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# The Unmasked Autistic

Helping empower Autistic adults

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Why therapy putty is my favourite sensory tool so far](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/why-therapy-putty-is-my-favourite-sensory-tool-so-far/) - Since learning that I'm Autistic, therapy putty has quickly become my favourite sensory tool to help regulate my emotions, and what's more, it's actually fun!
- [My favourite headphones, earbuds, and earplugs for Autistic adults](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/my-favourite-headphones-earbuds-and-earplugs-for-autistic-adults/) - Headphones have become my go-to option to block out the clang and clatter of the outside world when everything becomes too much. These are my favourite noise-cancelling recommendations.
- [Reach out to someone you know this World Autism Acceptance Week](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/reach-out-to-someone-you-know-this-world-autism-acceptance-week/) - Tuesday 2 April 2024 (Autism Awareness Day) marks the start of World Autism Acceptance Week, which runs until 8 April. Raising awareness of what Autism is and, importantly, what it isn't is an admirable pursuit in itself. But for the people out there who may have recently received an Autism diagnosis, or who are still
- [25 unmasking tips to help Autistic people remove the mask](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/25-unmasking-tips-to-help-autistic-people-remove-the-mask/) - Almost a year since I discovered that I’m Autistic, I realise that most people really don’t care. Some in a good way. They accept me for who I am and have even said that learning that I’m Autistic didn’t come as a major surprise to them. (Which does make me wonder just how obvious my
- [What to consider when embarking on an Autism diagnosis](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/what-to-consider-when-embarking-on-an-autism-diagnosis/) - When I was 20, a long time ago now!, I went to my GP feeling sick, with symptoms that included a sore throat, fever, a stuffy nose, and headaches. He quickly diagnosed me with a throat infection and prescribed a course of antibiotics. More than a week later, having finished the antibiotics, and, having not
- [What is Autistic masking and why do we do it?](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/what-is-autistic-masking-and-why-do-we-do-it/) - I used to think I knew myself well – but now I’m not so sure. That’s because, since my Autism diagnosis, I don’t always know where ‘Autistic Glenn’ and ‘masking Glenn’ begin and end. Reality itself is something I’m constantly questioning. And the more I understand about Autistic people like me, and the non-Autistic world,
- [Sorry I ghosted you: an Autism relationship tale](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/sorry-i-ghosted-you-an-autism-relationship-tale/) - This post doubles as an apology. One I feel I need to offer after researching ‘ghosting’ and its effects on the person left behind. In my case, I’m referring to the people in the various friendships that were, at the time, typically thriving. And still, that didn’t stop me ghosting you. I’m sure it didn’t
- [Looking to the past in my battle against Autistic burnout](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/looking-to-the-past-in-my-battle-against-autistic-burnout/) - This might sound like a strange one. But after living my entire 52 years not knowing that I’m Autistic (to this point at least – hopefully there’s a bit more living to come!), I have created an affirmation to help remind me who I (really) am and to help me overcome my current period of
- [You said you’re what now?](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/you-said-youre-what-now/) - What autism is (and isn’t), why I’m disclosing with such abandon, and why nobody knew I was autistic in the first place Towards the end of 2022 I went into hiding. I took sick leave from work, I set my LinkedIn account to hibernation (I wasn’t using any other form of social media) so no
- [Merry Autistic Christmas: I’m not Scrooge – this is something else entirely](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/merry-autistic-christmas-im-not-scrooge-this-is-something-else-entirely/) - Last week, we received in the letterbox an invitation to a Christmas street party, and immediately my heart quickened. My thoughts (paraphrased here for brevity) as I expressed them to my wife when she presented me the tiny slip of paper: I can’t go to a Christmas street party. Why do they want to have
- [Bush turkey 1 - Autistic man 0](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/bush-turkey-1-autistic-man-0/) - The Australian brush turkey, or bush turkey, or scrub turkey is not a beautiful bird. But, as I have learnt recently, it possesses many other qualities that demand one sits up and takes notice. They are industrious: at the start of spring the males build incredible nests – large mounds that can be 4 metres
- [Autistic burnout 12 months after diagnosis](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/autistic-burnout-12-months-after-diagnosis/) - 12 months ago I could barely get the bins from behind the fence to the curb without having a meltdown. But what about now? What does life look like a year after learning that I'm Autistic?
