Themes in Identity Passing

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I just finished an independent study called Passing in Autistic People. There wasn't any solid literature about autistic people passing as non-autistic people, so I read other literature about passing and tried to apply it to autistics, which was interesting. I noticed the following broad themes, which I thought I'd post in case anyone wanted to discuss:

*Passing as Masquerade or Blackface - this is where a person exaggerates features of her/is hidden identity in order to make a fool of the audience, escape notice, or gain resources. An example would be Sheldon Cooper.

*Passing as Concealment - this is where the person tries to cover up an identity and often poses as the opposite, such as in race passing. An example would be passing as neurotypical.

*Passing as Identity Construction - when a person is consistently told (s)he is something (s)he is not, a false identity may be construction that is confused with an authentic identity. I think some autistic women experience this as social roles that don't fit them are forced down their throats over the course of their lives.

*Passing as Expectation or Everyone Passes - this was perhaps the worst theme. In Western civilization it is expected for everyone to pretend to be better than they are ("fake it 'til you make it") and there is a disturbing sense that, as Patrick Bateman says in American Psycho: "inside doesn't matter." This clearly applies to autistic people because this is what ABA does; twists the outside into acceptable norms with no regard to the inside.

I wish I could say otherwise--but Sheldon Cooper is just about as much true caricature of a person with Asperger's as could be conceived. He emphasizes the "unlikeable" aspects of Asperger's. He rarely exhibits redeeming aspects.

I think your research on "passing as NT" will prove useful. Have you any desire to pursue research in this particular area?

I, myself, experience difficulty "passing for NT" when I'm around a crowd of people. There are also times, within "small talk" sorts of conversations, when I have trouble "coming up with the right words." This leads to awkwardness all around.

I'm not as erudite as some posters--but I believe I get my point across.

From what I read, "blackface" seems to be a healthy expression of minority populations. Just like it's healthy to be angry sometimes. What I don't like about it is when people who don't know anything about autistic people and aren't autistic laugh AT him not WITH him. The show makes me uncomfortable in the same way Jar Jar Binks makes me uncomfortable. I don't know if anyone remembers Life Goes On, where the actor playing the character with Downs actually had Downs? That was a completely different performance.


My doctoral dissertation will be about autistic passing. Since I couldn't find anything directly about autistic experiences I will try to write something myself. I spend a period of time listening and thinking before I decide exactly what to research and I'd say I'm in this phase now. My work would have to also involve autistic identity, and I would think when people discovered that they were autistic.



You do! I always enjoy your posts!

I think you'll find much anecdote here on WP in relation to attempts to "pass" as NT/"normal."

Anecdote, I find, is underestimated in research. The lack of it, in my opinion, leads to counterintuitive/erroneous results.

The only problem: relating anecdote to statistics.

Luckily KK reworded it, "passing as NT". Identity passing, I had to google that, was quite different.
It's more complex then NT vs ND, imo, as socio-economic or socio-cultural differences are even more prominent and passing seems to be easier in the original social class, but not among same age/gender groups.

"Education in higher socioeconomic families is typically stressed as much more important, both within the household as well as the local community. In poorer areas, where food and safety are priority, education can take a backseat"
"Additionally, low income and higher education have shown to be strong predictors of a range of physical and mental health problems."
And consequently being in a class that doesn't want you! Nor let you pass!

You'll be surprised HOW MUCH education is emphasized within lower socioeconomic, immigrant communities in New York city.

It's the "be-all, end-all" with these people.

Immigrants usually have a strong will to work themself up. And might originate from various backgrounds.

quote "Michael Kraus and Dacher Keltner, in their study published in the December 2008 issue of Psychological Science, found that children of parents with a high SES tended to express more disengagement behaviors than their peers of low SES. In this context, disengagement behaviors included self-grooming, fidgeting with nearby objects, and doodling while being addressed. In contrast, engagement behaviors included head nods, eyebrow raises, laughter and gazes at one’s partner. These cues indicated an interest in one’s partner and the desire to deepen and enhance the relationship. Participants of low SES tended to express more engagement behaviors toward their conversational partners, while their high SES counterparts displayed more disengagement behaviors."

Anecdotally, I find what you said to be true.

I have a new possible category.

Diversion: Joining a subculture so people can blame your differences on the subculture instead. Or emphasizing other traits like race or sexual orientation.

I would say there's a considerable link between subcultures such as "Bronies," "Emos," etc and HFA/Aspergers.

When I went to high school, there were "New Wavers" and "Punks" who were, basically, "Emos" before they acquired the "Emo" name. Many of these kids seemed to be of alternative neurology to me.

This is why I have spent so much time with hippies.

But hippies reject me also.

A lot of "Passing as Identity Construction" for us that got diagnosed in middle age or later.

"New Wave" came out when I became a young adult. Hippies were always to group oriented for me. A big New wave song was "Dancing by Myself" a the local New wave station slogan was "Dare to be Different" and the they used a lot of computers and the songs were choppy so I finally found a place. My impression is that "New Wavers" back then were morose about the world but not as much about themselves as the later emo's.

American Blacks, even today, still talk among themselves about "passing" as White.

An aspie "passing" as NT is not quite analogous to racial "passing", or to people in drag trying to pass as the opposite sex, or to gays passing as straight.

Though as society evolves it could become more analogous in the not distant future.

The reason is the aspies never knew that that's what they were until 1994, and even today only a minority get dx'd.

By the same token NT even today rarely know what an "NT" even is. So neither group is aware of either themselves, or the other group, AS being groups. So neither groups is an "identity". Or at least up until they are not.

In the Jim Crow South both Blacks and Whites were aware of skin color, the labels put on skin color, and of which category they and others were. So among the oppressed group (Blacks) it was an advantage to be able to on occasion "pass" as the more powerful race in social situations.

If you substitute Blacks with aspies/HFAs, and Whites with "NTs" - then yes AS folks do often feel the need to pass as the other group. But beyond that the analogy breaks down. Prior to 1994 neither group even knew that their respective groups even existed: Niether aspies or NTs even knew that there were aspies or NTs. And even today few NTs know that they are "NT", and only a minority AS people are officially dx'd. Society at large does not advertise the two categories as being labels, or as being identies (the way race is still an identity, or that gender is an identity, or that sexual orientation is an identity). So its as if the "Whites" don't even know that they are "White", and only some Blacks are aware that they are Black ( even that subset of the oppressed minority only learned about it in the last few years) and that they are not White.

But among the younger generation still in school today- I admit that could be changing because now children in grade school with AS actually get diagnosed with AS, and NTs become aware of who among their peers get dx'd and who don't. So the two things are becoming public statuses analogous to race (or gender, religion, etc).

I have never identified with what it is that people talk about when they mention passing.
There was not some other identify for me to pass as, I just act as myself.