Q0: Introduce yourself! Say anything you like about yourself or your interest in #AutChat or in today's topic, masking.
Quick reference for this week's #AutChat questions (please wait till they're posted to answer): autchat.com/masking/
Quick reference for this week's #AutChat questions (please wait till they're posted to answer): autchat.com/masking/
Masking – autchat
View a past chat on this topic: Jan 26, 2020. Masking, or camouflaging, is when autistic/similarly neurodivergent people try to act less noticeably neurodivergent, often in order to fit in and avoid a...
autchat.com
November 1, 2026 at 9:25 PM
For #AutChat announcements and weekly questions, follow this account. DM us to request reminder tweets.
How to participate in #AutChat (written for Twitter, but some of the same principles apply for BlueSky): autchat.com/twitter-chat...
How to participate in #AutChat (written for Twitter, but some of the same principles apply for BlueSky): autchat.com/twitter-chat...
How to Join – autchat
autchat.com
November 1, 2026 at 9:00 PM
For #AutChat announcements and weekly questions, follow this account. DM us to request reminder tweets.
How to participate in #AutChat (written for Twitter, but some of the same principles apply for BlueSky): autchat.com/twitter-chat...
How to participate in #AutChat (written for Twitter, but some of the same principles apply for BlueSky): autchat.com/twitter-chat...
Welcome to #AutChat, a weekly BlueSky chat for autistic & similar people at Sundays 1pm Pacific/4pm Eastern/21:00 UTC / 9pm GMT! autchat.com/faq/
#AutChat hosts chats on topics related to our experiences as neurodivergent people. See our past topics here: autchat.com/all-topics/
#AutChat hosts chats on topics related to our experiences as neurodivergent people. See our past topics here: autchat.com/all-topics/
FAQ – autchat
autchat.com
November 1, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Welcome to #AutChat, a weekly BlueSky chat for autistic & similar people at Sundays 1pm Pacific/4pm Eastern/21:00 UTC / 9pm GMT! autchat.com/faq/
#AutChat hosts chats on topics related to our experiences as neurodivergent people. See our past topics here: autchat.com/all-topics/
#AutChat hosts chats on topics related to our experiences as neurodivergent people. See our past topics here: autchat.com/all-topics/
Q0: Introduce yourself! Say anything you like about yourself or your interest in #AutChat or in today's topic, masking.
Quick reference for this week's #AutChat questions (please wait till they're posted to answer): autchat.com/masking/
Quick reference for this week's #AutChat questions (please wait till they're posted to answer): autchat.com/masking/
Masking – autchat
View a past chat on this topic: Jan 26, 2020. Masking, or camouflaging, is when autistic/similarly neurodivergent people try to act less noticeably neurodivergent, often in order to fit in and avoid a...
autchat.com
November 1, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Q0: Introduce yourself! Say anything you like about yourself or your interest in #AutChat or in today's topic, masking.
Quick reference for this week's #AutChat questions (please wait till they're posted to answer): autchat.com/masking/
Quick reference for this week's #AutChat questions (please wait till they're posted to answer): autchat.com/masking/
Q3: What impact does masking, or the inability to mask, have on you or your life? What do you consider the pros or cons of masking? #AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Q3: What impact does masking, or the inability to mask, have on you or your life? What do you consider the pros or cons of masking? #AutChat
Questions are prefaced Q0, Q1, Q2, etc. When you reply, preface posts with A0, A1, etc & include "#AutChat" so others see them!
Feel free to skip questions for any reason, or respond to them later.
Please capitalize the tag as #AutChat to make it more accessible to screenreaders.
Feel free to skip questions for any reason, or respond to them later.
Please capitalize the tag as #AutChat to make it more accessible to screenreaders.
November 1, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Questions are prefaced Q0, Q1, Q2, etc. When you reply, preface posts with A0, A1, etc & include "#AutChat" so others see them!
Feel free to skip questions for any reason, or respond to them later.
Please capitalize the tag as #AutChat to make it more accessible to screenreaders.
Feel free to skip questions for any reason, or respond to them later.
Please capitalize the tag as #AutChat to make it more accessible to screenreaders.
Hello, #AutChat! I'm Tej and I've had a wild year, and a big part of it has been related to learning about what masking looks like in my life and how to start unmasking.
Q0: Introduce yourself! Say anything you like about yourself or your interest in #AutChat or in today's topic, masking.
Quick reference for this week's #AutChat questions (please wait till they're posted to answer): autchat.com/masking/
Quick reference for this week's #AutChat questions (please wait till they're posted to answer): autchat.com/masking/
Masking – autchat
View a past chat on this topic: Jan 26, 2020. Masking, or camouflaging, is when autistic/similarly neurodivergent people try to act less noticeably neurodivergent, often in order to fit in and avoid a...
autchat.com
November 1, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Hello, #AutChat! I'm Tej and I've had a wild year, and a big part of it has been related to learning about what masking looks like in my life and how to start unmasking.
