Autism, Discrimination, and Masking

People with autism are more likely to experience trauma, isolation, exclusion, mental health issues, discrimination, and other issues, compared to people who are neurotypical.

The higher likelihood of these things occurring and the stigma they experience, is more likely to lead to their masking, which is something they do to try to hide their natural behaviors and personality in an effort to blend in, to try to avoid experiencing discrimination. Masking may also be an attempt to avoid or limit being bullied or picked in, as well as a way to help secure employment or admission into a school.

Those with autism are more likely to be bullied in many environments, including work or school and that bullying may look like individuals intentionally overstimulating the individual with bright lights or maybe loud sounds or other methods like changing the schedule with little to no notice.

It is well known that those with autism may struggle with eye contact, this may make finding a job difficult, as they may be labled as a "poor cultural fit." Additionally, challenges with how they speak, potential stimming behaviors, social cue difficulties, and other things may add to the job-finding difficulties. Unfortunately, a survey in the UK found "employers display preferences for employing non autistc candidates over autistic candidates." It is well known that hiring practices strongly favor neurotypical individuals over neurodiverse individuals.

Stereotypes which can impact the life of someone with autism are often furthered by those in media and can include things like assuming those with autism are "low functioning, unempathetic, problematic...naive, helpless, victims, violent, aggressive ..."

In healthcare, those with autism, often experience discrimination which can impact their ability to seek out healthcare when it is needed. In Australia, looking at all disabilities and those over 15 years old, 29% experienced difficulties accessing the services they needed. My guess is that this number is much higher in the US, due to our high cost of healthcare and health insurance, often lack of health insurance, difficulty accessing services, requiring time off work to access services but often with jobs that may not allow the time off ... it can be extremely difficult for individuals to access the care and services they require, especially with disabilities.

This with autism are more likely to have more than "just" autism, but also other conditions such as ADHD, or depression and anxiety, PTSD, and other conditions. So they are more likely to require the healthcare that they also struggle to obtain, but due to the discrimination, stigma, lack of trauma-informed care, they may not even seek out the care they require.

Masking, as stated earlier, is the attempt a person makes, to essentially "look normal." This may include forced eye contact, trying to not perform stimming behaviors, mimicking the behaviors of those around them, scripting responses, and much more. This is not done consciously, but is something those with autism do in an attempt to fit in, avoid discrimination, and the negative effects of social exclusion or isolation.

Some of the consequences of autism include autistic burnout due to the effort required to mask all the time. This is harmful for their mental health, quality of life, self esteem, self worth, and more and can result in significant physical and mental health issues, reduced stamina, and difficulty with their executive functioning.

When a person with autism begins to unmask, this has the potential to also cause burnout because it can open an individual up to the discrimination and stigma they were trying to avoid in the first place.

Someone with autism will need to learn when to mask and when to unmask, they require people in their life who can support them through this challenging time as they learn to balance everything. Having healthcare professionals in their life who are accessible as well as trauma-informed, can help this process and help them in their life.

Discrimination is a significant issue for those with autism, as well as the trauma experienced by things such as discrimination, stigma, and sometimes even delayed diagnosis. The masking often required can also be harmful, despite the fact that it can be helpful as well. It's all quite complicated and it's important people know and understand, educate themselves on these things to spread awareness. Healthcare practitioners of all types must be better educated so proper care can be provided to neurodiverse individuals.

Source: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/01612840.2023.2239916?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed#abstract

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This is not medical advice, always ask a chiropractor if chiropractic care is appropriate for you, and your preferred healthcare provider before making dietary, supplement, or lifestyle changes.