Struggling with my self-identity as someone with ASD

*meant to say “neurotypical folks have an easier time…”. This app needs a delete/edit feature in the chat 😅

Hi Gracie, what I’ve come to realize is that there’s no such thing as “normal” behaviors. There are, of course, a set of behaviors that are socially acceptable and a set of behaviors that aren’t. Neurological folks have an easier time identifying these without realizing it, but just because you may behave a certain way in front of one person and act differently alone doesn’t mean you are masking. Keep in mind that you never want to be disingenuous. You never want to behave in a way that’s not true to what you feel and who you are. Contrary to belief, it’s more socially unacceptable to be a “fake” person than to live out who you are. But if you do things that make you happy, surround yourself with supportive, caring individuals, you’ll find ways to “unmask” and create genuine connections with others in ways that are “socially acceptable”. Ultimately, you’ll find that the “real you” is the you that you don’t have to apologize to be.