Why do some autistics lack the ability too hide it?

Post Reply New Topic

Why do a large proportion of males with autism lack the ability too ‘mask’ there Aspergers compared too other males who have a knack for hiding there autism?

Do men with aspergers such as myself and many others although highly intelligent lack certain skills that helps us mask our aspergers symptoms?

I understand that many females have a different form of autism that makes it a lot harder for people to detect it so in this thread I want to focus more on the males with AS.

Females get ignored, so it takes longer for people realize that they are different.

I'm a female that cannot really hide it. It is quite obvious to people that something is up.

I'm female, but I think my autism presents itself in more of a masculine way, and I certainly have never been able to hide it. It does feel to me like "masking" is some sort of skill, sort of like acting, and just like most skills, I have no aptitude for it.

I often don't realize that I'm not masking as well as I think. Seeing myself on video, I'm not near as smiling, expressive, or socially adept as I think I'm being. Part of that is growing up without appreciating social cues as well as I thought I did.

Some aspies have more pronounced autism than others. The more pronounced it is the more obvious it is. Also the more pronounced it is the more likely it is the person lacks the self awareness needed to mask it.

If a person has Level 2 or Level 3 autism, it's virtually impossible to "hide" the autism.

Just like it's impossible, after a few years, for a person with Parkinson's to hide the fact that he/she has Parkinson's.

It is hard to mimic what you are clueless about.

Men and women both mask. Dr. Attwood has said women have a greater knack for it.

* Level, as kraftiekortie & EzraS said has a huge bearing on the possibility/effectiveness and awareness of occasion for masking.
* How rested, amount of previous & current stress, life demands you're dealing with affects masking effectiveness too.

I do think some stems from the lack of self-awareness if not the lack of self-monitoring, if not the lack of certain levels certain concepts of social rules, if not the lack of physical capacity to, along with the lack of external orientation to partner this with.

Then there's other factors, if one happened to have a stim that is visible or loud, easily triggered, or certain oddities that cannot get away with, or heck just happened to not appear conversational.
And then there's this weird egocentry-allocentry orientation with barely in between.


Self-awareness (knowing why do you this, what's happening around you, etc.), social concepts (includes lists of dos and don'ts -- both observed and theorized), self-monitoring (that includes not-being impulsive/fewer to no compulsions), physical capacity (posture, voice, not dropping things or tripping on places, etc.), or sensory tolerances (not prone of meltdowns and shutdowns/lesser need to stim).
Take only three or less. But I'm very sure it's more complicated than this.



In my case... Mine is just... Mostly physical capacity to, then is being driven by pride along with less need for stuff, the rest is blurry and I happened to get away with it most at the time.
I do have the aptitude for acting, but no willingness; I don't and I won't.
And my autism representation is.. I'm pretty sure it leans to overt masculine like representation, despite having feminine like inclinations. Couldn't seem to fit at either.

All I have to do, is straighten up and not do anything that is logically or appear stupid. Not anymore extensive than that.
The rest is mood, current executive function levels and the situation or event.

Gained Number Post Count (1).
Lose Time (n).

Lose more time here - Updates at least once a week.

You can't hide once you have an unbelievable cold emotional radiation (aura) as many people on the spectrum show.

_________________
I am as I am. Life has to be an adventure!

I've often thought that I'm not too 'obvious' in this regard, but others have quietly made comments along the lines of "what's wrong with him?" and similar. Perhaps it's a case of a lack of self-awareness (as has already been mentioned in this thread).