my entire life. And the less I masked, the happier I became.Â
I have this theory that autistic people know theyâre autistic just like gay people know theyâre gay. As a bisexual woman, I didnât have to go to the psychologist to take a test and have an old white man tell me whether or not Iâm into women. But for some reason, this is what society requires of autistic people. Without a diagnosis on paper, weâre not recognized â even though a diagnosis still rarely helps us in society. But for much of my life, I knew I was different, even though I didnât know why.Â