- [I'm Autistic and I won’t be proving I'm fit to drive](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/im-autistic-and-i-wont-be-proving-im-fit-to-drive/) - Since the ABC article ‘Autistic drivers could find their licences in legal limbo’ dropped last week, there has been the usual, and understandable, flurry of chatter online and in the media about what this all means for Autistic people who currently, or plan to, drive in Australia. The sad thing is that it means many
- [Advice for the Autistic child I never knew](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/advice-for-the-autistic-child-i-never-knew/) - If you’re the parent of a child (or children) who’s Autistic, or who you think might be, I want you to sit up and take particular notice of this post. And if you’re not – well, I hope you’ll continue reading anyway. Because this post is all about advice, for the Autistic children who will
- [Is Autism the reason I'm so “careful” with money?](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/is-autism-the-reason-im-so-careful-with-money/) - This week hasn’t gone at all the way I’d planned it to – thanks to the NDIS making a royal mess of my application for a simple plan variation, and a belligerent brush turkey that decided our yard was its idea of a four-star hotel. [More on both those topics in the coming weeks!] So
- [Patient care taking a backseat to the business of health](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/patient-care-taking-a-backseat-to-the-business-of-health/) - I don’t think very much of doctors, or any “brand” of health professional really – except for the nurses that tend to do most of the heavy lifting. I haven’t come to this opinion lightly or quickly. For more than a decade I registered international health practitioners coming to work in Queensland, sat on committees
- [Autism: many things to many different people](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/autism-many-things-to-many-different-people/) - To most people, Autism is a word. One they’ve heard rarely, most likely on TV – during a news bulletin perhaps – or in a movie. That’s how it was for me, too, before I received my diagnosis. Autism was a word that was a synonym for a type of intellectual disability. But, Autistic people
- [Myths and misinformation: setting the record straight on Autism](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/myths-and-misinformation-setting-the-record-straight-on-autism/) - In researching many of the stories I’ve written these past six months, it has sometimes been difficult to discern fiction from fact. And if it’s difficult for me – someone with a vested interest in finding out the ‘truth’ about Autism, who is indeed Autistic – what hope is there for the average person casually
- [The Unmasked Autistic's first post](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/the-unmasked-autistics-first-post/) - The first post lays the foundations for everything that follows and sets the direction each post will take after that. While that might be true for fences, this is a blog, the first I’ve written, and it’s about me, The Unmasked Autistic, Glenn to those who know me, so who can say where we’ll end
- [What’s in a name anyway?](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/whats-in-a-name-anyway/) - Let me pose you a riddle: When is a noun not a noun?Here’s a funny dog cartoon for you to look at while you consider the answer… Who doesn’t love a good cartoon about dogs, hey?Anyway, I’m sure you’re just dying to know the answer to the riddle: When it’s autistic! The Unmasked Autistic wasn’t
- [The tomato that ruined Wednesday](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/the-tomato-that-ruined-wednesday/) - Wednesday morning I cooked a fry up: steak, eggs, hash brown, tomato. While it might not meet the current standards of Australia’s dietary guidelines, it was delicious. Except for the tomato. From the moment I took hold of the large red rock, I suspected we might be in trouble. Not only was it a solid
- [Centrelink gave me a hangover](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/centrelink-gave-me-a-hangover/) - As I type, I feel like last night I had one too many red wines. But that isn’t what happened. I didn’t have anything to drink last night, or the night before that. I was in bed before 10, too. And I didn’t wake up with a cold or a bug of any type. What
- [The miracle of shower therapy](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/the-miracle-of-shower-therapy/) - Last week, when I was in the midst of an extreme Autistic meltdown, it wasn’t the bottle I reached for, or the cat that I kicked*, it was the shower I ran for. In fact, if I could stay in the shower as long as I stay in bed, I would. I definitely feel better
- [Dance like no one's watching: my first 'real' blog post](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/dance-like-no-ones-watching-my-first-real-blog-post/) - So it’s Friday, and that means it’s the end of another week, and that means that time has well and truly come loose from the chain. I mean, it’s out of control how fast the weeks are whizzing by… But that’s not what this is about. This is about how this is probably my first
