Is autism a invisible disability

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Depends on the person, and how much the observer knows about autism and disability. Generally I'd say "yes", because it has not physical phenotypes, and lots of the traits that be observed would only be clear signs of autism if the person already thought of the person as being autistic.

It depends on the individual. It also depends on the circumstance. Since autism manifests in a variety of ways, it might seem invisible in people who are less affected by the disorder. It could be more noticeable in people who are more affected. There might be people who are less affected who stim a lot and there could be people who more affected who don't stim. Generally the more affected someone is, the more people can tell that something is off. Everybody on the spectrum is different.

When I don't speak and am just sitting in a corner reading a textbook with headphones on, people probably just think I'm an extreme introvert (which is true). But the moment I start attempting interaction, people can tell I'm autistic. When I have meltdowns due to sensory or social overload, it's even more obvious.

I have support workers frequently with me when I'm out of the house. So I suppose that shows that I'm autistic / disabled.

Usually people just think I am anxious, with learning difficulties. I suppose they are right. I could easily just tell people that without having to give the label I was diagnosed with, and I know that people will then expect me to stress over small things and be a bit slow with learning new facts, and won't over or under estimate me. I feel that works better for me and my relationships with other people. I could just be a sensitive, shy, anxious NT, with some intellectual issues like maths, science and technology. I am only good with writing and spelling, thank God (hence how my posts here are usually perfected).

When I'm out, I don't make my ASD obvious. I naturally have self-awareness, and I know how it all works. If a loud noise occurs in a shop or something, and it upsets me, I just calmly remove myself from the loud noise so that I can concentrate. If I'm with someone I may say ''oh, that made me jump!'' or ''oh that noise is getting on my nerves,'' and often they agree and feel the same. Yes, NTs do get bothered by certain loud noises to an extent.

I think it's invisible in the sense that although people might notice that something is off, it is mistaken for something else such as "a bad personality".

I freaked out in a corrdior when I was waiting for an appointment (with my support worker accompanying me) at a hospital. I did get people staring but no idea whether they thought "she must be autistic" or "what is going on with her?"

I've been called "mental", "psycho" etc before. But I also have had people comment at me on autism, both good and bad.