A3, cont'd:
pros: I get to continue working a job I enjoy, performing a task that I find regulating.
cons: it's not the me that I want to be.
#AutChat
pros: I get to continue working a job I enjoy, performing a task that I find regulating.
cons: it's not the me that I want to be.
#AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 9:38 PM
A3, cont'd:
pros: I get to continue working a job I enjoy, performing a task that I find regulating.
cons: it's not the me that I want to be.
#AutChat
pros: I get to continue working a job I enjoy, performing a task that I find regulating.
cons: it's not the me that I want to be.
#AutChat
Q4: Are you able to control how much you mask, or in what ways? If so, what factors do you take into account when deciding how to present yourself? #AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Q4: Are you able to control how much you mask, or in what ways? If so, what factors do you take into account when deciding how to present yourself? #AutChat
A3: it's exhausting, mainly. I have to wear clothes that fit societal expectations of what is acceptable for an adult to wear, rather than what I'm actually comfortable wearing. so I make do wearing a collar most of the time.
#AutChat
#AutChat
Q3: What impact does masking, or the inability to mask, have on you or your life? What do you consider the pros or cons of masking? #AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 9:38 PM
A3: it's exhausting, mainly. I have to wear clothes that fit societal expectations of what is acceptable for an adult to wear, rather than what I'm actually comfortable wearing. so I make do wearing a collar most of the time.
#AutChat
#AutChat
We used to post Wakelet transcripts of our weekly Twitter chats to autchat.com. We also linked to them on the #AutChat tag and on Facebook.
However, at this point in our transition to BlueSky, we don’t know how to integrate Wakelet/similar. For the time being, we do not make transcripts.
However, at this point in our transition to BlueSky, we don’t know how to integrate Wakelet/similar. For the time being, we do not make transcripts.
AutChat
Autistic people in conversation
autchat.com
November 1, 2026 at 9:00 PM
We used to post Wakelet transcripts of our weekly Twitter chats to autchat.com. We also linked to them on the #AutChat tag and on Facebook.
However, at this point in our transition to BlueSky, we don’t know how to integrate Wakelet/similar. For the time being, we do not make transcripts.
However, at this point in our transition to BlueSky, we don’t know how to integrate Wakelet/similar. For the time being, we do not make transcripts.
Oh that's right, masking isn't just "I am an autistic person pretending to be a neurotypical" but it applies to other things, like gender presentation.
I definitely did feel like I needed to suppress any interest in feminine-coded things for so so so long.
#AutChat
I definitely did feel like I needed to suppress any interest in feminine-coded things for so so so long.
#AutChat
A2: I do mask, and I have masked a lot in the past. much of my life was spent being a boy when I wasn't, and then trying to pretend to be a man when I definitely wasn't that, either. I'm still asked to be an adult, and I guess I can fool people about that, but…I'm only legally one.
#AutChat
#AutChat
Q2: Do you mask? Have you in the past? Are you able to mask in some ways and not others, or in some situations but not others? #AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Oh that's right, masking isn't just "I am an autistic person pretending to be a neurotypical" but it applies to other things, like gender presentation.
I definitely did feel like I needed to suppress any interest in feminine-coded things for so so so long.
#AutChat
I definitely did feel like I needed to suppress any interest in feminine-coded things for so so so long.
#AutChat
#AutChat A3:
Pros: grease the wheels of social interaction, with NTs, I guess. Helps me get by at work.
Cons: start to forget who I am and bury what I need. Have to recover later. Lessens authentic interactions with ND people!
Pros: grease the wheels of social interaction, with NTs, I guess. Helps me get by at work.
Cons: start to forget who I am and bury what I need. Have to recover later. Lessens authentic interactions with ND people!
Q3: What impact does masking, or the inability to mask, have on you or your life? What do you consider the pros or cons of masking? #AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 9:39 PM
#AutChat A3:
Pros: grease the wheels of social interaction, with NTs, I guess. Helps me get by at work.
Cons: start to forget who I am and bury what I need. Have to recover later. Lessens authentic interactions with ND people!
Pros: grease the wheels of social interaction, with NTs, I guess. Helps me get by at work.
Cons: start to forget who I am and bury what I need. Have to recover later. Lessens authentic interactions with ND people!
Some people are pressured more heavily to mask, or at greater risk of harm if they don’t or can’t mask. For example, autistic and neurodivergent people who also have other marginalized identities can experience more discrimination when not masking. #AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Some people are pressured more heavily to mask, or at greater risk of harm if they don’t or can’t mask. For example, autistic and neurodivergent people who also have other marginalized identities can experience more discrimination when not masking. #AutChat
For me, masking usually means trying to hide parts of my personality that I would commonly think of as being autistic traits.
But also, I think it has to do with hiding feelings of distress and also trying not to communicate needs or boundaries in general, if that makes sense.