- [The immeasurable value of validation](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/the-immeasurable-value-of-validation/) - Listening, truly listening, is a much undervalued and all too rare commodity in our modern world. I am as guilty as anyone at putting speaking first, asserting my beliefs, and listening only as an afterthought. I never used to be this way. As a child, a teenager, and throughout my twenties, I seldom spoke, so
- [Why my NDIS application was, ultimately, successful](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/why-my-ndis-application-was-ultimately-successful/) - Nobody thought my application to the NDIS would be successful. Not the psychiatrist who first saw me, nor the clinical psychologist who went through hours of diagnostic testing and Q&A sessions with me and, ultimately, gave me my Autism diagnosis. But the NDIS did approve my application, and I now have two years’ worth of
- [When it comes to life, I've never understood the algorithm](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/when-it-comes-to-life-ive-never-understood-the-algorithm/) - In episode five of season three of ‘Barry’, a fantastic dark comedy about a hitman who discovers the joy of acting while scoping out a target, Sally, Barry’s girlfriend, has her new streaming TV series cancelled 12 hours after its premiere because, “the algorithm felt it wasn’t hitting the right taste clusters.” This, despite the
- [Autistic Pride Day: Not proud, not ashamed either](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/autistic-pride-day-not-proud-not-ashamed-either/) - Sunday 18 June is my first Autistic Pride Day – that’s because it’s the first to occur since I was diagnosed Autistic at the end of 2022. Wikipedia tells me: Autistic Pride Day is a pride celebration for autistic people held on 18 June each year. Autistic pride recognises the importance of pride for autistic people and its role in bringing about
- [My most popular post turned me off social media - again](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/my-most-popular-post-turned-me-off-social-media-again/) - TRIGGER WARNING: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS SNIPPETS OF POSTS FROM TWITTER THAT CONTAIN LANGUAGE THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING OR DISTRESSING FOR SOME. A funny thing happened over the weekend: one of my tweets went ‘viral’. Viral for me anyway. At time of publishing this article, it had more than 20,500 impressions, or views, and 2,100
- [A is for Autism, but a capital A is even better](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/a-is-for-autism-but-a-capital-a-is-even-better/) - As someone who has taught English and written, both creatively and to earn a living, for almost 40 years, I have a vested interest in language and the way that it’s used. I can’t stand the haphazard use of perfect tenses in the US, which have also begun creeping into Australian usage. I often hear
- [Autism and the relentless need for control](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/autism-and-the-relentless-need-for-control/) - During the past week, I realised something about myself that isn’t easy to admit. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say that I’ve known about it for a while but tried to ignore it. Or, even better than that, is that I’m only now at a time and a place in my life where I
- [Inward opening toilet doors are a germaphobe’s nightmare](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/inward-opening-toilet-doors-are-a-germaphobes-nightmare/) - Before I discovered I’m Autistic, I thought that maybe I was OCD (the idea of being Autistic didn’t even exist!). That’s because I like everything in its place, I’m very clean, and I wash my hands – a lot. More than 20 times a day because I like them to feel clean, and because I’m
- [Life before, during, and hopefully after, Autistic burnout](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/life-before-during-and-hopefully-after-autistic-burnout/) - As I wrote in a story for Reframing Autism, at the beginning of 2022 it felt as though I had hit a wall – a huge, 10-metre-thick concrete wall infused with tungsten. We had just celebrated Christmas and New Year’s and the prospect of embarking on the year ahead felt like standing at the bottom
- [I do my best work between the sheets: An Autism sleep tale](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/i-do-best-work-between-the-sheets-an-autism-sleep-tale/) - I know how the title of this article sounds. But can you blame me? I’m half asleep. Again! That’s despite me turning the lights out just after nine because I was so tired from the night, and day, before. I fell asleep quickly, like I always do. But, as is often the case, my bladder
- [The enduring benefits of slowness (and how it’s helping me through Autistic burnout)](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/the-enduring-benefits-of-slowness-and-how-its-helping-me-through-autistic-burnout/) - When I was younger, one of my favourite books was Slowness by Czech-French novelist Milan Kundera. At the time, I was aged in my 20s and living life ‘slowly’: single, engaged in part-time, casual employment, hanging out with friends. Unfortunately for me, as the years and decades passed, I lost touch with this concept of
- [A tale of two trips to the mountains](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/a-tale-of-two-trips-to-the-mountains/) - Last December, my wife and I took a trip to the rural town of Montville on the Blackall Range in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. It was a cabin in the woods type of getaway that we had been looking forward to for several months. I was especially excited by the prospect of a few days
- [Breaking news: Autistic man demonstrates theory of mind](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/breaking-news-autistic-man-demonstrates-theory-of-mind/) - From a very young age, whenever I met someone new, I could tell within the first few minutes by the way that they moved and the tone of their voice and the suggestions they made, whether they were a person I could trust or not. It felt, at the time, like somehow I could see
- [The Ekka: an Autistic person’s perspective of this iconic event](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/the-ekka-an-autistic-persons-perspective-of-this-iconic-event/) - There are few events as iconically ‘Queensland’ as the Ekka – the State’s largest agricultural show where tens of thousands of families in and around Brisbane flock annually to the RNA (Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland) showgrounds to rub shoulders with folk from the country. Before COVID forced the Ekka’s closure two
- [The Pixies to 100 Gecs: Music therapy for the burned out Autistic soul](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/the-pixies-to-100-gecs-music-therapy-for-the-burned-out-autistic-soul/) - As I type, I’m listening to 100 Gecs (‘Hollywood Baby’…er, now ‘757’, gotta type more, listen less!), my latest favourite band. I first came across ‘the Gecs’ on Triple J while driving. Wikipedia says Triple J is: “…a national Australian radio station that began broadcasting in January 1975, intended to appeal to young listeners of
- [The joy and despair of a weekend of two halves](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/the-joy-and-despair-of-a-weekend-of-two-halves/) - This isn’t the story I intended to post today. But then the weekend happened and I felt compelled to start writing something new. Basically, Saturday I felt depressed. I don’t really know why – despite searching my feelings for answers. I just woke up in a funk and stayed in a funk until we streamed
- [Ableism and Autism: a desperately incompatible mix](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/ableism-and-autism-a-desperately-incompatible-mix/) - *Please note that throughout this article I have used the term “disabled person” rather than “person with a disability”, just as I use “Autistic person” on this website. I use identity-first language because – contrary to what some people would have you believe – you cannot separate a person from their disability. Ableism is hands
- [Autistic people and animals: a bond beyond words](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/autistic-people-and-animals-a-bond-beyond-words/) - In Australia, spring did sprung. Ah, spring has spranged. Spring has springed? In Australia, it is now spring…and in Brisbane that means new growth and flowers, endless blue skies and warm days (we’ve already hit 30 degrees and had storms rolling through), the return of flies and mozzies, cooking barbies and picnicking in the park,
- [Life and the great Autism trade off](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/life-and-the-great-autism-trade-off/) - A few weeks ago, the occupational therapist I’ve been working with asked me if I wanted to talk about accommodations for when I return to work. That I experienced a sudden rise in temperature and felt the bottom drop out of my stomach said much about my state of mind on the subject. While she
- [With love and support this ADHD Awareness Month](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/with-love-and-support-this-adhd-awareness-month/) - A few months after I received my Autism diagnosis, the psychiatrist I’d been seeing suggested that I also had ADHD-like (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) symptoms, and sent me for psychometric testing. I have written about this before, outlining the range of assessments I underwent, the results, and the reasons why the clinical psychologist (who is
- [Rejection sensitive dysphoria and its connection to Autism](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/rejection-sensitive-dysphoria-and-its-connection-to-autism/) - By the time I reached my late teens, I couldn’t walk through the local shopping centre without feeling like everyone was laughing at me. That I had never met these people didn’t matter. That they were occupied with others in their own circle of friends, never crossed my mind. That they only looked at me
- [Swimming: ultimate sanctuary/sensory nightmare](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/swimming-ultimate-sanctuary-sensory-nightmare/) - At time of writing, the forecast maximums for the next four days where I live in the suburbs surrounding Brisbane are 34, 31, 33, and 35 (that last one is today!). That’s Celsius. And it’s spring, not summer yet. Smack bang in the middle of spring, in fact. The Bureau of Meteorology, or BoM, (though

## Pages

- [The Unmasked Autistic](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/) - Want to know more about Autism? Experience life uncensored through the lens of a late-diagnosed Autistic person - one blog post at a time.