#AutChat A1
But also, I think it has to do with hiding feelings of distress and also trying not to communicate needs or boundaries in general, if that makes sense.
#AutChat A1
Q1: What does masking mean to you? What does it look like in you or people around you? #AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 9:18 PM
For me, masking usually means trying to hide parts of my personality that I would commonly think of as being autistic traits.
But also, I think it has to do with hiding feelings of distress and also trying not to communicate needs or boundaries in general, if that makes sense.
#AutChat A1
But also, I think it has to do with hiding feelings of distress and also trying not to communicate needs or boundaries in general, if that makes sense.
#AutChat A1
A1: a lot of my masking entails hiding parts of myself that I perceive to not fit the situation I'm in. for instance, making myself seem less disabled than I actually am to reduce the odds of someone trying to be helpful without being asked.
#AutChat
#AutChat
Q1: What does masking mean to you? What does it look like in you or people around you? #AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 9:29 PM
A1: a lot of my masking entails hiding parts of myself that I perceive to not fit the situation I'm in. for instance, making myself seem less disabled than I actually am to reduce the odds of someone trying to be helpful without being asked.
#AutChat
#AutChat
A0: howdy! I'm Síle/Sheila or Katja, and I'm a deafblind, AuDHD arctic fox kit xor wouf pup (either, not both).
the best way to make accessibility aids available to those who "need" them is for you to use them when they make your life easier, whether that's AAC, diapers, a wheelchair, etc.
#AutChat
the best way to make accessibility aids available to those who "need" them is for you to use them when they make your life easier, whether that's AAC, diapers, a wheelchair, etc.
#AutChat
Q0: Introduce yourself! Say anything you like about yourself or your interest in #AutChat or in today's topic, masking.
Quick reference for this week's #AutChat questions (please wait till they're posted to answer): autchat.com/masking/
Quick reference for this week's #AutChat questions (please wait till they're posted to answer): autchat.com/masking/
Masking – autchat
View a past chat on this topic: Jan 26, 2020. Masking, or camouflaging, is when autistic/similarly neurodivergent people try to act less noticeably neurodivergent, often in order to fit in and avoid a...
autchat.com
November 1, 2026 at 9:22 PM
A0: howdy! I'm Síle/Sheila or Katja, and I'm a deafblind, AuDHD arctic fox kit xor wouf pup (either, not both).
the best way to make accessibility aids available to those who "need" them is for you to use them when they make your life easier, whether that's AAC, diapers, a wheelchair, etc.
#AutChat
the best way to make accessibility aids available to those who "need" them is for you to use them when they make your life easier, whether that's AAC, diapers, a wheelchair, etc.
#AutChat
Autism and Senses, Part 7: Proprioception and Self-Understanding #Autism #ActuallyAutistic #GenderDysphoria #AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 12:52 PM
Autism and Senses, Part 7: Proprioception and Self-Understanding #Autism #ActuallyAutistic #GenderDysphoria #AutChat
Yes, I probably do some level of masking over 90% of the time.
But there's occasional situations, like places I go and people I'm around where I don't think I need to mask around them.
#AutChat A2
But there's occasional situations, like places I go and people I'm around where I don't think I need to mask around them.
#AutChat A2
Q2: Do you mask? Have you in the past? Are you able to mask in some ways and not others, or in some situations but not others? #AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Yes, I probably do some level of masking over 90% of the time.
But there's occasional situations, like places I go and people I'm around where I don't think I need to mask around them.
#AutChat A2
But there's occasional situations, like places I go and people I'm around where I don't think I need to mask around them.
#AutChat A2
#AutChat A1a: I told my dad, last year, that masking is to Customer Service Voice what depression is to feeling sad at a funeral. I was told recently by a mental health coach that, as long as she's known me, I've hidden parts of myself away to fit roles I felt I needed to play.
Q1: What does masking mean to you? What does it look like in you or people around you? #AutChat
November 1, 2026 at 9:13 PM
#AutChat A1a: I told my dad, last year, that masking is to Customer Service Voice what depression is to feeling sad at a funeral. I was told recently by a mental health coach that, as long as she's known me, I've hidden parts of myself away to fit roles I felt I needed to play.
#AutChat is a tag for autistic people & "autistic cousins" (people with similar experiences due to hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, ADHD, etc).
We welcome autistic/similar people whether formally diagnosed, self-diagnosed, or questioning/wondering if they are autistic/similar.
We welcome autistic/similar people whether formally diagnosed, self-diagnosed, or questioning/wondering if they are autistic/similar.
November 1, 2026 at 9:00 PM
#AutChat is a tag for autistic people & "autistic cousins" (people with similar experiences due to hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, ADHD, etc).
We welcome autistic/similar people whether formally diagnosed, self-diagnosed, or questioning/wondering if they are autistic/similar.
We welcome autistic/similar people whether formally diagnosed, self-diagnosed, or questioning/wondering if they are autistic/similar.