- [Get in touch](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/contact/) - Hey there, I’d love to hear from you so please fill in the form below. If you do contact me, or leave a comment on any of the posts, please be gentle. I bruise easily. And while you're here, why not consider subscribing to get new posts sent direct to your inbox the moment they're
- [Meet Glenn](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/about/) - Hello! Thanks for stopping by. I’m Glenn – The Unmasked Autistic (person). Here are some stats: I’m short (168 cm), bald (the first thing my wife said when she saw the icon for The Unmasked Autistic (that brown fella to my right) was, “Hey, he has hair”), and I wear glasses (but only when I need
- [Why your support means so much](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/why-your-support-means-so-much/) - The Unmasked Autistic is on a mission to help raise awareness about Autism and Autistic people, debunk myths about what Autism isn't, and grow our collective understanding of our world's diversity and why we are all stronger for it. I do this by providing high-quality articles at no cost to you, ever, my much-valued reader.
- [Affiliate disclaimer](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/affiliate-disclaimer/) - At The Unmasked Autistic my aim is to help empower Autistic adults and raise awareness about Autism to non-Autistic people through the stories I tell and the observations I make. On occasion, that might mean that I write an article that features information and recommendations about tools, supports, and products that have helped me with
- [25 free unmasking tips](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/25-free-unmasking-tips/) - Advice to help Autistic people remove the mask For an Autistic person, masking is often necessary to survive the non-autistic world. But, if like me, you’re experiencing burnout, it’s vital for your overall wellbeing that you look at ways to reduce it, or to stop it altogether. By subscribing to The Unmasked Autistic, you get
- [Privacy and Cookies Policy](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/privacy-policy/) - Last updated: 20/10/2023. Who we are Our website address is: http://theunmaskedautistic.com. What data we collect and why We collect personal information that you provide to us. Some information — such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or browser and device characteristics — is collected automatically when you visit our website. To assist with sending you
- [Autism screening tools](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/autism-screening-tools/) - These free resources include the original Autism Quotient test I undertook when I first suspected I might be Autistic. I provide them in that spirit; essentially for those of you who might suspect, who may have suspected for sometime, but do not know. However, none of these assessments constitutes medical advice or professional diagnosis. They

## Categories

- [The Autism diaries](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/the-autism-diaries/)
- [Health check](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/health-check/)
- [Trivial matters](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/trivial-matters/)
- [Mmm food](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/mmm-food/)
- [Gardening glory](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/gardening-glory/)
- [Precious environment](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/precious-environment/)
- [Hard advocacy](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/hard-advocacy/)
- [Travel tales](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/travel-tales/)
- [Burnout battles](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/burnout-battles/)
- [Sensory sensitivities](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/sensory-sensitivities/)
- [Bureaucracy blues](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/bureaucracy-blues/)
- [Communication chaos](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/communication-chaos/)
- [Masking madness](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/masking-madness/)
- [Animal stories](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/animal-stories/)
- [Neurodiversity support](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/category/neurodiversity-support/) - Articles that appear in this category provide vital information and recommendations about tools, supports, and products that have helped me with sensory sensitivities, functional capacity, and planning and organisation – with a view that they will, hopefully, also help you or someone you know. The range includes items like headphones, timers, books, whiteboards, weighted blankets, putty, fidget toys, and many other sensory tools and supports.

## Tags

- [Autism](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/autism/)
- [Advocacy](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/advocacy/)
- [Autistic](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/autistic/)
- [AutismAwareness](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/autismawareness/)
- [AutismAcceptance](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/autismacceptance/)
- [AutisticAdult](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/autisticadult/)
- [AutisticMasking](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/autisticmasking/)
- [AutisticBurnout](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/autisticburnout/)
- [sensoryoverload](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/sensoryoverload-2/)
- [Depression](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/depression/)
- [Anxiety](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/anxiety/)
- [Trauma](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/trauma/)
- [neurodiversity](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/neurodiversity/)
- [RSD](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/rsd/)
- [ableism](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/ableism/)
- [driving](https://theunmaskedautistic.com/tag/driving/)